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10 Public Relation No-No’s

Guest post by: Jessica Swanson

Article Overview: If you are going to get involved with Public Relations, then it’s smart to understand some of the rules surrounding the industry.

10 Public Relation No-No’s

If you are going to get involved with Public Relations, then it's smart to understand some of the rules surrounding the industry.

Here are ten glaringly obvious no-no's when it comes to PR success:

1) Do not lie or mislead. If you are going to use public relations as a marketing tool, then you must commit to honesty, integrity and transparency. If you blatantly lie or mislead your audience, they will never trust you again. Trust is one of the most important cornerstones of small business success.

2) Do not procrastinate. Speed is of the essence when it comes to the media. There are constant due dates, timelines and deadlines to meet. Therefore, help the media promote you and your small business by keeping your appointments, sending in requests in a timely manner and meeting any and all deadlines.

3) Do not be inaccessible. Don't ever make it difficult or cumbersome for the media to find your contact information. It should be crystal clear on your website how to email or call you; because, if the media can't contact you, they can't promote you.

4) Do not be boring. Stale stories and apathetic attitudes will quickly catapult your PR campaign into oblivion. Keep your marketing messages, pitches and interviews fun, lively and interesting.

5) Do not be long-winded. Short, sweet and directly to the point is what the media wants. If your marketing message or pitch takes three minutes to deliver, then shorten it. You must be able to tell your story in 30-seconds or less.

6) Do not chit-chat. Journalists, editors and other media professionals don't have time to chit-chat about the weather...even if you do. Save your prattle for lunch with Aunt Gertrude.

7) Do not bribe. It is never appropriate to offer any sort of bribe in return for the media to run a story on you.

8) Do not use a "massive pitch" approach. Make a point to target media professionals who cater to your target market. In addition, as a courtesy, use their name and show them that you understand who they are and what their publication or show is about.

9) Do not get egotistical. The media isn't interested in helping you make more sales or drive more visitors to your site. They are looking for an interesting story that will captivate their audience. So put your ego aside and put together a "pitch" that will benefit the media.

10) Do not get discouraged. The media isn't always going to pick up your story - no matter how amazing you may think that it is. If you simply make one smart PR move every day, you'll soon find your way to public relations success.

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Article Tags: pr, public relations, shoestring marketing, small business marketing



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