There's something magical about the start of spring, isn't there? The fresh air, new blooms, and the joy of bidding farewell to winter all can inspire us to throw open our doors and embark on a thorough cleaning spree. But why limit this rejuvenating practice to just our homes?
In public relations, a good "spring cleaning" can work wonders for your strategy, regardless of the season. It's all about taking a step back, reassessing your approach, and finding ways to streamline, simplify, and focus your efforts.
But where do you start? With so many moving parts in PR, it can feel overwhelming.
Drawing inspiration from organizing guru Marie Kondo and her category-by-category approach to decluttering, we’ve outlined three key areas to focus on in your PR clean-up.
1. Spark Joy in Your Media Outreach
The day-to-day responsibilities of media outreach require loads of patience and persistence. But are you making the most of your efforts?
Optimize Your Pitching Strategy
Take a critical look at your pitching approach and ask yourself:
- What pitches have worked well recently?
- Which media contacts have shown more interest in my stories?
- How can I adjust my messaging to be more compelling?
It’s no secret - the key to perfect pitching is personalization. Be sure you’re building time in your media outreach plan to customize your pitches. It shows you understand the journalist’s work, their outlet, and their audience. That is their number one request, as shown in their State of the Media survey responses below. When you demonstrate that you've done your homework, journalists take notice.
Nurture Key Media Relationships
Developing and maintaining strong media relationships requires consistent care and attention. Focus on the relationship aspect of media relations by:
- Reaching out to create new connections or following up with dormant contacts
- Inquiring about upcoming editorial calendars
- Finding ways to support their efforts
- Building personal connections
Remember, journalists are people too. They appreciate genuine, helpful interactions that aren't always tied to a pitch. By nurturing these relationships, you're creating a foundation of trust that can lead to more fruitful collaborations down the line.
Audit and Update Your Media Lists
When was the last time you gave your media contact list a thorough once-over? Take time to:
- Remove outdated contacts
- Organize contacts by topics or beats
- Identify and add new relevant contacts
Be sure to distinguish contacts into two categories: A smaller group of high-priority contacts for personalized outreach and a larger group for broader, more generalized communication.
Using a comprehensive media outreach platform, like CisionOne, can simplify this process by helping you identify the right partners and analyze your engagement history.
2. Show Gratitude to Your Content
Content truly is king, but are you making it work as hard as possible for you?
Repurpose Press Release Content
Don't let your press releases be one-hit wonders. The content you need is already there - it’s just a matter of tweaking it for different channels and audiences. Make sure your PR strategy includes repurposing press release content, for example:
- Post it to your online newsroom
- Turn it into a blog post
- Share it with your sales team (include talking points for client and prospect conversations)
- Ask employees to help spread the word
- Pull out stats or quotes for your newsletter
- Promote key messages and data points on social media
By getting more mileage out of your press releases, you're not just being efficient – you're ensuring your message reaches a wider audience across multiple platforms.
Embrace the Power of Multimedia
In today’s digital-centric environment, multimedia is critical. It can help amplify your message, increase sharing, and engage diverse audiences. It can also improve your chances of securing earned media coverage: 8 out of 10 journalists used PR-supplied multimedia elements last year, and more than half say they are more likely to pursue a pitch that includes the right multimedia (State of the Media Report).
Here are some ways to incorporate multimedia into your brand storytelling:
- Enhance press releases/pitches with images, infographics, or brief videos
- Create short, shareable video clips for social media platforms
- Develop podcast series or audio news releases
- Design interactive infographics to present complex data in an engaging way
Optimize Your Digital Presence
Your digital presence is often the first impression potential clients or media contacts have of your brand. Make sure it's a good one with these action items:
- Conduct a digital audit (website, social media profiles, online newsroom, etc.):
- Is the information up to date?
- Are brand messages/descriptions consistent?
- Are leadership photos and bios current?
- Does the information and imagery follow brand guidelines?
- Is the information up to date?
- Perform a web search for your brand to identify any opportunities or issues to address
- Check that relevant keywords are incorporated in online newsroom and website pages for SEO purposes
3. Tidy Up Your PR Plan
In public relations, the only constant is change. Revisit your strategy to see if it still makes sense or if updates are needed.
Optimize Your Editorial Calendar
Look at your planned PR activity for the next 6 to 12 months. Be sure any relevant dates are captured in your strategy, such as:
- New product launches
- Company announcements
- Events (hosted by the company, pop culture, industry, etc.)
- Recognitions and holidays that tie to your brand
- Industry awards
With a well-planned editorial calendar, you can make sure your PR campaigns and media outreach are timely and relevant.
Update Your Crisis Communication Plan
A crisis can emerge at any moment, but only 21% of global comms leaders feel confident in their ability to prevent a crisis (Global Comms Report).
Don’t get caught off-guard. Here are some steps to make sure you’re prepared for the worst, should it arise:
- Identify any current risks
- Review and update crisis management protocols and processes
- Ensure the stakeholders groups (employees, investors, customers, internal decision-makers) within your crisis management plan are current
- Set up/update media monitoring and social listening queries
- Catch up on debriefs from previous crisis situations for lessons to bring forward
A crisis communication plan is a living document. It should be reviewed and updated regularly to remain effective. By investing time in maintaining a comprehensive crisis communication plan, you're not just preparing for the worst – you're demonstrating leadership and foresight that can enhance your brand's resilience and reputation.
Evaluate and Refine Your Metrics
In the world of PR, measurement is crucial. Yet, half of communications leaders rank the inability to measure impact effectively as one of their biggest challenges (Global Comms Report).
There is a plethora of data - the key is measuring what truly matters. When reviewing your measurement approach, here are a few tips on what to look for:
- Alignment of metrics to current business objectives
- Comprehensive KPIs to demonstrate the value of PR
- Tracking of website traffic and lead generation
- Advanced metrics on brand reputation, sentiment, share of voice
- Content engagement metrics (media coverage, social media, emails, newsletters, etc.)
- Updated executive reporting and dashboards
The goal isn't just to collect data, but to derive actionable insights that can inform and improve your PR strategy. By focusing on metrics that demonstrate real engagement and business impact, you'll be better equipped to showcase the true value of your PR efforts.
Wise Words to Wrap Up
As Marie Kondo says, "Tidying is just a tool, not the final destination." The same goes for your PR strategy.
By focusing on these three key areas – personalizing your media outreach, making the most of your content, and focusing your strategic PR efforts - you can give your PR strategy a thorough spring cleaning – any time of year.
As you implement these tips, consider leveraging tools like CisionOne to streamline your PR efforts. From managing media lists to tracking the impact of your campaigns, the right PR software can be fundamental in keeping your strategy fresh and effective year-round.
Want to know more about how CisionOne can help? Talk to us.
