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7 Steps for a Do-It-Yourself PR Program

Written by: William Gissen

Article Overview: This article covers researching a media list, drafting and sending a press release to targeted publications, and how the process differs for a bylined article.

7 Steps for a Do-It-Yourself PR Program

Here are seven steps for a do-it-yourself PR program:

1. Create a media list.

A media list consists of publications to submit press releases and bylined articles. It will include local newspapers, regional business journals and national trade publications related to both your industry and target markets. Go to your local public library and find the Bacon’s PR directories. There are three separate directories for magazines, newspapers and e-zines.

By looking in the alphabetical index of the magazine directory, you will find the proper section with magazines titled according to your interest. However, you still need to read the profile of the magazine; for example, a magazine starting with the word “security” could refer to personal safety or economics.

Then, note the circulation of the selected magazines, generally between 10,000 and 100,000 are the best for a new PR program. For smaller publications (about 10,000 to 50,000), record the contact information for the editor-in-chief. For larger ones, try to find the beat reporter for your industry.

For the Bacon newspaper directory, you need to look for publications in your geographical area, most likely the County where you work. All local daily and regional business publications should be included.

The e-zine Bacon’s directory probably overlaps with the print publications, but if you find new independent websites, you should include them, too.

Your final media list should contain around 40-to-50 publications and include circulation, mailing address, editorial contacts and their corresponding phone numbers and email addresses.

2. Create a press release

First, you need to brainstorm with your staff to find a newsworthy angle. This may consist of a local news hook (e.g., Greenwich Church Sends Delegation to Rebuild Home on the Gulf Coast) or a reframing of your company services (e.g., Yacht Company Offers Deluxe Package for Corporate Clients.)

Once you have a topic, write a short headline, and reiterate the headline in the first paragraph. The second paragraph should provide the most newsworthy material, and the third paragraph should contain a quote from your CEO.

When writing a press release, remember the inverted pyramid structure. The most newsworthy material goes up front with background and supporting materials at the end. All writing should be succinct and factual except for the quotation, where it’s okay to include emotion and enthusiasm. However, the quote should not contain new information but react to previously stated facts.

The end of the press release should contain a “boilerplate.” This is a one- or two-paragraph description of your company and is headlined, “About [Your Company]. The same boilerplate should be used in every press release.

The length of the press release should be two pages at the most.

3. Pitch your press release

Using the information provided in your media list, contact the editors and ask for permission to send your press release. This will avoid cold emails or mass distribution, a near certainty for rejection. Remember editors can receive around 300 press releases per day. At least, if you speak to them first, they will be expecting your press release.

Then, you need to follow up about every week asking if they have read your release. Generally, the answer will be no because they are so busy; thus, after two or three follow-up calls, ask to review the press release on the phone. Give the editor the exact time of transmission so he can easily find the release. Then, if he accepts your release, make sure to follow up and get the appropriate issue to confirm publication.

Generally, graphic support for your release will increase the likelihood of publication. Also, you need to find ways to avoid voicemail, perhaps through sheer persistence. The idea is to build a relationship with the editor through a series of phone calls.

4. Write a bylined article

Bylined articles are different from press releases. First of all, they must be exclusive to just one publication. They are written more in an essay format with an introduction, subheads and a conclusion. Bylined articles should be vendor-neutral; they should not directly mention your company. However, it’s okay to list features as desirable, especially if those features happen to be provided by your firm.

Bylined articles are generally about 750 to 2,000 words long (a few pages) and discuss an issue of interest to the readers, positioning the writer as an expert on that issue.

5. Pitch your bylined article

The best way to pitch a bylined article starts even before you write it. You should first review the editorial calendars of the magazines on your media list. These calendars list the topics the magazine will focus on for each monthly issue and can generally be found on the magazine’s website. When you find an appropriate topic in the editorial calendar, contact the editor and ask if you can write an outline of the article for review. By requesting to write an outline first, you help the editor become more interested, in addition to weeding out inappropriate topics. If the editor agrees with the topic of your outline, he is generally more likely to publish the final piece. Generally, you need to pitch your article at least two months in advance of the date in the editorial calendar,

The follow-up process for the bylined article is similar to the one for a press release as mentioned above. For graphic support, a headshot of the writer is generally appropriate.

Also, the publication of the bylined article is not the end of the story. Published bylined articles should be transformed into reprints. Reprints are not copies; they are a special PR format with the published article presented in a pleasing layout without any ads, and a banner of the publication going across the top. They should be on glossy paper to create a pleasing effect. Generally, you need permission from the publication to create reprints. Often, they will have an internal department devoted solely to that function.

Some PR experts believe the reprint is even more valuable for marketing purposes than publication of the article in the first place.

6. Repeat the process

Press releases can be submitted about every six weeks. Magazines don’t like to publish a lot of articles all from the same company, so you need to rest your editorial relationships. Bylined articles can be repeated once every couple of months, but you should try to diversify the magazines.

7. Future steps

As you accumulate press releases and bylined articles, you will want to create a press kit. This will also include other items such as company brochures, tri-folds and marketing documents. Ideally, the kit cover should be customized and glossy with two internal pockets and a slit for your business card.

Other PR steps include researching conferences for a speaking engagement, pursuing online public relations, creation of quarterly newsletters, etc. But a media list, press releases and bylined articles represent the heart of any PR program.

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Article Tags: public relations activities, public relations program



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