A good PR strategy can do wonders when you’re launching a new product. After you have built your product, the most logical thing is to launch it. After the launch, your expectations are, of course, to sell. However, before selling, there’s something you should think about first – a public relations strategy.
The question is;
- Do you have a PR strategy?
- What will you do to ensure the PR strategy works?
Way before your launch, it is critical to begin developing a PR strategy. It is expected that you have begun action on that strategy at least a month before your launch date. You cannot launch a product today and begin your PR efforts today. Moreover, you cannot be expecting to launch your product in a week and wait until then to start acting on your PR strategy.
How to growth hack your PR strategy
Successful PR starts months before you launch. You need to use a set of tools and tactics to ensure your PR strategy is successful – growth hacking. Using some of the tactics below, and starting early will enable you to achieve your PR strategy goals.
1. Create a publications list
When setting out to launch your PR strategy and begin looking for that publicity, it is important to have a wish list of publications you would like to be featured in.
You can treat this wish list as your vision for the PR efforts you want to undertake.
The thought of appearing in huge publications can be very enticing but it’s not a good enough reason to forget about niche blogs. Niche blogs can sometimes convert faster than large media publications. This is because niche blogs have already built their readership around your market and have therefore gained a targeted following.
List about 30 media companies and niche blogs that you would like to appear in. This is the first step toward understanding what it will take to get onto those platforms.
2. Read journalism content
After listing your desired media companies and niche blogs, follow up on that wish list by reading their content. For niche blogs, almost every piece of content will probably resonate with you since it’s your field. For large media publications, find articles and content targeted toward your market and read these too.
By reading all that content, you become familiar with and updated on the issues that may exist in the market without your knowledge. You also get in sync with the pieces from particular journalists and are able to find one or two journalists that might be a good fit for you.
Additionally, journalists want you to contact them when you are familiar with their content and areas of interest. Reading this content helps you to understand whether each journalist on the wish list you created is actually interested in writing your story.
3. Build your blog
Way before launching, start building your blog. Come up with content in the form of articles, images, infographics, etc.
The importance of having a company blog cannot be understated. It is the only platform you own on which you can demonstrate your understanding of your field and portray your company as an expert in the field. Prior to launch, prepare content for the blog. After the launch, slowly push out this content for readers every 3 days or every week depending on your strategy.
4. Find free/low-cost tools
There are several free or low-cost PR tools, such as wet sign alternatives, available online that can help you accelerate your growth faster even without a huge budget for expensive tools. From social media tools like Buffer and Hootsuite to analytics tools like Google Analytics, you can leverage the availability of such tools to improve your company’s visibility.
5. Build relationships
Using your wish list of 30 media companies, come up with a list of journalists you would like to reach out to. If you do not have their contact information, signup for Pressfarm for access to the contact information of more than 1 million journalists, bloggers, and influencers.
In addition to connecting you with the best media professionals in your niche, Pressfarm can also help you create quality content that appeals to these people. With a professional press release, some compelling guest posts, and an eye-catching media kit, you can build a brand image that makes journalists’ heads turn.
By submitting this content to the right media outlets and startup directories, we can also boost your online visibility. Our content creation and distribution strategies are designed to help you feature in relevant search results across different search engines.
Once you get this contact information, you can then begin to build relationships slowly over time with your contacts in order to build up to the day you pitch your story for publishing to them.
6. Use social media
When you are starting out with your PR strategy you need to hack it using all possible channels. In the beginning, the goal is to get as much visibility as possible. Luckily, social media is an easy tool to use for PR.
The effects of a sound social media campaign can be felt long after your launch. Find the best two social media networks and create a campaign to ensure your voice is amplified on these platforms as much as possible in the early days.
Keep in mind that in order to scale on social media, you can’t just post content haphazardly when you have something to promote. It can be useful to boost your content creation on social media when you have paid ads running because your content will have a wider reach as long as the ads are running. However, don’t make the mistake of letting your content creation grind to a complete halt as soon as your paid ads have run their course. Inconsistency is one of the worst mistakes that you can make on social media. If you gained any followers at all with your paid ads, going quiet will cost you the attention of these followers, who will wander off to the next interesting thing. On the other hand, if you strike while the iron is hot and continue posting content consistently after the paid ads are done, you will keep new followers interested and engaged.
Conclusion
Doing PR isn’t hard if you know what to focus on. While most of these strategies are easy for a founder, if you need help, you can partner with an agency that knows what it takes to put a brand on the map. Partnering with the right PR experts can benefit you by giving you access to their expertise and freeing you up to focus on what you’re good at – developing the products you’re selling.