21st Century Secrets to Effective PR. Linda Pophal

      So how does one conjure up such useful third-party publicity? There are several avenues for business owners to generate third-party publicity through self-promotion, and we’ll talk about them in this book.

      Services such as HARO and ProfNet are good examples of tools that even very small businesses can leverage to learn about opportunities for media coverage. The connections made through these channels can help to build an ongoing network of media contacts, assuming the businesses are able to be responsive, thorough, on point and non-promotional.

      Social media channels like LinkedIn (B2B primarily), Facebook (B2C primarily) and Twitter (both) also can be used to not only build audiences but also identify and connect with reporters and journalists online. Following key journalists in their industries/markets can provide insights into what topics they’re covering and what they’re interested in, which can open the door for online interactions.

      As an article for Kabbage states, “Know your target market, and know the target market of the major publications you are looking into. What kind of press does your target market typically listen to? Once you respond to that question, the answer is the best place to start when it comes to generating good media coverage.”

      What’s most important is that small businesses interested in generating media attention focus on providing content that is valuable for the end user audience, i.e., readers or viewers of this content. It’s not about self-promotion; it’s about providing useful information. If you can do this consistently, the reporters will be calling upon you!

      As we’ve seen, today’s public relations efforts can take a variety of forms. In this book, we’ve broken the topic down into three parts: media relations, thought leadership and influencer marketing. We’ll also take a look at crisis communications and offer some “bonus material” at the end of this book with insights and perspectives on the current state of PR — what’s changed and what stays the same in a digital media environment.