Why you need to do PR consistently all year round
Although 2019 is nearly out and we’ll soon have forgotten all about the last 12 months, it doesn’t mean you should forget about your PR efforts. You’ve not spent the past year building press relationships and getting your brand on their radar to drop it last minute. It takes time to build press relationships, but very little time to lose them.
We know that building a rapport with the press and achieving coverage takes time. Because PR results aren’t instant and can be trickier to measure compared to other avenues it’s the one thing that a lot of small businesses drop first. Cutting down your PR means also cutting down on your brand awareness, and to be able to stay relevant in a competitive landscape you need to think long-term about your PR strategy and do it consistently all year round.
LEAD TIMES
There will be times of the year which is slightly quieter than others, however, press is always working on a story and planning ahead. So although it might feel like no one is reading your emails or you’re just getting out of office replies, send the editors a follow-up email when they’re back and email another relevant contact at the publication.
December is a good example of this. While the Christmas-focused stories and Christmas gift guides will slowly decline as we approach late December, a lot of press will still be working on features and will be planning ahead of next year right up until the festive break. Long-lead publications such as Elle Decoration and Red got SS20 firmly on their minds and will already be working on their March issues. So if you have got your new product imagery ready now is the perfect time to pitch your products to long-lead press.
By always keeping the lead times in mind as well as key dates (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, festival season, etc) you’ll be able to tailor your pitches and suggest relevant products all year round meaning you’re maximising your chances of gaining media exposure and won’t miss out on any key opportunities.
KEEP PRESS RELATIONSHIPS GOING
Cultivating meaningful and long-lasting relationships with press is a key part of your PR strategy. Once you’ve had a response from an editor you’ve already built an initial relationship and it gives you a golden opportunity to create a more personable connection with the contact. Continuously pitching to and keeping in touch with editors means that your brand and your products are always at the forefront of the press’ mind when they’re working on a relevant feature. New brands and launches pop up all the time, so if you drop the ball for a few months you will risk losing your rapport with press.
Also, press moves around quickly so if you’re not up to date on which editor who is working for a specific publication and feature it’ll be trickier to keep up. By continuously staying in touch (this can also include interactions via social media) you’ll be able to follow the editor as he/she moves to a different publication and build a relationship for years to come.
ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING
We know that running and overseeing all aspects of your business and trying to juggle too many things at once can be challenging. PR (as with anything else) will require time and dedication, however, committing to just a few hours monthly is better than doing nothing and will ensure that a handful of key publications will be aware of your brand.
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PR
You might have a few plans lined up for the year including trade shows and pop-up shops and want to focus your efforts on this. While these can be great activities to raise your brand profile, they’re both highly dependant on PR to function effectively.
If you’re attending a trade show and have lots of press to showcase you will appear more attractive and credible. It’s a winning formula.
Ready to take your brand to the next level? The awareness and credibility from PR is one very important part of building a brand. Join hundreds of independent brands who are not only pitching their products to press but have access to our support, knowledge and recommended suppliers every step of the way through our memberships. Find out more here.
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