How to nail PR

PR is super important for brands.

It’s all about your reputation. It can shape what people think of you. It helps attract and retain customers.

Not sure where to get started?

Jo Jones, PR extraordinaire in the beauty world, doesn’t think PR should be difficult. She shared her wisdom to help get your brand covered by influencers, news outlets and other content creators. Read on to find out more.

Give, give, give

PR is all about relationships. Specifically, building them and nurturing them.

To get coverage, you’ll need to work with a range of content creators, editors, journalists etc. Don’t just reach out to them when you need something. Think of what you can give them without asking for anything in return.

Interact with their content. Leave comments on their socials and like their stuff. Chat with their followers. Show you care.

Do your research

Blindly mailing out a press release without looking into the channel (e.g. content creator) isn’t going to work. Instead, do your homework to make sure there’s an affinity between them and your brand.

Read what they write, watch their videos and become a fan. Make sure your brand is offering something that makes sense for that creator or news outlet. Then, when you do reach out, make it personal. Show you know what they’re about.

You’ll be much more effective if you get to know 10 potential partners instead of blasting out cookie-cutter messages to 100's of them.

Add value

No one speaks to every single person in the world, so hone in on your creators’ specific audience.

Put yourself in the shoes of their audience or followers. How can your brand/product add value for them?

If you’ve spent enough time researching, this should be easy to do. When you reach out, you can then say “as a follower of yours, I think your audience will connect with our brand in the same ways I have because…” This will help you demonstrate value.

Find your hook

Content creators want to hear from you but you need a good story to reel them in.

Find an angle that makes your brand/product fresh and newsworthy. This could be a study you’ve commissioned showing consumer behaviour that will have them reaching for your product. Or it could be a new angle for an existing audience.

If you’re struggling, have a look at a calendar of awareness days and see where your brand could fit. There’s a day for almost everything (from tech detox to skincare) so find one that works for you.

Timing is everything

Relevance and timing are key. Even the best product in the world will find it hard to land a story if it’s not relevant at the time.

Take a look at what’s happening around the time of your story.

Try to stay away from big events that could distract from yours (e.g. don’t try and land a fashion story right after the Oscars). And make sure your story fits in with the sentiment of the time to keep it relevant - no shouting about unsustainable products on Earth Day, for example.

So what? Who cares?

This question is at the top of most journalists/content creators' minds. Always have this in the back of your mind.

Answer it by explaining your hook, the value you could add for their followers and why now is the best time to share the story/product.

Tips for outreach emails

You’re about to reach out to a potential content partner to get coverage for the first time. After you’ve thought about everything else, here are Jo’s top tips for writing your first email:

• Personalise. Use your homework to craft a thoughtful message that is tailored to whoever you’re reaching out to. Reference their work and show you know their audience by explaining how you can add value.
• Make the subject line pop. Answer “So what? Who cares?” in the subject if you can.
• Keep it concise. Write a short hook. Don’t use superlatives like “super” and don’t go over the top.
• Don’t ask for too much. Don’t give the creator or news editor a huge task to do to engage with you e.g. asking them to fill in a lengthy form.

Err on the professional side. There’s no need to be overly formal but cut the exclamation marks and don’t be too pally if you’ve never met before.

Got the PR bug? Become a Copy Club member to watch the full talk.