3 PR Tactics You Should Be Using

As a journalist and writer for multiple publications in Washington, including this very blog, I receive multiple press releases daily about upcoming events, restaurant and venue openings, product launches, media luncheons, etc. The challenge, therefore, for the local public relations professional is to stand out among the fray. This is a common concern to PR pros around the world when it comes to getting coverage for their clients.

Yesterday however, I received an email pitch that went beyond the press release and had me immediately writing the following to the sender:

I 100% commend you on your PR genius here. Providing social-ready images is awesome! Clearly I’ll be sharing these given how easy you made it:) #PRWin

And that my friends is exactly what I’m doing now.

PR TACTIC 1

Attached to the email (the message of which I’ll get to in a minute) were five images and custom graphics appropriately sized for Twitter, Instagram and Facebook along with the URL for purchasing tickets. Short of uploading it for me, the PR pro here couldn’t have made it any easier for me to help drive ticket sales for her event.

PR TACTIC 2

In addition to the ready-to-share social graphics, she included the names and website links for all the vendors involved and a short description about each. Did this make the email longer than a traditional press release? Yes. What it also did though is provide me all the details I need to decide whether or not I’m going to:

a) pitch this to one of my editorial clients for their websites

b) cover it for myself!

Unlike the approach to demand generation, you don’t need to have a writer reaching out for more information in order to consider that contact a conversion. You need to get your event/product/client/brand/etc media coverage. Again #PRWin

PR TACTIC 3

As mentioned earlier, I get a lot of press releases and have written them myself for some DCM Communications clients. Press releases are a tried and true way to get the information you want into the hands of journalists for editorial planning. However, following a traditional press release style isn’t the only way to get those writers the information they need.

In this instance, the email took the tone of a message to friends while still including all of the who, what, why, and where a press release would have. Granted, she probably had a curated list of media contacts she would address as “Hey Friends,” but the effectiveness of the email is not diminished. She tried something different, she stood out in my list of emails, and she got the press she requested–and prior to the event at that! (Note: Anyone who reads this blog knows we traditionally don’t cover events until after they take place.) 

And because these three PR tactics are so well employed, here’s the event details. Buy your ticket now and I’ll see you there in costume!