Great starting list PRPro.
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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words
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Thanks Vincent. Hopefully, visitors will let me know their big PR issues, and then we can help them!
Melanie
Hi Melanie,
I don`t have questions at the moment, unless I think of some as I write, but I recently issued a (yes, "a") press release and some issues I had were:
- Unable to be comfortable that I had a release worthy document.
- Difficulty determining what to put in a release (based on viewing others).
- Intimidation due to the big players out there.
- Unsure how to use PRweb and other tools appropriately (data fields, etc).
There are psychological barriers to issuing your first press release above and beyond figuring out that you have a message to send. What I did was hire someone to review my material. She rewrote it a bit and gave me some pointers. I picked her brain about where to issue the release and how to fill out the online forms the PR firms are using.
With that "hand-holding" I was able to get my first release out the door. I don`t think the story was picked up by anyone, and that`s okay, but now I am able to do this going forward -- assuming I can package up some features or milestones that someone might find significant or interesting. I do have to be careful not to shortchange myself by being too critical of my efforts, as a small business person.
I hope you can find something useful out of my recent experience and that it can somehow be helpful to others.
Hi Grokodile,
Thanks for your input, and congratulations on writing your first press release! It`s always more of a challenge to do anything the first time so you should give yourself a "pat on the back" for getting this finished. And I think it`s great that you had a third party look at your content before sending it out. It is easy to get "too close" to your copy, and an ousider can find mistakes and messaging that does not work.
At this point, you are in better shape than most because you were actually worried that your information wasn`t "newsworthy." Many fresh business owners will post "news" without thinking about it beforehand.
We`ll be adding some additional PR help to this site for you July 1st, but in the meantime, feel free to send me any other questions that come up.
Have a great day!
Melanie
Hi BoldPrint,
It was really just a launch announcement. Free listings for bloggers. Over 30,000 communities. Ranked according to quality measurements. Additional traffic for bloggers. Another self-identifying niche based on local communities.
Basically a series of features and/or benefits for bloggers... though described a bit more interestingly than above. I`m not sure anything I am doing can be considred groundbreaking, but over time it should add increasing utility or value. I just have to grow it so that it does begin to offer more...
Directories are funny, when they are "empty" many feel it is not worth adding themselves for free, but when it is "full" they would pay to be listed. Maybe I should warn people to get in there while it is still free... hmmm.
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for your note. I understand what you are going through. With a tight budget and limited time, it can be difficult to get the publicity you are looking for. Right now, I have three suggestions for you.
1. If there is a community college or university near you, contact the marketing/public relations professors. Perhaps you can create some kind of program where the students develop and implement a PR/marketing program for you. Since they will be graded and are "fresh" to the industry, you may get some wonderful research and marketing/PR work done at no charge. And from these efforts, you may be able to hire one of the students as a paid intern at a reduced rate to continue the PR efforts.
2. Another option is to really focus on the one marketing/PR area that you think will bring in the most sales. Rather than conduct numerous marketing and PR activities, consider the one action you can do that will make a difference. Then, spend your valuable time on this one effort (networking with a larger organization, sending out a press release, pitching one, major media venue, etc.). Perhaps, this one, concentrated effort will help bring in the funds you need to hire a professional marketing and PR person.
3. One other activity to try is to barter with PR professionals for their services. Do you have some products or business services to offer in exchange for their help? It may take some time to find someone who can assist you under these conditions, but it`s worth a try.
PR and marketing professionals offer valuable services that can significantly increase sales and brand awareness. Many small businesses can`t afford these important services when they start out. However, you can get the publicity your business needs. It`s just going to take a little creativity to figure out how to get others to help you.
Let me know if any of these suggestions help.
Thanks Kristen, and I wish you all the best of luck with your business,
Melanie
I just got off
the phone with a reporter for a local business paper. She was very easy
to talk with. We arranged to meet for an interview and a photo shoot.
The power of PR!Post Reply
