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One of the most frustrating things about getting older, and more experienced, is that you see the same mistakes playing out time and time again with similar results. This offloads some of my frustrations so you can, hopefully, avoid them.
1. Starting media outreach before you’re ready – Media engagement shines a spotlight on you and your business; are you ready for that scrutiny? The product or service should be tested and working well. The business should be sound, and you should know your skeletons and how to manage them. That’s why I always engage an experienced investigative journalist to check what they can find out about you and your business before we start media outreach.
2. Engaging or involving PR too late – You can’t flick a switch and expect instant PR. Reputation management takes time and lots of planning. It works best when we’re involved at an early stage and weeks before media outreach starts. Sometimes a small tweak to the product or service significantly increases media interest. What doesn’t work is being given a press release and told to use that.
3. Not knowing your audience – I’m not the first to say “Target everyone and you reach no one” but this is still a common mistake. Messaging, for example, that works well with one group would disengage another audience. One of the keys to good PR is to decide on 3 to 5 audience groups and get to know them; what are their worries, what media do they consume, and what level of understanding do they have? Answering all these questions will change the language you use and how you target them.
4. Using advertising messages for PR – Advertising copy doesn’t work for PR. In the UK the story takes precedence. The media will direct you to their advertising department if you don’t meet their needs for topical, relevant editorial. That’s one reason why it takes time to plan how you can deliver both the needs of the business and the needs of the publication. To achieve beneficial media coverage, you need to be willing to make concessions, to play their game.
5. Trying to hide things from the PR – Your PR’s job is to enhance and defend your reputation. They can’t do that if you don’t tell them what they might need to defend you against. Without this knowledge, they may even cause harm. E.g. If you’ve dismissed a pregnant woman for justifiable reasons (e.g. Theft) it is not a good idea to go out to the press proactively as a ‘family-friendly’ employer. The press is happy to tell just part of a story if it suits their agenda.
6. Seeing PR as a standalone activity – PR should be integrated with other marketing activities. Messaging needs to be adapted for PR, but it still needs to be consistent. PR can significantly enhance other marketing activities. E.g. A good piece in a respected publication can have a major impact on SEO and a good media story, or speaking at an event, is great for social media, particularly in B2B.
7. Expecting an immediate return on investment – Media engagement takes time to build and the main aim of good PR, reputation enhancement, is very difficult to measure. In the first few months, it will be a struggle to get the media to give you attention, but gradually, if you’re reliable and effective, journalists will start to trust you enough to engage with you.
8. Believing PR means the same as press coverage – PR is concerned with managing your reputation, and media outreach is just part of that. As Gerald Ratner and Prince Andrew discovered, being on the front page of every newspaper doesn’t necessarily enhance your reputation and drive sales. What the media is saying is more important than simply appearing in the media and reputation management goes beyond press coverage. It also includes reviews, awards, events etc. I’ve had several clients who didn’t want to be in the press at all.
