PR goals for 2008

Just like a dooctor often fails to take his own medicine, I rarely get time to think about doing my own PR. In fact, I've been very lazy at it for the whole of 2007. My mailing list has reached a level where it's self generating and often writing a newsletter is enough to bring me enough of an influx of new business to keep me busy so I haven't really had to pay it much attention.

But I've grown increasingly aware that I can't rest on my laurels. Whereas a couple of years ago I was the only person specialising in this area of helping small businesses put together their own PR campaigns, there has recently been a few others joining me in the market. Admittedly, their main job is actually doing rather than teaching PR and this addition to their business seems more of an afterthought or sideline, but I can't let myself become complacent.

So, now that I've got a bit of a breathing space over the holiday period, I'll be taking myself through my own PR consultation. This involves looking at goals for 2008and setting myself mini targets so that I can reach them. The aim is to keep things manageable but also fun, because if they are not, I won't necessarily keep them up.

One of the big questions for this end of year pondering is what have I learned from my promotional efforts over the year. One thing I did do, which I have never done before, was to employ someone to do direct marketing for me - approaching associations and organisations to offer myself as a speaker and trainer, and also approach restaurants about my restaurant orientated PR consulatation.

While the results have been ok, it's made me realise that actually what I have been doing for the last five years works best - showing what I know about PR and basically going the expert route. It's much more of a softly softly approach, attracting the people that will be right for you. It can take longer, and is a lot more work that just packing someone off to put together letters and emails on your behalf, butI believe that it's this form of marketing and PR that will build up the strongest and longest lasting bonds with your clients, and it's this I intend to focus on for 2008.

Paula Gardner is a PR and media coach and the author of Get Noticed: How to Boost Your Small Business Profile in 30 days. For a free weekly newsletter on how to attract new customers and clients and raise your professional credibility and visibility visit here

Blogging and PR

At every PR consultation I at least discuss the clients' thoughts around blogging - are they attracted by the idea, do they think they could keep it up etc? Coming up with ideas is always one of their worries so it was with a wry smile that I came across this site. It's now on my favourites!!

Paula Gardner is a PR and media coach and the author of Get Noticed: How to Boost Your Small Business Profile in 30 days. For a free weekly newsletter on how to attract new customers and clients and raise your professional credibility and visibility visit:
http://www.doyourownpr.com/subscribe.asp

Planning Your PR for 2008

A recurring question my PR coaching clients have is where can they get hold of a calendar of events that they can tie their own PR campaign into - you know the sort of thing that lists national baldness day and stuff like that. In the past I have subscribed to an expensive yearly event planner but I recently came across this site. which will also list your own event if you submit it. Well worth a browse.

Paula Gardner is a PR and media coach and the author of Get Noticed: How to Boost Your Small Business Profile in 30 days. For a free weekly newsletter on how to attract new customers and clients and raise your professional credibility and visibility visit here

THE DO YOUR OWN PR TOP 7 WAYS TO FIND IDEAS FOR A PRESS RELEASE

1. Keep it Current

Keep up with what's happening in the news, whether its by reading a daily newspaper, listening to a new talk show or keeping up with the internet news. I don't mean just top headlines here - smaller news items, local, and regional titbits can be just as rich in ideas. When you find something that you can tie in with your business, use that topic as the starting block for your press release to bring it right up to the minute.

2. Name Dropping.

Learn how to use the power of celebrities. We all love to read about celebrities and the press know that it's a great way hook readers in quickly. So, keep an eye on what's going on in the celebrity land so that you, once again, can tie a press release into it.

3. Plan Ahead.

Look at the calendar and take note of special days in the year. It's probably a good idea to avoid big occasions like Mothers day or Valentines day as you'l be competing with everyone else, but are there other smaller special days that you can use a hook?

4. Invent an occasion.

Make your own special days or even weeks up - why not - everyone else does it. There's a fish and chips week, doughnuts week so why not a week of your choice!

5. Surveys

Look in the press for details of recently published surveys or do your own!

6. Events.

Make a public appearance and put together a release around that.

7. What's new with you?

Launch or revamp a product or service, or announce a new client win.
There are more ideas, plus the oportunity for personal feedback from myseelf on your press release, in our Write Your own Press Release ecourse here:

A Day With the Stars

It was one of my Xmas treats on Friday - lunch with the stars at the Mayfair Hotel with www.sistersnog.com. I was sat on the Gemini table, with The Restaurant stars twins Jess and Laura who were in every way as lovely as I had hoped. The setting was gorgeous - very Stylish and sassy - indeed very Sister Snog - and I met loads of great women, all with interesting stories to tell. And then the next day we got our tree - what a fantastic way to start Christmas.

And, on the Christmas note, I've removed postage and packaging from the price of my PR workbook Get Noticed, so you can now buy and have it delivered to your door (or someone else's door if you want to get them a great Xmas gift) for the cover price of £12.99. Check it out here

Do Your Own PR Top Five PR Resources
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Here at Do Your Own Pr we're always on the look out for great (on a budget) resources to help with your publicity and here are the top five we are always recommending to clients.

1. The Guardian Media Directory.
Published every year this gives you a pretty comprehensive list of UK newspapers, magazines, radio stations and tv companies. Available from Amazon.

2. http://www.blogger.com/www.mediauk.com
A similar theme but a free website. Not quite as good as the book, but enough to get you going.

3. http://www.blogger.com/www.expertsources.co.uk
Register yourself as an expert in your field and watch the media requests come in. the trick is to separate yourself and make yourself unique.

4. A good PR Book.
Get Noticed, How to Boost your Business Profile in 30 days or less provides you with lots of actions and less theory that will really make a difference to your visibility. Also available from Amazon here


5. Reading Habits.
Read a daily newspaper every day (varying them) and, if you product or service is mass market, also a celebrity gossip mag once a week (eg Closer) to keep up with who's in and what stories are making the press at the moment.

Boot Sale Anyone?
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I am doing a novel writing course at the moment. Surprisingly (or not!) it seems to be full of PR people and journalists who all want to write the great novel! I sit next to the beauty editor of a top national women's magazine and, interestingly, she confessed to me that she often does car boot sales with all the samples she gets sent. This just confirms what I have been telling my clients for years - never send samples out on spec, unless they are just little gifts and meant to be just that.

So, how do you get a write to taste/sample/review your product?

The answer is to make them want it. Send them a press release they can't ignore, speak to them, talk it up and then ask them if they'd like a sample. And tell them you'll be calling to see how they found it. Show them that you're a professional and that you expect them to do their job like one too.

Paula Gardner
www.doyourownpr.com

A couple of weeks ago I gave a talk to a group of Wedding Planners. It was an unusual occasion, as everyone in the room did the same thing and could, potentially, be the next person's competition. Hmm.tricky. So, as part of the proceedings I asked everyone to talk about their USP, why they are different - and really make everyone else in the room grasp their brand. It was a fascinating exercise, as it soon became obvious that everyone was unique. Some times these differences were geographical, sometimes they were due to target market, or that target market's budget, and now and again they were just down to personality.

But it emphasised how important it is that you stand out from all the rest, both to potential clients and customers, but also to press.

But, how, exactly do you do that? Here are some suggestions.

1. Look at your competition. Access as much info on them as you can and start a folder on them. Look at their websites, brochures, or even mystery shop (or get a friend or colleague to do it for you) so that you can experience them first hand. One of my own clients owns a chain of Indian restaurants but still eats at one of his competitors venues at least once a week. Of course they know him now, and they know that they are being judged, but it does help him to keep an eye on what the competition are doing, and make sure that he's staying ahead.

2. What do you do differently? What do customers remember about you, and indeed why do they choose you above your competitors in the first place? Is it strong enough to become the crux of your press campaign?

3. What can you do to make that difference stronger, or, if it's just not enough, what else can you do? Find your strengths and embrace and shout about them. There are other people offering PR training as well as myself, but many of them aim at the corporate market, whilst others do it as aside to their day to day business. My difference is that I work with small and growing businesses and this is my main business, not something I've tacked onto something else. When I tell this to the press they can see a difference straight away, and it works.

Very Best Wishes, Paula Gardner
http://www.doyourownpr.com
http://www.divinepublicity.com

Paula Gardner is a PR and media coach and the author of Get Noticed: How to Boost Your Small Business Profile in 30 days. For a free weekly newsletter on how to attract new customers and clients and raise your professional credibility and visibility visit:
http://www.doyourownpr.com/subscribe.asp