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Public relations - which includes the art of cultivating an image with the public and the media - is a highly skilled profession. Finding the answer that works for you is very individualized and should be tailored to your organization’s business objectives and goals
With the rise of technology tools including AI, there are companies out there that can provide the illusion that they are securing good coverage. In reality, it is not often the case. We are a PR agency, yet we regularly get offers from businesses - clearly not PR agencies - that they can secure PR coverage for our clients. Securing media coverage is our core competency, so why they would even send us offers to secure coverage for our clients is more than perplexing. But even funnier are the offers they are sending us. Fee based advertorials, or in online media that require “pay for play” for placement for our clients. Even more amusing are offers from other PR agencies that think we need to secure their services in order to get PR for ourselves. Really? Securing media coverage is our core competency, so why we need another PR agency to do it for us is more than ludicrous. Look very carefully at the unsolicited offers your business may be receiving for PR. If we as a PR agency are getting offers like these, it most likely is even worse for other businesses. With the proliferation of AI tools for PR, the PR industry is undergoing a change. AI is increasingly being incorporated into automated PR tools and platforms, making it easier for non-PR professionals to attempt to take on traditional PR tasks themselves.
While this may seem like a good idea to many, conducting your own PR without professional counsel is not without risks. It is a bit like representing yourself in court without an attorney. It can be done, but you might run into obstacles and challenges that legal counsel would know how to handle or head off. Regardless, with the rising use of AI-based PR tools by non-PR professionals, the role of the PR agency is changing. In the past, agencies have very often taken an “all or nothing” approach to their PR services. A client either needed to use the agency for all its PR, either ongoing or for specific projects, or they wouldn’t take on the client. But with the rise of AI in PR, an increasing number of clients are looking for a more hybrid approach to PR. That is, they want strategic counsel from an agency or solo practitioner, but handle some or all of the day to day activities in house, with periodic counsel from their outside counsel. At BYPR, we’ve long taken this type of approach with clients. A key part of our business is the development PR plans that clients own, at a flat rate price depending on the client’s size. Clients can either choose to implement the PR plans themselves, or have us work on specific projects. That way, clients can get the strategic ideas from seasoned PR professionals, but keep costs down by handling some or all of the deliverables in house with quarterly reviews of their PR program by us. Whether good or bad, AI is changing the role of the PR agency. Using outside counsel strategically for a hybrid approach to PR is a growing trend, and one that can benefit both agencies and clients by marshalling resources where the expertise is needed. As we wrap up 2024, rapid advancements in technology are transforming all aspects of business, including PR. AI, for example, can help PR professionals better target media lists and provide more rapid detailed analytics. Visuals, including video, are becoming more important in helping tell your story. However, the one factor that continues to stand out for effective PR campaigns is the human touch.
AI, for example, can make media monitoring and media list development more efficient. Visuals can convey a story in a way that text only can’t. But, like news reporting, the bottom line for effective PR is “the nose for news” also known as the human touch. The human touch in PR includes the ability to identify and develop newsworthy stories, and then to tailor them and get them in the hands of the appropriate media. AI and visuals can help, but it is the “nose for news” that makes individual PR professionals and PR agencies stand out from the rest. Just like not all journalists are the same, not all PR professionals are the same. You want the ones who know what stands out with the media. With the holiday season upon us, it’s time to think about PR planning for 2025. Many organizations have already started it as part of the budget and planning process for the upcoming year. However, if you’re like many startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs, PR planning is a regular process that takes place on an ongoing basis throughout the year, and year end is a perfect time to do your planning to start the new year off right.
Even if you’re a smaller organization planning to use automated PR tools to handle your PR internally, it is still a good idea to obtain outside counsel to assist you with your PR planning - no AI generated program is going to reliably be able to help with that. Generally, you will want more than a marketing expert for this task - you want someone who specializes in PR. PR is a highly specialized segment of marketing, and you will want someone experienced in this field to help you in your planning. Regardless of whether you’re handling PR in-house or want outside counsel, here are some things you can ask yourself as you develop a PR plan:
Boutique agencies and solo PR practitioners are a great place for startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs to start to find resources to help develop a PR plan that they can implement on their own. Larger agencies typically will want to handle both planning and execution, but boutique agencies and solo PR practitioners are more open to hybrid working relationships. In general, avoid freelance websites - the emphasis is on low prices, without quality of work. Is it just us, or does the term “PR Storyteller” evoke negative connotations about the industry?
Don’t get us wrong - PR is about telling your story. But for an industry that can be associated with “spin control” or sometimes (wrongfully so for the most part) for not telling the truth, being called a “Storyteller” doesn’t seem like the best term to use. “Fibber” and “teller of tall tales” are just a couple of the images that come to mind with the term “PR Storyteller.” How you name your company, product or service is an important part of PR. It seems like the PR industry could use a better term than “PR Storyteller” - one that doesn’t evoke negative images. PR is about telling your story, to the media and your audiences, in a newsworthy way. If your story resonates with the media, it will resonate with the public as well. Use PR to help tell your story. Not to be a storyteller. There has been a lot of buzz in recent years about Storytelling and PR. There is a lot of value in the techniques PR Storytelling offers; however, for many startups and entrepreneurs (as well as small to medium businesses), PR Storytelling is far more involved and complicated than they need to achieve their goals and objectives.
PR is really about telling your story, in a newsworthy way that appeals to the media. If you have a good story that resonates with the media, it will resonate with the public as well. When the founder of BYPR first started in PR, one of her early jobs was with a non-profit for the blind and visually impaired. The department was headed by a former journalist, who stressed the importance of a good story and who didn’t believe in follow up calls to the media (yes, many media will be glad to know of at least one PR department that didn't inundate them with “follow up” calls, the bane of many media). Her success with media coverage rested with the story she could tell them through a press release. So she learned to paint a visual picture of the non-profit’s news with her words. Blind teens learning to waterski. Blind and visually impaired youth rock climbing. Firefighters volunteering to teach the blind and visually impaired to ski (it is a fascinating and intense process too, involving a sighted person skiing ahead and calling out to the blind skier which way to turn). The blind and visually impaired competing in the Olympics for the blind. Don’t get us wrong - PR Storytelling has some wonderful techniques to help clients achieve their goals. Follow up calls and emails - in a more limited fashion than many agencies are used to - are important as well. And you need to do the basics - who are your target audiences that you are trying to reach and what are the things that resonate with them. But in the end, PR is really about telling your story. After all, a good story can and does resonate with the media. Stick with telling your story, in a newsworthy way to appeal to the media. If you do it right, you will get results. And, although they may not thank you for it, the media generally will be grateful not bombarding them with follow up calls and emails. Which will help build your credibility with them in the long run. Although the end of summer is still officially a few weeks away, September tends to mark the official end of summer for many. Summer vacations are over, kids are back in school and both the media and businesses are moving full speed ahead once again, including with their PR.
Here are just some of the ideas to think about for your fall PR planning:
Summer means vacation time for many. Warmer weather, outdoor fun and a slower lifestyle as people enjoy and relax. In PR, it can also mean slower time to get results, as media take time for vacations too.
Building in extra time for your PR planning and deliverables is important during the summer months. Is there a key media outlet you want to reach under embargo for your latest announcement? Be sure to allocate extra time, to accommodate travel and vacation schedules. On the other hand, summer can be a great time to do things like developing plans for fall PR and drafting story proposals for contributed articles. Contributed articles aren’t as time sensitive as a product launch, for example, and getting them into the queue for editorial consideration during the summer can set you up for potentially seeing published articles in the fall and winter. Like everything else, PR has cycles too and summer is no exception. Timing your PR outreach to take advantage of those cycles can help maximize your results. Whether you’re a publicly or privately held company, large business or a startup, using a fee-based wire service can greatly enhance your public relations outreach. However, not all wire services are the same and choosing the right one is more than just a question of price - it is choosing one that best meets your goals and objectives.
Originally started as a means for publicly-held companies to comply with SEC requirements for public disclosure, fee-based wire services are a great way for companies of all sizes to amplify their outreach when issuing a press release. When combined with email distribution to target media (and often analysts too) and one-on-one outreach to media, it can be a combination where results are greater than the sum of the whole. One of the reasons we like using wire services for startups in particular is that it is a great way to get the news up on the Internet, including news sections of search engines such as Yahoo and Google. Wire services typically charge based on geographic circuit selected, with complimentary “trade” media included. While the term “trade” media may sound a bit limiting, it can mean anything from technology to lifestyle - basically almost anything. And this is another big part of the value of wire services - getting the news out both directly as well as on news feeds to your appropriate trade media. When looking at a wire service for your company, here are some things to ask:
So when selecting a wire service for your press releases, look at more than just the price - look at the value it provides you in meeting your goals and objectives. Cheaper isn’t always better. We love when our clients share with us how BYPR has helped them along the way. Here are just some of the testimonials our clients have given us over the years:
“BYPR has been a great provider for our young startup portfolio companies by delivering high visibility campaigns at a competitive price.” - Gowri Shankar, Venture Partner, Naya Ventures “BYPR has provided the Seattle Home Show with excellent service for over 20 years. BYPR has created effective press releases for our shows, interacted with all local media producing consistently positive results, and has created content to enhance our website.” - Mike Kalian, Executive Director, The Seattle Home Show “The team at BYPR are hard workers, connecting us with the right media and giving us great value at very cost-effective prices.” - Shirish Nadkarni, Serial Entrepreneur and Tech Advisor |