What Brands should know before entering the world of public relations

The nature of public relations and winning good publicity is continuously changing. With a combination of pitching, social swifts and public tone, brands should become more assertive of their surroundings and take a step back from looking at their company from a distance, in order to win successful media coverage. The PR Insider has created an efficient checklist for brands to follow, before entering the stage of an agency tender.

Showcase positivity

This varies from the function of your business, but the true key to ensuring successful pitches and a positive message is by having a clean image. Despite your company having bad press previously, this does not mean your company will continue to receive bad publicity, when hiring a good PR agency. A good PR agency will be able to identify a clever way and focus on the positivity and create a better image for a brand. Good public relations starts from pitching yourself as a positive game changer. Don’t feel discouraged!

Emphasize your USP

A unique selling point is truly the key to your brand receiving good publicity. A unique selling point is truly the key to your brand being distinguished by journalists, influencers and publications, but this should also walk hand in hand with a positive brand transparency. As technology has evolved, so has the hunger for more information. The public is keen to understand your brand in more detail and it’s important that they understand what you truly stand for. When it comes to successful storytelling, placing emphasis on positive brand transparency together with your unique selling point is one of the most important elements for clients, when exploring options for the perfect PR agency.

Strong brand DNA

As well as a strong company ethos spreading an intriguing and positive message to catch the public’s imagination is key – your brand needs to speak out. Journalists and consumers want to be ‘entering your world’ through knowledge and strong brand positioning. This is an important element for the consumer goods section, as most of the products will be accessible for the public’s to use. Therefore, in order to attract the consumer a well curated, customised content and communications strategy is crucial.

Think long-term

Building relationships with traditional media outlets, and renowned journalists takes time and patience to nurture. As a brand, when tendering for the public relations agency, your intentions should be long-term. Flash-news and standard pitches have not been proven to work in securing winning press coverage over a longer period of time. You need to invest your time to your target audience long-term. The idea is to build a strong relationship; there must be regular insightful communication where interaction is key. As much as brands may often target journalists and editors, it’s useful to remember that these journalists are also potential customers.

Before contacting your chosen PR agencies, you need to also remember that as much as you are trying to find the right agency, the agencies are trying to find the right clients too. The more you showcase yourself as a well presented and positive brand, the more agencies will want to include you on board. You as a brand need to see your organization from a distance, in order to pinpoint what could be improved.

What challenges are your brand facing? Share with us on The PR Insider.

Curzon PR is a London-based PR firm working with clients globally. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Business Development Team [email protected]