Tips for a Smart, Successful DIY Approach to Public Relations  

Press-hungry businesses are on a never-ending quest to get the attention of media outlets – hoping editorial stories will bring instant awareness and credibility to their products, services or causes.

To do their pitching for them, companies typically enlist the help of public relations agencies or specialists who, more often than not, have existing relationships with media gatekeepers. These connections can mean the difference between an email or phone call being returned or ignored and, more importantly, a pitch turning into a story, rather than being discarded.

For starters, this is because editors are inundated with pitches – some relevant, some not – so, in an effort to reduce the amount of time they spend sifting through emails, many sort their emails by sender, paying less attention to unfamiliar names. What’s more, the benefit to using a PR agency is that there’s a certain rapport that editors and PR pros build after working together for an extended amount of time – a mutual trust that each will do their part. After all, they are both just trying to do their jobs effectively.

For those reasons, public relations experts can clearly be worth a business’s investment, but companies with limited resources (e.g. money) are finding the web to be very conducive to a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to securing press coverage.

Let’s explore a few online networks, as well as tactics that businesses of all sizes are successfully using to quickly bring awareness to their brands:

Help a Reporter Out

Multiple outlets — from FOX to ABC,  and mom blogs to tech publications – are enlisting the help of HelpaReporter.com  (HARO), that needs to create constant, ongoing sources and content for their news stories.

Here’s how it works: the company seeking publicity signs up for HARO and receives three emails a day (Monday – Friday), with queries from reporters and media outlets. The company then reviews the queries to spots topics that are relevant, where they can supply their knowledge, and replies to the reporter through an anonymous email address provided in the query.

Here are some helpful pointers about the process:

• • • Brands should respond as quickly as they can (there are set deadlines – but be aware:  a reporter can close the query at any time).
    • The company should as thorough as possible, paying special attention to any particular requirements the reporter has set.
    • Note that the reporter receives the pitches as they come in, and can simply delete the email or reject the pitch posted on HARO’s website.
    • However, if the reporters like what they see, they can either use the information provided by the source/company, or respond to the source directly. The latter benefits the source most, since they can provide additional commentary or clarify anything the reporter was uncertain about – increasing their chances of placement.
    • Also, if a reporter reaches out directly to the potential source, there’s a relationship-building opportunity.
    • Just as any seasoned PR pro would do, companies should make sure they provide anything the reporter needs to finish their assignment and meet his or her deadline – i.e. to keep a constructive, “put-yourself-in-their-shoes” approach.

The downside to HARO is that companies likely need to be vigilant about whether their pitch was used (often that means scouring the web or setting up Google Alerts to notify them of coverage), but, hopefully, a reporter will let them know whether their information was utilized. That way, a company can include the mention on their press page or share the coverage on social media.

In sum: HARO provides an unparalleled opportunity to even the playing field between the haves (those with credible PR teams) and the have-nots (those DIY-ers). What’s more, if the have-nots play their cards right (be helpful, honest, relevant and responsive), they could build productive relationships with editors, similar to the ones that PR pros have.

Guest Blogging

Another way to bypass the traditional (and often rejected/overlooked) email pitch or standard press release distribution, is via guest blogging.

While this is not, in any way shape or form, a new practice, brands looking for press coverage often overlook this valuable tactic. Contributing to an industry publication not only provides an authoritative backlink to a brand’s website (good for search engine optimization (SEO) efforts), but also helps companies establish that previously mentioned and all-too-important rapport with editors, as well as increase brand awareness in the process. Done correctly, guest blogging can be mutually beneficial for both the contributor and the editor. The contributor gets press coverage and the editor gets content.

• To start guest blogging, companies should reach out to a relevant publication within their niche and find the appropriate person to contact.
• If this information is not readily available, emailing an Info@ or help@ type email address will typically get filtered to the right person (if, in fact, they accept guest blogs – companies should do their homework!).
• To actually get a response, however, brands should send a bottom line, upfront  message, including who they are, why they are an authority on a topic and what exactly they want to write about.
• In the email, they should be sure to also include 1) that the article will be exclusive to that publication and 2) that the article will in no way be promotional.
• If the editor approves the pitch, writers should follow every guideline set by the publication, which often includes writing style, word count, in-article link restrictions, etc.

Twitter Outreach

There may not be any other social network where industry thought leaders are as easily assessible as the mighty Twitter. For many, however, Twitter can feel like a one-way conversation: tweets are sent with no response. But there are some smart tactics to specifically draw the attention of journalists.

• A very basic approach is for a company or representative to follow some of their favorite reporters within their niche.
• Remember, journalists aren’t rock stars — flooded with hundreds of new followers a day! — so they’ll likely look at each new follower to see where they came from and what association they may already have to them (everyone wants to feel important!).
• Then, simply by visiting a new follower’s account, journalists are made aware of a company (assuming their Twitter bio/profile is optimized for brand awareness).
• Some reporters may even follow new followers back, so this is an opportunity to share meaningful/interesting tweets about a product, service or cause.
• If a company doesn’t receive a follow, it can get that reporter’s attention in another way – tweet them. While most reporters like to streamline their communication to one platform (email), they will likely respond to the tweet, even if it’s just to say “Send me an email.” Then when they receive it, they’ll have some background in front of them regarding the company.
• Although only 25 percent of reporters say they want to be approached by PRs on social media, if it’s a relevant pitch, companies increase their chances of being seen as helpful, rather than bothersome.

Public relations experts have spent years, sometimes decades, honing their craft, but the web offers never-seen-before, right-now opportunities for brands to get press quickly – as soon as this month – assuming they provide editors with helpful and relevant content. If you are just starting to focus on increasing your opportunities online, remember that, as with any DIY project , learning curves are to be expected.  But by taking the time to think through what an editor can truly use, companies will be well on their way to increasing their brand awareness through press coverage.