When it comes to PR, there’s one thing in particular that I see business owners doing time and time again which stops them getting the media coverage they deserve.
And it’s not what you might think it is.
As far as succeeding with your PR campaign is concerned, the one big thing that is guaranteed to lead to failure before you’ve even started is not believing that PR will work for you.
That’s right. Not having the belief that PR will work for your business, will get you coverage in newspapers and magazines and will ultimately help you to grow your business is the thing that will hold you back and ruin your chances more than anything else.
It’s something I see all the time.
‘My business is too niche – how will I get media coverage for it?’
My business is too boring – who’d want to read about it?’
‘There are thousands of other businesses out there – how can I compete with them?’
‘I’m not established enough – how can I possibly feature in a newspaper or magazine, let alone on the TV or radio!’
Let me tell you now, the belief system behind each of those statements is wrong. Getting media coverage, be it in the local press, national press, specialist magazines, blogs or on TV or radio, is something that is achievable for all entrepreneurs and business owners.
The thing about PR that makes is so accessible is that there are so many approaches you can take.
First of all, look at the publications that are right for you. There is literally a print or online publication for every niche out there – from Farmer’s Weekly, to Crafts Magazine, to Opera Now, to Retail Week, and Your Dog Magazine – there’s bound to be a media outlet that fits your business.
Then think about the different media opportunities that are out there:
- you could be the focus of a news story
- or part of a larger feature
- you could appear as an expert in an article
- you could appear as a case study
- or perhaps you could be part of a line-up (e.g. a line-up of four work-from-home mums).
It’s this approach that has allowed my 30 Days To Make Your Business Famous clients to get PR coverage in the likes of The Telegraph’s Stella Magazine, Prima, Daily Mirror, Cosmopolitan, The Small Business Owner Magazine, Health & Fitness Magazine, Runners’ World, The Guardian, Baby Buzz magazine, and scores of local and regional publications.
They’re all ‘just’ small business owners, but the one thing they had in common was the belief that they could achieve great results with PR. Even if they were sceptical at first, they soon realised that with the right mindset they could find media opportunities that worked for them.
The other false belief system that often holds small business owners back when it comes to PR, is the idea that PR is very expensive and unaffordable.
Well, I say this just isn’t true. Yes, outsourcing your PR can be costly, but if you choose to do your own PR there are loads of PR activities you can carry out for free. If you’re up for doing your PR yourself, then your only investment needs to be your time, or possibly the relatively low cost of getting some guidance from someone like me…
Remember, there are so many reasons why PR is great for business, don’t let the idea that PR won’t work for your business hold you back.
Got any comments or queries? Leave me a message below…
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