6 ways to PR your own PR
Congratulations! Your brand has been featured in the media.
Now what?
Once you’ve received media coverage, you’re now ready to PR your PR.
What does that mean? It means it is time to extend your 15 minutes of fame in a strategic way to further your brand recognition.
It also is an exercise in making your media coverage work its hardest for you.
While it might sound complicated, PRing your own PR is actually very easy. For instance, I was recently featured on Bring Your Own Kombucha’s blog discussing seven PR tips for influencers and bloggers.
Using that article, here are are six examples of how you can PR your PR:
Get social
Promote the article or feature across all your social media accounts.
I do exactly this from both my personal social media accounts as well as our Pitch in a Pinch social media accounts.
What’s great about this activity, is that you can post that day, the following day, or even weeks later. It’s evergreen content that keeps on giving and will always be relevant to your audience.
Plus, for you shy folks, it’s not really bragging if you’re merely sharing the kind word-of-mouth praise others have said about you.
blog it up
Another way to extend your fifteen minutes of fame, is to write about it.
Let’s face it, people are busy. Not everyone who loves your brand is going to see every post about you. Likewise, not everyone remembers everything they only read once.
Repetition is key. Be repetitive.
Draft a blog post about the experience of being featured. Include the link to the media you’ve received. If possible, include an image of your product or brand being featured.
You don’t have to be super creative or go crazy here. The point is just to reshare.
Guess what? You’re currently reading my blog post promoting an article I was recently feature in right now.
See how easy that was?
Give thanks
The same manners you were taught about sending a handwritten thank you note after an interview or meeting, also apply to media coverage and brand love.
Make sure you send a kind note or thank you the editor you worked with.
And, where appropriate—read: everywhere—copy or tag the source who helped you secure this media coverage or featured you.
update your site
Where do you direct almost every one of your customers or potential customers? To your website!
Does your site have a section for you to feature your media coverage, press hits, or features with a note that says “as seen in”?
It should.
In fact, you should update your site every time one of your products or your brand is featured. If you are featured multiple times in one day on a station, include a link to every single clip!
If you aren’t promoting yourself, who else will? Get a press section on your website today!
spread the word
You know that email list you’ve spent so much time building?
The day after you secure media coverage is the perfect time to reach out to the fans, followers, and friends on your list.
Send out an email blast to customers, potential clients, wholesalers, and other contacts with the news. Include the direct link to the article, image, or video when you can.
Make is easy for those on your list to share your exciting news by including a sample tweet, post, or by forwarding on your email in its entirety.
Speaking of which, are you on our Hearsay newsletter list? Join the fun here.
Celebrate the celebrity
I don’t care how big your business or brand is, when a celebrity wears, uses, or endorses you, it’s a big deal.
Alert the media!
If a celebrity is photographed wearing or using your product, and that photograph shows up in one of the many celebrity weeklies or celeb style blogs, it’s possible for the image to receive millions of views.
The level of public interest can, though not always, have a significant, immediate impact on sales.
Get your hands on that photograph (include proper photo credit always) and promote this publicity the same way you would a news article or TV segment using the five tips above.
Send a short pitch, featuring this celebrity sighting to your media connections. Particularly those with a celebrity focus.
Don’t forget to also send the image to current wholesalers and potential retailers. They like to see the reach your brand can get, too.
