Get ready for the Public Relations Roller Coaster!
Once you start pitching the media, you can easily get sucked into a fast-paced world of deadlines, anxiety and uncertainty.
You work long hours and have your cell phone with you at all times (just in case), but you still hear:
“I’m sorry. We aren’t interested.”
“Why did that reporter misquote me?
“Why is the competition in this article and we aren’t?”
Or worst of all… the phone doesn’t ring, the e-mails stop, and nothing happens.
Welcome to the World of Public Relations (PR)!
Now, when you get a big, media hit (usually after a lot of hard work and a little luck) the buzz is flowing. It’s exciting, and everyone is happy.
The whole PR process can be a very bumpy roller coaster ride… so with this in mind, here are a few tips to help keep you from stressing out as you pursue some publicity for your business:
- Set goals.
Before pitching the media, decide what you want to accomplish.
Which media members are you pitching and why?
What are you going to say?
What do you want to happen?
This way, you’ll know exactly what results you want, be able to organize your thoughts for a better pitch and increase your chances of being heard.
- Create a back-up plan.
What if your pitch is a complete flop?
Have “Plan B” ready to go!
Take all of the information you gathered and think of other ways you can use it. For example, can you transform it into an article, email message, social media post, newsletter entry, video, or something else?
This way, you’ll still boost awareness for your original story idea and be able to move on to your next, strategic pitch.
- Communicate.
Always inform the appropriate people on your team about what’s happening. Even if things aren’t going well, keep the communication lines open and avoid surprises. This is the only way you can learn what messaging works best and change it as soon as possible for better results.
Hang in there!
Public relations is a fast-paced world filled with stress. Many times, you will promote your news to the media and not see big results. It can be frustrating… but keep moving forward. Don’t let rejection get to you! Stick to your plan, communicate with your team and develop new ideas. After all, when you do get that feature story (and at some point, you will!), it will make all of your efforts worthwhile!
