I am considering engaging in PR. That way, I can promote my company and products. But the first question I ask myself is: should I do it myself, hire a professional, or outsource it? It is a dilemma, because whatever I decide, there always remains the uncertainty of whether the investment will yield results. To begin with, I just got to work myself, but it didn’t work. In consultation with professionals, it became clear that the failure was due to one or more of the following reasons.
Vague goals
The PR investment was linked to results such as ‘increased visibility’ or ‘leadership positioning’. Vague objectives. With objectives, there must be mutual alignment regarding specific results, a detailed program, choice of social platforms, use of target media sectors, etc. All of this must be worked out in detail. Manuals for this can be found on the internet. Vague objectives do not work.
Nothing new
The appeal of news is that it must be topical, innovative, or relevant to the media. Therefore, use the expertise of a PR team or external professionals. They delve into the journalist and their perspectives, enabling them to act accordingly. So, do not try to tinker with it yourself.
Speed and abundance
Once you are ready to approach the media, you are often tempted to get a lot of information out there quickly. That is not always the best solution. Sometimes you have to wait for the right time for a campaign. And be limited, yet effective, in the information. Take the time for proper preparation and ensure that attention is captured immediately. Getting a lot of information into the media quickly is usually a waste of time and money.
Grandiloquence
Not every promotional story is an opinion piece for the Financieel Dagblad or another national medium. Unless uniqueness is at play, but that is usually not the case. So make an appropriate choice of medium. Know that if it is interesting, the media tend to follow the media. If other media pick it up as well, you will still achieve the result of wider distribution. Start with a suitable medium and build it into a top story for the future.
Personalize the media pitch
The top tier of media is only interested in exclusive reports. They gain nothing if readers dismiss their media pitch as spam. If that exclusivity is lacking, a media pitch will be forwarded to journalists many times over. Therefore, try to personalize the media pitch to the extent necessary and send it specifically to selected media outlets, so that they recognize and publish that personalization.
Service
Within the B2B sector, service is an extremely important instrument. The substance of that service is based in part on identifying and solving customer problems, and providing useful information and support to the end user. Do not focus on selling, as that will be counterproductive.
Spokesperson
An external professional will need to familiarize themselves thoroughly with all the ins and outs of the product and the company. That also comes with a price tag. After all, an overly cautious or commercial spokesperson must not kill the presentation.
The CEO or a senior executive of the company, speaking on behalf of the company, knows the facts, masters the process, provides evidence as arguments, and focuses on the big picture. Train this, and it yields results.
