How PR can help get your new business idea noticed
Sue Souter, Director of Souter PR, talks about making the most of ‘start-up’ news
The key is in the word ‘new’. When you are starting out in business the very fact that you are doing so is of interest to journalists. And that’s from the business reporter on the local paper to the specialist writer on the leading industry portal. They are looking for info 24/7 these days so anything they can lay their hands on – relevant and interesting – they want to know about.
Getting your ducks in a row
Journalists won’t thank you for a muddled version of what is going on so keep it simple and explain it as though you were chatting to friends in the pub – well perhaps a little less colloquially – but you get the gist.
Here are the five things you need to try and get coverage
- A well written news release with a grabbing headline – who you are, the idea, the market need – why it’s a great solution, its key benefits, how you can buy the product/service – with a quote from you – and/or ideally an existing customer – and contact details, website etc (always best done when you have an online presence in place – coverage can get traffic going).
- A cracking image – of you, the product, service – needs to be sharp and creative. The best images get more print or online space and they can get shared a lot, so make it strong
- A short 1-2 min video. These days this is an essential, so get it done, explaining what you or your product does – in the style that your customers would want to see it in
- A good list of journalists who are interested. You can buy databases or do some of your own research. Google the key publications/portals and find the people – it will only be a handful of really important folk to begin with. Be selective. Go for the titles/channels you know your target audience reads. Call and email – text in body of email, pix as attachments at least 1-2MB
- Finally set up a Google alert for mentions – and see what happens.
Remember this is the start of a relationship with a potentially key influencer – who in exchange for some well-crafted news – can support your new venture with editorial – worth its weight in gold. So think about what the next news line might be and repeat the above process! Also remember that business portals – membership groups – will feature member news to other members – and may even help you write it. Network with news in mind!