There are four common mistakes business owners make when seeking PR, according to Candice Gersun, the director and co-founder of Sydney business Reconnect PR.
She should know.
Candice has over two decades of PR experience. With the mission of harnessing the power of media relations to boost brand awareness, credibility, SEO, leads and sales for clients, she works to land coverage in TV, radio, print and digital outlets. Candice has orchestrated PR campaigns for industry giants including Disney, Activision, Ubisoft, and Rockstar, as well as countless start ups and SMEs across Australia and New Zealand.
In a nutshell, she’s an expert at landing media coverage for big and small biz. So I wanted to pick her brain about a major problem many small biz owners come up against in their marketing strategies—how to seek and land PR.
You’ll know what I’m talking about—why is it that some brand owners or thought leaders are constantly featured in the media and others can’t get cut through?
Where are some of us going wrong, and how do we fix it?
A lack of clear strategy is at the top of Candice’s list of common mistakes business owners make when seeking PR.
“Many small business owners dive into PR efforts without a clear strategy or defined goals. They may pursue media coverage without understanding how it aligns with their overall business objectives,” she says.
The fix? Develop a comprehensive PR strategy “that outlines specific objectives, target audience, key messages, and tactics to achieve desired outcomes,” says Candice.
The second key mistake is targeting the wrong media outlets. Small business owners often trip themselves up by targeting irrelevant or too broad media outlets, resulting in low response rates and wasted resources.
The fix is to “conduct research to identify media outlets that cater to your target audience and industry niche,” says Candice. “Build relationships with journalists and influencers who cover topics related to your business.”
Next up is overlooking storytelling. “Many small business owners fail to effectively communicate their brand story and unique value proposition to the media,” says Candice. “They may focus too much on promotional content rather than crafting compelling narratives that resonate with journalists and their audience.”
To counter that, she recommends investing time in developing authentic and engaging storytelling that highlights your business journey, values, and impact. Try showcasing your expertise and share insights that demonstrate thought leadership.
The last common mistake business owners make when seeking PR is to neglect follow-up and relationship building.
Small business owners often make the mistake of sending out press releases or pitches and expecting immediate coverage without following up or building relationships with journalists, says Candice.
“The solution is to take the time to follow up with journalists after sending pitches or press releases. Engage with them on social media, attend networking events, and offer to provide value beyond just seeking coverage.”
While Candice’s identification of the key issues and the solution for them is clear and easily applied to big and small biz, developing relationships with relevant media can be a slow burn. If your project is time critical and you feel you need more hands-on help, Reconnect PR offers PR packages from $2000+GST.
Their Media Blast done-for-you package includes press release and announcement development, story crafting, approval process management, quote sourcing, distribution of press release, pitching to TV, radio, print and digital media outlets and media liaison management.
While you work out how to do it yourself, you get professionals managing your PR so you can increase brand awareness, credibility and sales for a small marketing budget. For more information, reach out to Candice at candice@reconnectpr.com.au or 0481 369 484.
Righto. Thanks Candice. I’m off now to run my eye over my own media strategies to check if I’m falling into any of the problem areas you noted!