20 top tips for tip-top PR in 2020

As we start a new year, the start of a new decade, many of you will be ready to embark on a brand new PR campaign or take your PR to the next level.  If you’re looking to make big changes then talk to us and we can help. But there are some simple things every business can do to raise their profile, manage their reputation and tell their story.

Here are our 20 top tips for tip-top PR in 2020.

1. Plan ahead – take a look at the year ahead and map out key PR opportunities for your business and then put a plan in place to maximise those opportunities.
2. Know your audience – think about the issues that your customers are facing, the questions that they need answering, and the problems that they need solving – and how you can help.
3. Create clear messages – keep it simple and get creative so that your messages stand out from the crowd.
4. Get others involved – brainstorm ideas and identify those creative minds within the business with the skills, flair and energy to tell your story. (Or get in touch with us for more inspiration and professional insights!)
5. Identify a budget – be prepared to invest in a successful PR campaign.
6. Invest in great photography – the saying goes that a “picture paints a thousand words”. Many journalists tell us that they will open the photo first and if it’s an eye-catching picture they’ll do their best to use the story.  And in the world of social media where you need to grab attention quickly, a great photo is essential.
7. Get creative with imagery – see above – and this goes for videos, infographics and other ways to present information visually. Make it as interesting and entertaining as you can.
8. Be bold and brave – have a point of view that is different and insightful, and that people will want to hear. This way you can become a thought leader and voice of authority in your specialist subject area.
9. Be topical – keep your eye on the news agenda and initiatives such as National Awareness Days and add to the debate if it’s relevant to your business.
10. Get recognition for your successes – enter business or industry awards and give yourself a pat on the back for the excellent work you do.  Take a look at our Five reasons to enter awards blog.
11. Share your successes – start writing or filming case studies that demonstrate how you’ve helped your customers, made a difference and/or solved problems – and how you can help others to do the same.
12. Share your news – the media still relies on news releases and a well-crafted newsworthy story will always get a positive reception from any journalist. Read our blog about how to write press releases journalists will use.
13. Be prepared for if anything goes wrong – no doubt 2020 is going to be a fabulous year – but just in case things don’t go according to plan, take some time to prepare a crisis communications plan.
14. Explore regular features – many online and print media run regular features where they are always looking for local business leaders to submit content.  Here are a few local examples: York Press Meet the Boss, Yorkshire Post A Day in the Life, and Yorkshire Business Desk My Yorkshire. And don’t forget to share the online links on your social media channels.
15. Get social – review your social media profiles and get active on the social media channel/s that work for you.  Use tools such as Buffer and Hootsuite to help you schedule content, but don’t forget to take time to engage in real time too. Take a look at our LinkedIn dos and don’ts blog post for some first class tips and tricks.
16. Blog it don’t blag it – an excellent way to give your website an SEO boost, and to share your knowledge and expertise is to publish a regular blog. But remember, not only does it have to be well-written, it has to resonate with potential customers, and be optimised for SEO.
17. Make it personal - People buy from people, so it’s important to give your brand a personality and make it stand out from the competition.  Your customers are looking for the human touch, so stories that revolve around people always work wonders.  Not only will they engage your customers, they will be of interest to journalists looking for a well-written story.
18. Monitor and evaluate - How to evaluate PR has always been a hot topic.  But now with the help of tools such as Google Analytics it is much easier to see how people have found your website – what publications they first saw you in, what pages on your site they looked at, or the keywords they used to search for you.  Monitoring will help you refine your strategies and messages. Make sure Google Analytics and Search Console are on your website.
19. Brief your staff – they’re some of your best allies and can help you get your messages out on social media and directly to customers and prospects.  Keep them informed and on message.
20. Be yourself – you’re a successful business leader who’s built a flourishing business so you must be doing lots of things right. So continue to do your thing but remember to tell other people how well you’re doing it.

 
If you’d like a free no obligation meeting to discuss your PR plans for 2020 contact us today.