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Opinion holder entrepreneur Contributors are their own.
This happens all the time in the entrepreneurial world. The team builds an impressive product or service, tests it rigorously to make sure it works properly, and then launches it. As the weeks pass and new business leads differ from their expectations, there is a collective epiphany. I need a PR.
If you find yourself in a similar place, fear not. you are certainly not alone. Over the years, I’ve received countless calls from business he leaders trying to get inbound by kicking off a publicity post-launch. The business in question may be only a few months old, or the Open sign may have been hanging on the door for years.
I always preach that a PR strategy should be built long before the business launches. If you’re retroactively trying to attract media attention, starting a public relations program has more to do with how your business works now than how long it’s been since it was founded.
If you’re thinking of rushing PR, here are three ways to know you and your business are ready.
RELATED: Is your startup ready for PR? Here’s how to know for sure.
1. You have the financial resources to invest in the long-term PR game
One of the surest ways to get frustrated with your PR program is to view it as just a revenue stream. Yes, PR can help drive business leads, but it’s not inherently part of the world of click-click buying. Try to track the specific amounts of publishing news articles. In fact, don’t. why? Because you can’t. The same goes for talks, awards, and just about any other PR deliverable.
If your business is cash-strapped and you need to tie every dollar spent to a measurable ROI, hold off on PR. PR is unlikely to provide a sustainable, attributable revenue line. However, if you are in a location with relatively reliable recurring income and recognize that investments in things like the halo effect and thought leadership can strengthen your organization over time, you are in a very good position. A better position to invest financially in public relations strategies.
RELATED: 4 Tips for Launching Your First Effective PR Campaign
2. Willingness to continually nurture PR strategy
Whereas my previous point revolves around financial resources, this is aimed at resources of time and attention. ) and do not understand the many ways that ongoing public relations can bring success to your business. If you’re looking for someone to write and distribute sporadic press releases, it’s better than nothing. But that’s just the tip of the PR iceberg.
Without a doubt, the most successful clients I work with, yes, measured by revenue growth, are those who continually cultivate aggressive public relations programs. Are you saying that it’s the most important factor leading to business success? However, it is an important factor that contributes to the good health of the organization. When you think about public relations, I challenge you to refute the worldview of the big splash. Think about what you can do.
RELATED: What should startups do when it comes to PR
3. Know your audience
Often, but not always, the people who want the most attention from your PR are the same people who aren’t quite sure who your target audience should be. This is problematic for many reasons. Worst case scenario, you’re still fishing where there are no bites. Again, that’s the worst possible outcome. It can get even worse. We’ve seen organizations invest in communication strategies and be inundated with bad leads as a result. Not only did they invest money, time, and energy into flawed strategies, they also had to allocate resources to sift through mountains of bad leads.
One of the basic rules of PR is knowing who your audience is. Knowing that will help you know where their attention is going. I often say where their eyeballs are. With a firm grasp on these two things, you can plan and act to front (and influence) them with the most appropriate form of messaging.
RELATED: The long-awaited ‘Great Recession of 2023’ is here.Here’s How PR Can Be Leveraged Amidst Economic Uncertainty
It’s never too late to invest in PR, but it should be the right time.
Most companies investing in PR today probably didn’t have a PR strategy in place when they launched. If you did neither, that’s perfectly fine. Consider if you are ready to think about the items above. If you’ve addressed each of them properly, you can be confident that your business is PR-ready.
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