Planning your PR Campaign - Top 10 Tips

• Althea Taylor-Salmon (Fortune Public Relations)
• Saturday 30 June 2012

1. Define the Aim – This is the overarching reason for your campaign. This depends on the nature of your campaign, but could be along the lines of 'to increase public awareness of xxyz.'
2. Objectives – Specify what the aim should deliver eg, in the case of a product recall, an objective might be to ensure that a helpline is promoted to consumers who return products.
3. Messages – Define meaningful messages. Identify three short, pertinent ‘messages’ about your brand or campaign. Everything you do should be in line with those messages and will ensure your are consistent and true to your brand. In a product-recall it will be something like unsafe fridges or fire hazard in flats. The messaging will also encompass how this problem can be overcome, eg a clear call to action such as call this number now!
4. Know your Audience – Identify your audiences and their favourite media – print, broadcast and online - so you can target and tailor activity. Also, think beyond media; where do your audiences congregate? At events for example?
5. Build Media List – Compile details of media contacts and log them in order of priority in terms of audience reach. Include relevant freelance journalists as they are vital part of editorial teams.
6. Social Media – Think of social media as another channel to get your message across, with the advantage of being interactive and giving instant response to your campaign. Just as you would research and identify print and broadcast media and make sure they are consumed by your audience, you need to do the same for social media. Research what customers use and build activity around them. Research (just Google!) how to communicate with online communities to ensure you follow best practice.
7. Evaluation – You need to know what works and what doesn’t. Tracking and measuring your campaign will help with future plans and budget decisions. Look at inputs, outputs and outcomes – test these against the original objective(s). Ask yourself with whom did you engage/influence and what does this mean for your business? What’s your next step?
8. News Hook - Grabbing the attention of customers and prospects requires a strong news hook. People won’t be interested in simply knowing about our company. Think about what’s in it for them. Your story must answer the “so what?” question to get attention. You have a new product.... so what? What’s it going to do for your customer, the sector, the UK economy?
9. Appealing Spokesperson - Ideally a voice of authority, but also someone that your audiences will empathise with, someone who will inspire confidence and action.
10. Timeliness - Even the most expertly planned media story can be gazumped by a nation-gripping event. However, you can be (albeit only partially) prepared for this by making sure you are aware of any external events which directly or indirectly affect the story. Do the research to minimise the risks.

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