Short-Term PR Can Lead to Long-Term Losses
Would you first reach out an architect or builder weeks before you want your home completed?
If the answer is (hopefully) no, you should have the same approach for when you need a public relations plan created and implemented.
Like building a home, successful public relations initiatives require a solid foundation. This includes defining the brand, messaging development, audience analysis, creating strategy, and identifying target media…before media outreach can begin. While as a small and personalized PR agency, Redhead Marketing & PR tends to work faster and more flexibly than most, all these crucial components need to be in place before a winning PR campaign can be launched.
Contacting a PR agency two weeks before your business opens, or your product launches not only sets unrealistic expectations but sets you up for failure. PR cannot happen with the flip of a switch like placing a Google ad. And even that requires strategy and messaging.
Our Utah-based PR agency has received many short-notice inquiries this year. These have come from local businesses seeking regional news coverage as well as those with a national story to tell. Just as a homebuilder can’t start building your house tomorrow because of other existing projects and the planning required, PR professionals should not be expected to work effectively with unreasonable timelines. Keep in mind that reporters have a pipeline of stories and deadlines to meet. It can be a slow but worthwhile path to earned media. A reporter may not be working on a story that your business is a fit for now, but perhaps they will be in a couple of months. If your announcement or pitch lacks sufficient lead time, it won’t get earned media coverage. And your campaign will fall flat on its face.
We do our best to educate businesses on what is involved in implementing public relations, but sometimes it’s too late by the time they have contacted us or any PR firm. As a longtime PR expert, I have seen this happen all too frequently. It’s important to set your PR consultant or agency up for maximum success. Don’t sit on the sidelines of your PR needs for too long. Contact a PR consultant before you think you need to, so they can start the critical phase of drawing the plans and building a sturdy foundation for a home that won’t have to be rebuilt.
EIGHT SIGNS IT’S TIME TO ENGAGE A PR PROFESSIONAL:
- Your service, establishment or product is launching in 2-3 months.
- You’ve sent a press release or press releases on your own but have had no media coverage.
- You have no relationships with the media outlets in which you’d like to appear.
- You’ve created a calendar of events and want the public to know about them.
- You notice your competition in the news and your brand isn’t part of the conversation.
- Your business is not appearing in AI search results.
- Your company is not ranking in organic search results.
- Your enterprise is growing or establishing non-profit partnerships.
We could go on, but you get the idea by now of when it’s time to start building your PR efforts.
If you’re in need of a Salt Lake City PR agency to help you navigate the media relations landscape, don’t delay in contacting us.
