Any business owner knows that they should promote their company, services, or products to get more customers flocking to them. Marketing is already a given, but many small businesses overlook the power of public relations. It can be tempting to hire an expert to work on your public relations (PR). However, you don’t need to outsource your PR if you have a limited budget. And if you want to start working on your PR, here are outsourced PR hacks to try for your business.
Understand Competitors
PR experts know they should know what their client’s competitors are. It helps them understand what helps you stand out from the competition, and it’s one of the most common yet effective outsourced PR hacks. They check different things like:
- Products or services
- Press releases about the company
- News about the company
And you, as a business owner, should do the same. After all, competitor research is a strategy to execute when creating your business or marketing plan. Once you learn more about your competitors, that’s when you think about strategies and ideas to help your business with PR.
Use Quora
Although Quora is a website to ask questions about ANY topic under the sun, you can use Quora to connect with journalists. For example, you can ask them to write an excellent press release. Perhaps, you want to ask for tips on how to improve your public relations. Quora is an underused platform for anything related to PR. And it’s one sure way to give you a leg up from other businesses.
Use HARO
What is HARO? It’s short for Help a Reporter Out. And it’s one way to start your PR journey. As a small business owner, you will sign up as a “source.”
Here, you can send journalists and other media professionals tips or stories about your business. HARO sends out an email blast three times a day to your inbox. It contains questions or information on what journalists or media pros are looking for.
It’s important that you supply complete information when giving your story to the media. Plus, make sure that it’s a genuine story and one that’s NOT plagiarized. The HARO team wants to ensure accurate and correct information, and if a source doesn’t comply with their rules, they might be removed from the site.
HARO can be your ticket to talking to journalists and media professionals. However, you should know that they don’t have the time to read all the pitches. Here are some ideas to help you with your pitch:
- Write a compelling subject line
- Provide a unique perspective or idea
- Keep it brief but make the content full of substance
- Submit with complete contact information
- Proofread before submitting
Be in touch with the news
If you want to sharpen your PR skills, reading and watching the news will give you an idea of what you should add to your press releases, blogs, and pitches. When it comes to the news, the most important elements to look at are the 5Ws and 1H. What’s that?
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
- How
Anyone in PR or journalism worth their salt will always integrate these key factors when writing PR pieces. And you will know when you watch or read the news that journalists would have those key details included in their articles.
Plus, when you’re in touch with the news, you get a sense of how journalists feature business owners. What makes them different from other companies? Why are they important? What makes their services or products better? Those are some ideas that should pop into your head as you read about businesses in the media.
Final Thoughts
PR may seem like a challenging aspect to cover in any business. However, with these outsourced PR hacks, you can practice your PR skills without the need for outside help. At first, it can be difficult doing the PR activities yourself. However, once you get the hang of it, you can help your business grow and boom.
