Putting the Persistence in PR
People often ask us how Strategies, as a boutique agency, can get such impressive results in PR. You may be aware that we’re well known for positioning our clients and helping to create effective brand promises that resonate in the marketplace. Very often, understanding positioning makes all the difference in creating a brilliant PR pitch that’s irresistible to an editor or reporter. It certainly impacts the creation of news releases and white papers, letting members of the media know that you understand the market you’re in and how your technologies fit into it. But once you’ve done these things – positioned brilliantly, created the informed, content-rich news release, offered the subject matter expert as a spokesperson – what happens next? What if the editor doesn’t respond?
This, my friends, is where the rubber meets the road, because this is where the secret to success is – persistence. No, you don’t become an annoyance – well, maybe just a little. If you’ve done your job, you have a great story for the editor or reporter or blogger that they need to know about. It’s their job to get your news – so you really are an important part of their job. They’re really busy – often seriously overburdened and understaffed. They don’t have time to dig your story out of the heap. You have to make sure that your story rises to the top. You do that persistently, reminding your contacts of the value of the story you have to offer, being aware of what they’re looking for and showing them how your story will give them what they need. Base your approach to them on value (never on things like your ad budget!!). This is not “click it and forget it” PR.
Over the years, Strategies has been hired and rehired because we “get results.” The willingness to go that extra mile – after mile – is one of the secrets to our success. Make it one of yours.
“Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough, you are sure to wake up somebody.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow