PR, Media and Analysts
Industry analysts, investors, editors, bloggers and other opinion setters won’t discover your organization and take interest in it just because it’s interesting, innovative and disruptive. Those qualities are the minimum threshold.
They’ll take note – and cover you — only if you connect with them through the channels they depend on. And the fastest way to be noticed is via a PR agency that runs and manages those channels for you.
PR and media folks can’t perform magic (although some claim to). Their success depends mostly on your ability to use their skills and connections effectively:
Selecting the right agency for you is a mini-project. The preparation work includes:
- Accurate assessment of needs
- Realistic budget allocation
- Assessment of available in-house resources
- A search for the agencies that match your needs and in-house capabilities
Selecting the winner from the shortlist, after conducting rigorous interviews.
Should you get exposure in print as well as digital media? How often and where? How many press releases should you issue? Paid or free wire services? Which languages and distribution lists? How many readers do you aim to reach? Quotes – how many, and by whom? What to announce? And probably most importantly – what not to announce…
Super-quality content attributed to the company and its leaders is a great start, but it must also be a perfect match to the target audience. PR agencies can also develop content for you, but it’s got your name on it – so you absolutely must manage the process very closely. As a rule , it is preferable for SME (subject matter experts) to create your content rather than expecting the PR agency to be that SME.
Finally – make them feel as if they are an integral part of the marketing team to ensure their ongoing, consistent and effective attention.
Need to think about PR and media, and how to be in the crosshair of industry analysts?
