THE REAR VIEW MIRROR: 10 essential steps for a successful PR campaign
By David Josephs
As I reflect on my career in PR thus far, it strikes me that the principles of an outstanding PR campaign really are very straightforward, yet somehow we often allow our campaigns to lose focus. So, I would like to share and outline what I feel are the key components of a successful PR campaign. If your company follows these steps, I would go so far as saying that you will massively enhance your chances of significant success.
1.
CEO or founder involvement in, and commitment to, the PR campaign is essential. If it’s not there, it makes it harder to convince anyone this company means what it says. This does not need to be a time drain for the CEO. A 30-minute conversation with the PR team 4 times per year, and availability for key interviews. So we might be looking at 3 days out of the working year.
2.
Companies need opinions. A company unwilling to make any kind of robust statement is destined to remain in the shadows. That doesn’t mean talking about everything and anything. Choose your issues of importance.
3.
Define your key messages. Ensure they have relevance to your customers, rather than being all about you.
4.
Buy some media training. You’ll get to understand if those messages you’ve defined are meaningful or not. You will learn how to deal with difficult questions. You’ll get better at weaving key messages into your interviews. Even experienced communicators need regular training to ensure they remain at the top of their game.
5.
Have patience. It takes time to develop an effective PR campaign. By all means use a three-month project to test the working relationship, but don’t expect miracles in such a short period of time. Commit to the process.
6.
At the same time, be prepared to respond very quickly at times. Your PR team will from time to time identify opportunities for you to comment on high profile news stories. It’s your chance for fame, but these opportunities pass very quickly. If you don’t take part, someone else, quite possibly a competitor, will take the opportunity for you.
7.
Agree on a demanding set of performance targets with your PR team.
8.
Identify what impact you expect this investment to have on your own business. Make that impact measurable if at all possible.
9.
Alongside this last point, you should have a non-statistical ‘feel’ for what success might look like. To state the obvious, if this isn’t defined at the beginning of the relationship, how will you know if you have been successful?
10.
Keep meetings regular, dynamic and concise! Make sure the right people are in the meeting, that an agenda has been carefully constructed and circulated in advance, and make sure meetings remain on track. Dynamic meetings provide the fuel for great PR campaigns.
Follow these 10 steps, and you will improve your return on your PR investment by ensuring that every euro of your spend is being deployed as effectively as possible.
David Josephs
ABOUT ME: I’ve worked in the PR industry for 30 years, and have advised tech companies of all shapes and sizes ever since. My experience extends across Europe, the US and the Middle East. My posts for Laika aim to share some of those experiences to help you make the most of your investment in PR. I’m proud to serve on Laika’s Board of Advisors, and support the team through training sessions and one-to-one guidance.