HOWTOGET OTHERS TO RAVE ABOUT YOU& YOUR ORGANIZATION by Tanya Chedrawy BYOP (BE Y UR WN P BLICIST)
I am frequently asked by clients how they can be featured in publications. The answer is complicated yet simple. Here’s the deal: The online world has changed public relations…. to a degree. The fundamentals of creating impactful and relevant content has NEVER changed. However, you do need to understand traditional PR vs digital PR and integrate both into your marketing strategy. When I graduatedwithmy public relations degree the press release was king and print, radio and TV were how you got the world talking about your organization. No, it wasn’t THAT long ago! While the print world has declined it still exists and you would be remiss to ignore it. We also can’t deny that the online world has exploded, and we need to adapt. Even though globally we are still in crisis due to COVID-19 the media and online machine is still churning, and stellar content is of high currency in both worlds 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The traditional press release is a tool that com- munications experts like me use to get informa- tion to journalists about a client. Typically, the press release is used to announce an upcoming event; anniversary; new product launch; special announcement; merger, etc.. Governments still use the press release on the regular. I still love press releases because it gives journalists most, if not all the information they need. Guess what? They LOVE you when you make their job easier. I once had a reporter print a press release on behalf of my client verbatim in the local newspa- per.
So how does this work in the online world? Digital public relations consist of the following: • Reaching out to online influencers (that make sense to you, your brand and your values) and building a relationship with them so that they write about you. Commonly referred to as ‘influenc - er marketing’ they typically have a large following. • Look for online publications, like Spotlight on Business Magazine, that you would like to be featured in and pitch the editor. • Is there a popular Blogger that aligns with what you’re doing? Send them a pitch idea to get them to write about you. • Ask to be a guest on a podcast that you love and explain why it makes sense. • Tag an influencer on Twitter to get their attention and get them to talk about you and your brand. • Ask to be a guest writer in a popular online publication, again like Spotlight on Business Magazine. It comes down to the value of the idea or story you are pitching and if the alignment makes sense. Stories that are timely, relevant, and attention-grabbing have always been the backbone of seeing you or your organizations’ name in print. The online world has just expanded the channels of how to get the word out.
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JUNE 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2020
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