PR can be a big investment for small businesses. It’s also one of those items on the promotional checklist that you know has impact, but it’s hard to quantify. So when you’re a one-person show it’s understandable you’d be considering handling PR yourself to save money while moving the needle.
We support that!
As an agency rooted in public relations, we agree that DIYing your PR is much better than neglecting that need. So we wanted to give you some pointers for making it easier and less time consuming as you tackle this big task on your own.
Start Small
No one wants to hear this. We know that. Everyone wants to land the big coverage early. Big coverage leads to more big coverage. This is true.
HOWEVER, it’s also the hardest to land. National TV coverage, major newspapers, print magazines, sites with a million-plus unique month visitors: they get all the PR pizzazz, but those are the LAST places most should be aiming.
It’s great to have goals, but think of PR as a pyramid. Your dream media is at the top. The way you get there is by establishing all the building blocks below.
When we say start small. We don’t mean waste your time on brandnewsite.wordpress.org. It just means, save People Magazine and The Today Show for later.
Instead, start with your existing network. Surely during your time in business, you have made connections, perhaps even friends, inside your niche. Are their Instagrammers you talk to on the regular? Do you have a monthly Zoom date with fellow creators like you? Do your friends have platforms they’d be willing to feature your content on so you can reach audiences like your own?
The very first step in ANY PR CAMPAIGN is to reach out to the connections you already have and explore the opportunities there.
There’s no shame in tapping your network as a jumping-off point.
Pick Five
For a lot of solopreneurs, time is of the essence. And if we’re being honest, PR is time-consuming. So you have to take what can be years worth of research and contact building and condense it to get faster results that have an impact.
So we recommend you start by picking five.
Five outlets that are a very good fit for you and also obtainable.
Now, only you will understand the size of your business, the outlets that cover your niche, and how reachable they are. And if you don’t know that, the best thing you can do is a little competitive research. Where are other brands like yours being featured?
Just start with five outlets. We strongly recommend that these be digital/online outlets. The reality is that not only do websites and social platforms have the bandwidth to cover a lot more content than their print counterparts, but they also have the ability to reach a wider audience. Flashy as print and TV may be, the numbers are in and they just don’t have the audience anymore. Nor do they have the lasting permanence of online content.
When you’ve identified your five outlets, follow these steps:
- Do your research. How does the outlet like to be contacted? Are they even doing the type of content you are thinking about asking for? (Don’t be “that guy/gal” who offers yourself for an interview to an outlet that doesn’t do interviews.)
- Get to know the outlet. Ideally, you’ll already be familiar with the outlets you’re considering. But make sure you’re taking the time to see the outlet through a PR lens. It’s one thing to love a brand’s content. It’s another thing to ask to be a part of it. Does this outlet get paid to feature someone? Do their features make up 50% of their content? 10%? 1%?
- Establish contact person-to-person. You’re not trying to cast a wide net. You’re trying to get in touch with a person in charge ASAP. So if it’s at all possible, try to reach a real person. “Info@” emails and contact forms can get you in touch with a human, but if you’re able to find a direct email for a reporter, editor, influencers, assistant, etc. you’re going to give yourself a leg up in the game.
Offer Content
Another point many solopreneurs/PR newbies miss is that when you don’t have a household name, offering to be interviewed or requesting that your product be featured is a long shot even with smaller outlets.
You need to be prepared to do the lion’s share of the work. Or at least a 50/50 split.
So before you send your pitch, you need to prepare some ideas for how you can contribute. Will you be providing a guest post? A photo series? A free course to their audience? Lessons on their podcast? A discount on your service or product that fills a gap for the brand you’re contacting?
Go with the golden rule that you should be offering more than you are getting.
The bottom line is PR is a lot of work no matter how you approach it. But you can do a lot of work and spin your wheels or you can do a lot of work, get super focused and deliver a big impact so that the juice is worth the squeeze. As a solopreneur trying to get your first pieces of coverage, start small, do your research, and over offer to get a good head start.