Carnsight founder, Jessica Morgan, was recently featured on Vicki Weinberg’s podcast, Bring Your Product Ideas to Life. Jess shared her tips and tricks on how to use PR to help customers find your products and spoke about why it is something you should consider in order to grow and boost your business.
We have summarised Vicki’s blog that included some great questions and topics Jess covered throughout the podcast:
What’s the role of a PR agency?
Jess explains that your first step should be figuring out what it is you want to get from PR. When getting involved with a PR agency you will go back to basics and discuss what your targets and goals are, such as who your audience is. They will then create a media list of potential journalists that might be interested, and you will collaborate to create a message and press release. The aim of the PR agency is then to generate coverage from the media that can then be shared through social media to increase publicity and interest.
At Carnsight we use something called a Three Lens Messaging Session when we start working with a new client.
How much time and effort should you put into your PR?
Time is valuable, so Jess recommends an open chat with an agency to discuss your product and any launches you have coming up. This will help when you are coming to a decision about how much time and effort is needed to achieve the desired results, including a smart timeline of how and when to plan your content and ensure your PR is successful.
How to get over your fear of PR
Jess suggests including PR in your planning sooner rather than later to avoid sending mixed messages and to give yourself plenty of time to get prepared for a launch. However, this can be a daunting step so to overcome this fear, Jess recommends having a clear concise message from the start, being prepared, and being organised. This includes having answers to any difficult questions that might crop up.
What do you need to have in place before you start thinking about PR?
We have a whole blog post about what to get right before doing PR. Some of our top tips include:
- Making sure your website is fully functioning and without mistakes
- Invest in team headshots that you would be happy to see in a publication
- Have an accurate list of contact details that answer questions like these: Who should be contacted if you are not free? If a journalist wants a comment tomorrow who is the best person to contact from your business? What times are you available to talk to journalists?
- Check that all social media information and links are up to date and working
- Ensure you have a clear message that you are getting across, with the knowledge of what to say and what not to say
How to get started?
The top tip Jess suggests to kickstart your PR journey is to have your elevator pitch ready. Find and follow journalists on social media platforms such as Twitter, and be sure that when you pitch your you have prepared some lines that summarise your product and will interest the journalist. Try and locate an interesting angle for them to use that will encourage them to cover you by researching the things that are being said and what certain journalists are interested in.
You can read Vicki’s blog and listen to the full podcast for even more helpful advice and information from our very own Jessica Morgan