Top-10 PR Tips for Small Businesses

By Madalyn Ryan

Many entrepreneurs might know how to run their own business, but when it comes to executing a publicity strategy, they don’t know where to begin.

Now there is a new tool that gives all start-ups and business owners a publicist in the palm of their hands.

The top New York public relations firm, Macias PR, has just created a mobile app, The Publicity App, which guides business owners through the process of launching their own PR campaign.

The Publicity App uses the same strategy Macias PR has used to gain media placements for their clients in technology, financial, nonprofit, health care and others.

It’s a strategy that the founder of the firm, Mark Macias, developed from his time as an Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS in New York – and led to Macias PR being named the top “PR Consultant Firm of the Year – USA” by Finance Monthly.

Here are the top 10 PR tips from the creators of The Publicity App.

1) Find your narrative.

This is the most important element for any media campaign. The narrative is the component that generates interest from reporters and leads to media placements. To find the narrative, you must identify your message before reaching out to reporters by identifying your unique story angle.

2) Story must be timely.

A reporter won’t be interested in a narrative that doesn’t have a timely component. To increase your chances for publicity, you must emphasize why your story is relevant and create a sense of urgency behind your narrative.

3) Target the right audience.

A great narrative is ineffective if it doesn’t reach your customer base. Establishing a target audience will bring more focus to your PR campaign and deliver better results.

4) Seek out strategic publications.

This goes along with targeting the right audience. Once you have established your ideal customers, pitch your narrative to publications that your target audience reads. This targeted approach will improve your chances for a better return.

5) Find reporters that have written stories similar to your narrative.

Reporters have certain beats that they cover. The most effective way to identify reporters that might be interested in your narrative is to target those who have written similar stories to yours. The more you can appeal to their interests, the more likely they are to write your story.

6) Don’t pitch reporters when they’re under deadline.

When a reporter is working under a tight deadline, they don’t have time to chase new story ideas. Pitching reporters under deadlines is a waste of time and won’t lead to success in your campaign.

7) Don’t underestimate the power of local newspapers.

Every business wants to be featured in prominent news outlets and as a result, local newspapers are often overlooked. Placements in local newspapers however, can sometimes deliver better results than a placement in a top-tier publication. While big news outlets reach a large audience, local newspapers reach a very targeted demographic – and can be the most direct channel to your customers.

8) It’s important to establish an online presence that brings credibility to your business.

Reporters will look online to gauge the credibility of any business before they write a story on it. Establishing a solid presence online will not only make your business easier to find by customers but it will also increase your credibility as an expert in the eyes of a reporter.

9) All publicity is not good publicity.

Don’t waste your time and effort on publicity campaigns that don’t reach your audience. A campaign that gains media placements isn’t necessarily a success if media placements don’t reach your targeted customer.

10) Every PR campaign is unique.

These rules are the fundamentals behind a successful PR campaign, but there is no formula to follow when creating a campaign for your small business. Each campaign is unique to its goals and should be customized in order to meet these goals.

For more PR tips and more thorough guidelines on creating and launching a PR campaign for small businesses download The Publicity App.