30 PR tips

1. Attract customers through great ads

   This seems simple, but how many times have you seen a row of billboards, TV commercials, or newspaper ads that were so similar that you could swear they were all for the same store? It's time to come up with something new. A trademark spokesperson, spokes-animal, or saying would be a good idea. Be careful, though! If your trademark is too annoying, you will suffer a backlash! The public has little tolerance for over-the-top advertising. Make your ads clever. And go for streamlined and modern as opposed to cluttered and confusing. Provide only the most necessary information-if your ad is intended just to get your name out, focus on innovative advertising. If you're advertising a sale or any special promotion, maintain the same creativity. Just because you're discounting a ton of stuff doesn't mean that your ad has to be boring and basic. Make yourself stand out. Why should people visit your furniture store instead of the one next door? If your ad catches their eye, they'll remember it before any of the other large retail stores marketing similar products.

2. Discounts are a great way to attract customers

   A great publicity approach for a large retail store is to hold special discount events. Promote these heavily, on TV, newspapers, even the radio. There are other ways to provide discounts: advertise senior discounts, or discounts for students. Aim your discounts at your primary consumers. Grocery stores should discount barbecue supplies and tailgate treats when the local college has a football game. Grocery stores would also benefit from discounts aimed at mothers, or students in the local college community. Don't forget your other consumers, though! Too often a large retail store will aim its ads at too specific a group, alienating others in the process. Large entertainment stores shouldn't forget that everyone needs a TV. Don't just advertise for the young.

3. Local media is great for local stores

   There are numerous media outlets that provide excellent publicity opportunities for small retail stores. When placing your ad, include the major local newspapers, but don't forget any alternative community paper. A lot of the time the readers of smaller newspapers are the ones most willing to frequent small businesses. Make sure that your ads will grab the attention of the reader: clear, concise, and exciting. Contact press and TV reporters with information about your store: grand openings, sales events, anything unique that makes your story newsworthy. Prepare a press package. Having information easily available will make the reporter's job even easier, making them more willing to publicize your story and your business. There are also many coupon mailing services, such as Smartmailer.com, which are a great resource if you want to maximize your publicity. Also don't forget radio ads. Make sure that your ad airs during programs that attract your key customers.

4. Community involvement attracts community customers

   Find out what community events are going to be held and when: carnivals, street fairs, parades, open houses, even football games. Sponsor a booth at an event, if possible. Not only will doing this provide a great chance to sell your merchandise, but it is also great publicity. People remember your name, and they will associate you with community involvement. Take out ads in the programs for local high school productions, such as plays, football games, and dance concerts. Include product discounts. One free way to get better publicity for your small retail store is to have free events. Groups, such as book groups or knitting groups, clubs, teaching seminars, and other educational and social events will bring in people who are interested in your services. Hand out flyers and even samples at community events. Remember: the more visible you are, the better! Becoming involved will also lead reporters to your door, which means more publicity!

5. Offer deals to bring in the customers to your small store
   There's nothing like a discount to get people interested. It's great publicity for a small retail store. Hold special sales, and market them heavily. Or offer two-for-one deals in your newspaper, TV, and flyer ads. Another great idea for a small retail store is to establish regular sales events, whether they're annual or semi-annual. People will remember Deep Discount Augusts or Super September Sales.Put up flyers. Everywhere. Have a sign in the local sandwich shop, at the library, on the lightpoles. Ask owners of similar or related small retail stores if they will post your flyers. Ask people to refer their own customers to you. If you specialize in repairing car audio systems, visit the stores that sell the systems. Ask them if you can put a stack of your business cards next to their cash register. Become friends with the owners, so that they'll be more willing to refer their own customers to you.
6. Image and design are key for tech companies
   What really will attract customers, at least at first, is your image.This image is the basis of your publicity plan.Hire a good designer to design your company logo, the trademark that will help people recognize you and remember you.Decide what kind of consumer you want to attract, and plan your image accordingly.If you are marketing your product to middle-aged librarians, your image will be different than if you want to attract twenty-year-old technology wizards.This idea of image is the basis of the publicity for technology companies. Now that you have your basic image decided on, it's time to design your ads.Think of a creative, innovative way to immediately get your point across.Demonstrate through your ad design how cutting-edge your technology is.Successful publicity for technology companies depends upon convincing your customer that you are ahead of the pack when it comes to innovation.
7. Make use of industry events
   When attending an event, an important publicity tip is to use the opportunity to network and to make yourself known.If media is attending, make sure that your product is highlighted.Network with other companies.You could win customers.See if your event has any pr aid, such as a website that you can link to on your site, or already written press releases.Capitalize on the opportunity.Have enough brochures, posters, business cards, and demonstration samples available so that everyone interested in your product can receive information.Don't forget to design them well!You need to make yourself stand out of the enormous crowd.If your company has developed a new product, is having a special sale, or is even showcasing your products at an important venue, using the media is great publicity. Call your local TV stations and newspapers, and let them know.Have a press release prepared for them, and make sure that you tell them why your development or event is important.
8. Careful image and ad design is key for non-profits
   If you're an association trying to raise money, you need to design an ad that will convince people of the importance of your association, convince them of the importance of your goals, and then convince them that it's worth their while to give you money. And you have to do all this convincing in the few seconds that someone is looking at your ad.A good publicity tip for associations is to design catchy, interesting ads that get pertinent information across quickly.Think of a major or exciting event, and make that the focus of your ad.Then tie your association to the event.You'll grab people's attention, and then show them why your association is important.You're involved with current events.You're involved with people's lives.You can influence those lives for the better.If you can convince people of these basic facts, your ad will be successful.
9. Bands need fantastic press kits!
   The press kit is what you send to all of the radio show hosts, magazine and newspaper writers, and reporters that you want to play, write, and talk about your music.If you are going to stand out from all of the other bands who send in press kits, plan yours carefully.This is an important publicity tip for bands and musicians.Press kits consist of a bio, several good photos, a summary of shows and achievements, a summary of favorable reviews and articles, maybe a few lyric sheets, show dates, and a recording of some of your songs.The most important thing to remember when putting together your press kit is to be concise!Include your contact info on every item.Your bio, or artist overview, needs to be to the point and informative.Adding a few brightly colored items is a good idea, and including some trademark artwork will also make you appear organized, professional, and inventive.
10. Be prepared with crisis communications
    If you have a company crisis, you need to have a plan already in place. The first tip is to develop a plan early.When a crisis hits, you don't have any time to be scrambling around, hiring a public relations specialist, and coming with some sort of after-the-fact plan that will save your corporate image.One of the first things that you need to decide when coming up with a public relations strategy is how you're going to deal with a crisis when it hits, whether it comes from inside or outside your company.Besides, once a crisis hits, you're going to be too frantic and too shaken up to come up with any sort of coherent or effective crisis communications plan. Now the next thing that you want to do is be honest and be accessible.No matter what, no matter who's right and who's wrong, the news media is going to run stories and publish information.So don't sit back and let other people speculate about what really happened.
11. Control a crisis with a manager and an 800 number
    Have a crisis manager.A crisis manager can do a lot of things.A crisis manager can be looking out for potential crises before they even happen.Then the crisis manager can try to nip the crisis in the bud. If this doesn't work, at least you have someone who already knows all of the pertinent information.Then the crisis manager can have complete and total control of the situation and won't be caught empty-handed and embarrassed. Set up an 800 number.You're going to have to do this beforehand, but if you set up an 800 number just for dealing with crises, you'll be way ahead of the game.Then members of the public or the media will have a number that they can call and information that they can get right away.This will help set your corporate image right immediately.
12. Work with the PRSA to find a great publicist
    The PRSA, or Public Relations Society of America, works on three levels to help advance and strengthen the profession and professionals of public relations.
    
    1. To Advance the Profession
       The PRSA seeks to set and keep the standard for public relations.In order to keep standards high, the PRSA keeps a strict code of ethics.
    
    
    2. To Strengthen the Society
    
    
    3. To Establish Global Leadership
       How does all of this about the PRSA matter to you, the business owner?Well, when interviewing possible publicists, ask if they're a member of the PRSA.Ask if they're involved in the PRSA.You can also check the PRSA website and resources to look for potential publicists.When you work with the PRSA, you can basically be guaranteed that you'll get a publicist who's up to date and developments and still maintains a high code of ethics while working to develop professionally.
13. A public relations specialist specializes in your public relations
    Publicity is obviously a big deal, but you probably don't have the time to really deal with coming up with an enormous publicity campaign all on your own.What's more, you probably don't have any expertise in the area.How could you?You're a computer programmer, not a publicist!Fortunately, there are lots of people out there who can help you.The job of a publicist is to get you publicity.Your public relations specialist, or publicist, will be the one who contacts and interacts with the media on your behalf.They're the one who will write your press releases, take care of organizing your news conferences, be in charge of crisis control, and will generally direct and preserve your corporate image.The benefit of a publicist is that they know how to write that perfect pitch letter, and they know how to create a great media kit.


14. Ask the right questions, get the right publicist
    Here are some things that you should look for when you hire a publicist:
    
    • how well and how quickly do they sell themselves in the interview?
      The way that your potential publicist convinces you in the interview will be a clue as to how they can convince and interact with the media.If you're hooked right away, that tells you that this publicist will be able to do the same thing with tired journalists.
    
    
    • do they follow-up?
      If your potential public relations specialist calls you a few days after the interview to see how things are going, you know that you might have a winner.Publicists have to be determined and energetic when working with the media.They should be the same when trying to get a job with you.
    
    
    • what do both their good and bad references say?
      You know that all references listed on your publicist's resume are going to say great things.So ask for some people who aren't listed.
15. Know your way around boilerplates
    A boilerplate is a key component of the elements of a press release.The boilerplate is the part of the press release that gives information about you and your company and firm.The boilerplate is the part of your press release that links your company to the product that you're selling or the event that you're announcing.You wouldn't let people know all about and fall in love with a great product without telling them who produces it, right?A boilerplate is the way that you connect your products and your events with your company.Boilerplates are a subtle and unconscious way to create customer loyalty to your business. You've spent the rest of the space in your press release giving information about the specific event, study, or product that you want to promote.The boilerplate is where you connect this with your own company.Be precise and concise, but make sure that you include basic background information about your company.
16. Control corporate relations for great pr
    What is corporate communications?Corporate communications involves the relationship between the leadership of a company and the workers.Corporate communications is all about the way that you communicate with your employees.Corporate communications can make or break a company, since the strength and quality of your corporate communications determines the way that your employees feel about their job, and employee moral level.If your employees don't have the correct information from the top when dealing with clients and product development, you might as well give up. There are two components to corporate communications.The first component of corporate communications is, somewhat obviously, the content of your corporate communications.This is your message, what you want your employees to know.The second component of corporate communications is the medium of your communications.It's here, in the area of how you communicate, that things can get either complicated or even easier, depending on the quality of your corporate communications.
17. Creative corporate communication!
    What about email?Email is a great way to send communications throughout your company, except that your employees might not check it very often.They might not notice that the email is from you, and might read it later, thinking that it's not important.Their email server might think that your emails are spam, and all of your important corporate messages are sent straight to the trash. This doesn't mean that email is necessarily a bad way to communicate with your employees.Another possible way to communicate with your corporation is through RSS feeds that allow both the sender and the receiver to determine what information they want to receive.Most web browsers and emails already feature RSS readers, so being able to receive RSS feeds probably won't be a problem. No matter what you choose, effective corporate communications will require creativity and flexibility so that you can spread the message and communicate with your employees.
18. Don't email yourself onto a blacklist!
    Email is a great way to get free publicity.Email journalists and introduce yourself.Take them to lunch.Email people about your products.Set up a mailing list so that you can keep in touch with people who are interested in what you have to offer.You can even buy mailing lists from databases so that you can get in contact with thousands of potential customers. But this is where you have to watch out.If you're sending out spam mail, which means that you're sending out tens of thousands of emails to people who don't know that you're sending it and don't know that they want it, you're going to get blacklisted.Journalists have blacklists that they compare, made up of people who send them spam and who are generally annoying. So watch out for blacklists!Be careful about how you send emails, and what emails you send.Be careful how many you send.Mass emailing is not necessarily the mass marketing holy grail that some people think it is.
19. Improve your public relations through improving your company's quality
    Customers perceive value in your services and products in a very particular way.If they look at your process, and they see a lot of time that is being wasted on external things that do not add value to your process--steps like looking for equipment, taking care of avoidable problems that are caused by defects in your progress, things like that.Speed is an important value component for your customers.They want to receive their product as quickly as possible--they don't want any time wasted.The faster you can complete your processes, the more valuable they are to a customer, and thus the more valuable they are to you.Besides, you will actually be saving money by eliminating unnecessary steps and parts of your process, since you won't be spending money on that time spent and also on the effort necessary to complete those extraneous tasks.The better your speed, the more satisfied your customers, and the better your public relations.
20. Churches need public relations, too!
    In today's environment of dropping church attendance, especially among teens and twenty-somethings, it's becoming more and more difficult for churches to reach people.At the same time, publicity for churches is becoming more and more important as people become more dependent on the media.Churches need to learn how to use the media, combined with good old-fashioned publicity tricks, in order to reach the greatest number of people, and to keep them coming back!
    Here are some good publicity tips for churches.
    
    1. Communicate well!Make sure that your announcements, posters, news releases, and any other communication is easy to understand.Make people feel comfortable.Speak to your audience using the same language that they use.
    
    
    2. Be visually interesting!There are some very simple ways that you can make your publicity eye-catching.This is a good publicity tip for churches.Use bold colors.Make your words stand out.Use images.
21. Great publicity for churches
    Even churches need great public relations.Here are some tips to help you improve your public relations.
    Use the Internet.This is a central publicity tip for churches.Having a church website is a great way to introduce people to the fundamentals of your religion, and is also an excellent way to keep members of your religious community updated on events and developments.A good website design is important; make your website easy to navigate and easy to understand.
    Be involved in the community.Reach out to members of your congregation and beyond.Create groups that enable you to mingle with the community: public pancake breakfasts, carnivals, book groups, charity drives, volunteer events, musical productions.Being involved is a great publicity tool for churches, as it makes you more visible to the community.Being involved doesn't mean that you have to proselyte.Just have fun with your neighbors and let them get to know you!Donate to community organizations and causes.
22. Advertising your church
    Advertising can be a great way for churches to build public relations.Most newspapers have a religion section which publishes a directory of local churches.Make sure that your church is listed, and place an ad also.Setting yourself apart is a good publicity tip for churches, especially when people don't know exactly what they're looking for.Advertise your worship program, and make sure that people know they're welcome.Welcome them when they come, too, and they'll come back.Find out if any local radio stations have religious programs, and air a radio ad.Contact local hotels and make sure that you're listed in their visitors' guide.It's also a good idea to contact travel guide publishers and ask them to include you in their listings.Contact local media with news about events occurring in your church, or any interesting stories.Reporters love local stories if they have a twist.If you give a reporter a good story, it will be great publicity for your church.
23. Good ads lead to good publicity
    We all need better public relations.Good advertisements are one of the primary steps to great public relations.First, design a good ad.For a print ad, this doesn't necessarily have to have a list of your achievements.Instead, people are going to remember catchy phrasing and great design.Hire someone to put something exciting and striking together for you.
    Second, decide where to publish your ad.The newspaper is obviously a good idea, but don't just go for the major circulating newspapers in your area.Remember the smaller ones which will help you reach even more potential customers.The yellow pages are a fantastic place for anyone to get some publicity.Since most people just look in the phonebook for various services, like accountants or real estate agents, they're great places to get customers, as long as your ad is striking while not being over the top.
24. Remember your customers, and your community!
    For great public relations, remember your current customers.Send them Christmas and birthday cards, along with reminders about tax season.Be friendly, cooperative, and helpful.Not only will this keep customers, but word of mouth is your best friend.If you go the extra mile, your customers will tell their friends why they should choose you rather than someone else.
    Don't just worry about your customers.Get involved in your community!Offer your expertise and set up speaking engagements with local clubs such as the Lions Club and the Chamber of Commerce.Speak on topics other than your profession; doing so will let people become familiar with you and will gain customers. Other good ways to be involved in your community are to donate time and money to local charities and volunteer organizations.Help organize local events.Become involved with the local university.Give guest lectures in classes.This will bring students to you, and also faculty members.Sponsor luncheons for specific groups, like your Chamber of Commerce
25. Embargo your press releases!
    An embargoed press release is when a press or news release is sent out, but the press or news release isn't made public or published by the members of the news media until a certain time.You should write on the top of all press releases or news releases that you send out to the media EMBARGOED UNTIL [insert date] or FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
    So why would you want to embargo a press release?You might be releasing a product at midnight on a certain day, or early in the morning.In that case, you would send the news release or the press release ahead to the different members of the news media and ask them to wait to publish the release until after you have actually released the product.
    Sending out your press or news release beforehand will give reporters time to actually respond to your press release, call you with questions, and even perhaps prepare an article to publish on the date of the event that your news or press release is announcing.
26. Want free publicity?Write articles!
    When you hear the term article, what do you think?Most of us think of exactly what an article is: an informative piece that we read in the newspaper or in different magazines and journals.Articles are things written by other people who are experts in their field, good at what they do, and successful.Articles are written by journalists or non-journalists experts.So what do articles have to do with you, other than the fact that you read them? Even though most people don't have any idea about this, articles are actually one of the best ways for you to get free publicity. Your public relations and your publicity can be helped out a lot by writing articles for your local newspaper, for magazines, and for trade journals and academic journals. And let's admit it: you need publicity.Anyone who depends on the public in any way needs publicity.Writing articles for newspapers and journals is a great way for you to get publicity for your services and products.
27. Free articles mean free publicity.
    In order to start writing articles, it's a good idea to become involved with your local media.They need you, and you need them.A good way to get involved is to get involved with your local newspapers.Send them news releases.If you hear about a local or national event (for example, a major accounting scandal), call your local newspaper and offer your expertise.Give them a few pointers on how to deal with the story.They'll appreciate it, since they generally have no idea where to start with complicated issues.You want to be the person reporters turn to when they need a quote related to your area of expertise, so be persistent, though not annoying.Become friends with reporters by taking them out to lunch.Introduce yourself and let them know who you are in a non-confrontational way, and they'll turn to you when they need expertise.
28. Journals need your articles, and you need their publicity!
    You might just be an accountant, a small business owner, or a lawyer, but you're the best person to write these articles.See, journalists report for a living.They have to report on all kinds of events and be able to cover a ton of different things.It's not too difficult to know a little bit about all kinds of things, but journalists are the people in charge of letting the readers of their newspaper or magazine understand the events that are happening.Even more than reporting basic facts, understanding also means understanding how the latest tax breaks passed by Congress will affect the little guy in Montana.Here's where you, the expert, come in. Don't just write articles for your local newspaper.Journals and magazines that are dedicated to your area of expertise are a great place to get publicity and to attract clients.Write letters to the editor also for even more publicity.
29. Knowing what publicity is can help your public relations!
    The term public relations refers to way that the public sees your company, business, or corporation.The term public relations describes the relationship that you have with current and potential customers.Even if you don't sell specific products to the public, you still need the public to see your corporation in a positive light. Public relations is a tricky game to play.You're in control, to some extent, of your own publicity.You can play the public relations and news media game by sending out press releases in order to get attention for a particular product or development, even a new member joining your law firm.You can hold a news conference in order to even more publicly make an announcement, refute any allegations, or correct any misinformation. But public relations doesn't just consist of the publicity that you get when you send out press releases and hold news conferences.Public relations also depend heavily on your corporate image. So craft your image carefully, and design your publicity to enhance that image.
30. Use the Internet for free publicity!
    The Internet is a great publicity resource and outlet that can go a long way towards creating great public relations and keeping those good public relations.Unfortunately, far too many businesses and corporations forget to use this all-important tool.Remember: not using the Internet can also make people see your corporate image as a business stuck in the early 20th century, and therefore incapable of meeting the demands of the 21st century.First of all, almost everybody uses the Internet.That's your entire customer base, basically.So you want people writing about you.This means bloggers, online magazines (ezines), and other specialty sites.You can also generate your own publicity by blogging on your own.Create a blog about your company and about your products.Link to other sites on your blog and convince the owners of those sites to link to your own site.This will create a great network of potential customers and clients.