Highly Actionable PR Tactics You Need to Start Using Today

Introduction

This year, we have seen hundreds of organizations harnessing the power of emerging technologies like AI and machine learning to vie for the attention of consumers and compete with other brands in an increasingly crowded digital space.

While infusing AI, machine learning, and similar technologies into your outreach strategy may be able to bolster those connections and help you stand out, the fact remains that PR has always been and always will be about relationships.

As we learn to navigate a business ecosystem oversaturated with online content, it may be harder to get the attention of increasingly tuned out consumers.

It’s now more important than ever to apply some creative, out of the box thinking to every PR strategy you plan and implement. No brand is immune to public disinterest but every brand can take proactive steps to strengthen B2C and B2B bonds.

So why PR in the first place?

Just before we dive in to some proven strategies for PR, I want to preface by sharing a bit of my background and highlight the importance of PR.

I’m the founder of Powerful Outreach, A PR company that specialises in generating press.

In the course of my PR career, I’ve worked with a multitude of businesses in different industries including big name brands like Hubspot, Agoro Pulse and Kijiji just to name a few.

The commonality I’ve seen amongst businesses is that companies spend a lot of time building their own audiences but not enough time leveraging existing audiences.

Entrepreneurs and marketers will invest countless hours building their social, blog and email audiences, but why not spend some time leveraging audiences that have been built already?

That’s what press does for you.

If done right, PR can help you:

• Establish industry authority and boost your credibility
• drive qualified traffic and leads
• build up high quality backlinks
• become a thought leader in your industry.

The strategy outlined below has played a big part in us helping clients secure press and backlinks on globally-renowned websites such as The Huffington Post, Business Insider and Forbes.

Powerful Outreach’s Highly Actionable PR Tactics

At Powerful Outreach, we focus on two main forms of PR that can put more eyes on your business. The nice thing about what we’re going to talk about today is that you can put some of techniques into action right away.

Guest Posting

By writing branded content for other sites, you’re employing a multi-pronged approach to boosting your reach.

Guest posting can build your authority and give your business more link backs and page views. Also, by proactively sharing your guest post on all of your social channels, you start building up an inner circle of industry leaders, while exposing your content to new audiences as well. However, when it comes to guest post opportunities, you need to find a good match for your expertise.

Finding the Right Guest Post Opportunity

It’s important to do your research when you’re searching for a home for your content. Keep the following points in mind when you’re scanning for sites.

• Ask yourself, is the site within your niche or industry?
• Check for domain authority.
• Check the site’s follow or no-follow link policy.
• Ensure the site has good levels of website traffic.
• Research the site’s social channels and reach.
• Action step: Take a blog post you’re competing against, plug it into Ahrefs and check for the backlink opportunities.

Basically, your goal for this checklist is to make sure you’re only looking for sites that match your niche and already have decent followings before you go to the next step.

Cold Outreach

Wording for cold pitches is paramount, and one mistake could make the difference between getting accepted on the spot or getting whitelisted. Here’s a an example of a good and bad template.

• Good template:
  • Dear {{prospect_firstname}},
    
    I read your blog article about [SPECIFIC SUBJECT] and I really like your approach on the subject, especially when it comes to [SPECIFIC POINT].
    
    We at {{user_company_name}} help other businesses within the [INSERT THEIR INDUSTRY] industry such as [INSERT HAPPY CUSTOMERS LIST] do [INSERT WHAT YOU DO]..
    
    If that’s something you’re also challenged with, I may have a few ideas that can help. When would you be available for a quick call?
    
    Best Regards,
    
    [Signature]
  • The ideal goals for a cold pitch email is to keep things short, while acknowledging some specifics so people know you aren’t sending a copy/paste pitch.

• Bad template:
  • Hey Editor,

How’s it going? I’m {insert name}, working as a content manager. I’m here to sign up to be a contributor at your publication. As a PR fan, I thought you might be interested in a sponsored Guest Post.

Please let me know what topic would be be a good fit for your blog and I’ll get right on it.

I look forward to hearing your reply.

• This is bad because not only is it generic, but it puts the onus on the website to provide topics for you. Unless their guidelines state otherwise, you should be sending a guest post pitch with at least a concept you think will fit.

How to Write a Guest Post

So, let’s say you write a good pitch and get accepted. The next step is actually writing something that will generate leads and views. There are some general tips that you can use to help in this area, including:

• Link to your own blog
• Add supporting media (photos, videos…etc.)

You also want to think in the long-term when it comes to the publication, and try and build a relationship so you can work with them more in the future. Consider trying to:

• Share new content from their site
• Stay in touch and stay friendly
• Pitch more guest post ideas

Hard Pitches

When you’re looking at getting press, you want to work with credible publications and individuals. The best responses tend to come to short, personalized emails that are specifically targeted to qualified journalists who might be interested in what you have to share. There are two main angles you can use to try and find those journalists.

Targeting Journalists To Earn Press

• A lot of journalists actively seek expert posts and opinions. The    hardest part is often finding them.
  • Respond to HARO requests as a source in your industry.
  • Use a tool like IFTTT and keep an eye out for guest post requests.

Cold Outreach

• Cold pitching can work here, too, but you need to think like a journalist and understand what they will respond to. Your average journalist is bombarded by dozens of guest post pitches a day.
  • Pitch angles that are relevant to what they write about.
  • Use data to your advantage, like insights collected through methods such as surveys.
  • Base your pitch around an interview, generally with – people in the industry or related to a certain topic. This is nice because you can get added press from the interviewees and from other publications who may pick the article up.

Final Thoughts

Media attention can be a great way to increase traffic to your website, attract new clients and build credibility in your industry.

The strategies above make a great foundation to furthering your PR strategy, but there’s much more you can do.

At Powerful Outreach, we understand that businesses need to go the extra mile in order to make your brand known.

Don’t let your competition dominate the media. It’s time to get the press you want for your business.

We can help you land a feature in the right publication for your brand!

Also, you can get 50% off your FREE month of Powerful Outreach PR services using the coupon code Relevance50. Don’t miss out on getting your brand name heard this year!

Want to learn more? Visit our website at www.powerfuloutreach.com