subject: Step by step guide to planning a PR campaign [print this page] Step by step guide to planning a PR campaign
If you've never worked on a PR campaign before, it can be difficult to know the best place to start; below are some pointers on laying the groundwork for a successful campaign.
Identify your angle and prepare for questions
Your story needs to be newsworthy and present journalists with a clear angle from the off. Can you tie it in with the current news agenda? Would conducting a sample survey help to strengthen the story?
You must be prepared for journalists to ask questions about your story and request further information. Try and anticipate these questions where possible and prepare supporting documents (e.g. company biogs, research presentations, images that can be used for publication etc.) to back up the content of the release.
Put together a targeted media list
Think carefully about the best people to target with your stories is it strong enough to take to the national newspapers or is it more suited to regional press?
Once you've identified the key publications, you need to find our which journalist you're best to approach. Media databases like Gorkana will allow you to search for those that are in charge of specific pages/ columns. If you can't find the information you need there, call the publication and make some enquires about your best point of contact.
Don't neglect radio or even TV if you feel your story could fit there and be aware of publication deadlines if possible journalists are generally less receptive to PR calls when they're busy.
Prepare to pitch
When you call your journalist contacts, it's pretty much guaranteed that you won't have much time to get across the gist of the story. As such, it's worth preparing an outline script or short list of pointers that you want to cover in your brief conversation to ensure you sell your story in properly.
Follow up
If one of your contacts expressed an initial interest in your story but you've not heard anything back from then, it's worth putting in a follow up call or email to see if they've been able to use it (and to check it hasn't mistakenly been overlooked).
However, hassling journalists won't serve you well in the long term no more than one follow up call and one follow up email is advisable if you want to remain on good terms with journalists.
If your company needs assistance when formulating any publicity campaign then looking online for a PR Agency in Manchester will help you get the services you need.
