Five Secrets for Handling Your Own PR
Though it's time consuming and a challenge to do while simultaneously running your own business, there are ways to get media coverage without an agency.
The truth is, when you hire an agency or PR person, you are investing in their team’s established relationships, their time and their ability to tell your story intelligently and in an easily digestible form for media. There are a few tricks of the trade that can help you do what they do, if you have the time and know-how. Below are a few industry secrets to help you get the job done.
Secret #1:
Publicists are social media stalking extraordinaires and should be poached by the FBI.
Even when I’m not working, I’m still on social media engaging with editors and scrolling through my newsfeeds on Instagram and Twitter. Though stalking media contacts is not my main reason for social networking (I swear I have a social life too!) it is an important component to relationship management and the easiest way to follow the coming and going of editors and reporters.
Before you begin blindly firing off emails, take the time to properly research the person you’re pitching. I find social media to be the best free resource to get to know my target audience and build connections. Many of the people I work with actively post their own articles or share another reporter’s article or topics of interest to them. Some writers even post upcoming needs ie. Looking for CEOs to comment on how they’ve pivoted their marketing approach due to Covid.
They also, obviously, post personal milestones that you can and should address in conversation. Recently engaged or pregnant? Congratulate them! You’re far more likely to receive a response. Understanding each reporter's job on a business level yet approaching and dealing with them on a genuine level will make your pitching efforts that much more effective.
Please keep in mind that Instagram and texts are for friendly messages. Most editors and reporters will be annoyed if you are following-up on a pitch or talking business while sliding into their DMs. Keep business related inquires to email correspondence.
Secret #2:
A good publicist sends fewer, better emails.
While you may be tempted to set a numerical goal for yourself of say 20-30 emails a day, sending 5-10 well-thoughout, targeted and goal-oriented pitched will wield better results.
This is a life lesson that comes into play anytime you write a pitch, press release, email or even a text message: Understand who you’re talking to and write for that audience in order to craft an effective message.
For example, if you're pitching yourself as an expert in your respective field and present yourself to the right reporter, with the right pitch, at the right time (because you did your research/stalking, followed them on social media and read up on them) you'll see better results than blasting out 100 generic pitches.
Secret #3:
No matter how gifted a writer or how strong of a pitch angle you create – relationships trump all.
Once you know who the right reporters are, try and interact with them both on social media and in person – given our current climate and need to social distance, a phone call or Zoom meeting will work after you’ve been engaging in email for some time.
When you do connect, remember that reporters are people and try not talking about work within the first few minutes. Build a genuine relationship the same way you would build a connection with anyone else. Speak to your shared interests and wait to be asked about what you are currently working on.
By genuine I mean not just transactional. People know when someone is being fake and trying to use them for a story – don’t be that person. The more they get to see you as a human being and not just another email in their inbox, the more they will recognize your name and think of you when an opportunity arises.
Secret #4:
Stay humble when you pitch – especially when pitching yourself.
When talking to a reporter, stay humble. Starting an email or a conversation by telling them them your product is capable of changing the world is an immediate turnoff. One beauty editor I worked with told me she stops reading product pitches as soon as she sees the words and phrases: “iconic”, “must-have”, “holy grail” and “cult-following”. Allow your facts, statistics and sales figures to speak for themselves and leave the creative adjectives to the writer.
The humble approach is especially necessary when you are pitching your own brand, product or pitching yourself as an expert available for commentary. Wouldn’t you find it bizarre if you met someone at a cocktail party and they told you they are the brilliant mastermind behind a new launch that is going to change the world as we know it?
Even if your company is doing something truly life-altering, you should keep your tone as fact-based as possible. Any huge claim made must be justified with facts. Your goal is to clearly communicate in simple language why your company matters – highlight the positives but don’t hype them.
Secret #5:
Consider creating an email for your non-existent assistant.
Hear me out, a friend of mine did this to earn some added credibility and it actually worked. She created another email address for her non-existent assistant that she ran and managed.
That “assistant” served as the coordinator for scheduling calls and Zoom meetings and also handled follow-up on pitches with her “boss” on cc. If a response wasn’t coming through on a follow-up, my friend would chime in one last time and her seniority carried more clout. The recipient would see that the PR director jumped in on an email their coordinator followed-up on so they would often respond back.
Yes, it is a little out there but when you are a one-person operation it can help to appear as if there is a larger team helping to support your efforts.
