6 Characteristics and 7 Components of a PR Plan That Works

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6 Characteristics and 7 Components of a PR Plan That Works
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Every company's PR plan will differ from another, but there are a few things that can be done to ensure that you implement the best PR plan for you and your company.

After first establishing whether or not your plan will be created in-house or by an agency, you must define your plan's goals. These goals ought to be measurable, but relevant. While you can measure the number of visitors a website gets, unless they are a source of revenue for the company they're a bit irrelevant to the overall company goals. Instead of staying in the PR or marketing departments when designing a PR plan include the rest of the company's departments as well and pay particular attention to the company's goals. One main purpose of the PR plan is to make sure that the entire company is working towards a similar goal and on the same page.

An example of a relevant goal could be to gain 1,000 new customers in Q4; this is a great goal to work with as the PR team. You can craft your goals and tactics around this company objective. One example goal for the PR team could be to generate #n leads through the use of a free eBook designed by some of the company's best executives, and #n leads through a forum created on the company's website or blog.

Despite differences in each company's PR plan, there are a few components and characteristics that make up a successful PR plan. Communique PR's lead women, Jennifer Gehrt and Colleen Moffitt (with Andrea Carlos), define some of these characteristics in their "Strategic Public Relations" book. They include:

Researched. A successful PR plan is thought through and backed by research. "It should convey a clear understanding of your company's business objectives." (pg. 77) On top of including information on the company's objectives, there needs to be current market information, market trends, consumer trends, and the company's position in contrast to other companies in the industry. This is a crucial part of creating a successful PR plan; without this information, a plan has no rhyme or reason. That sort of PR plan is sure to fail and sure to damage a company's brand and success.
Focused. Once you've developed your objectives and goals, ensure that the PR plan works towards them. "Once you determine the direction [of your PR plan], every effort you engage in should either move you toward it or be discarded." (pg. 78)
Creative. As mentioned above, each company will have different PR plans, and that requires that your PR team or PR agency work towards creating a unique plan that will work for your current objective and situation. A tactic working before, even for the same company, may not work in your current plan. "Every PR campaign is different and deserves its own creative thinking." (pg. 78)
Integrated. This means that all departments are involved and supported; a PR plan cannot work without the help of the whole company.
Holistic. Moffitt and Gehrt write that this means your PR plan acknowledges the times between major new announcements from your company to ensure that mindshare isn't lost when there is minor news to share. It's been encouraged by many PR and marketing experts that you send out news all the time, not just when there is a large piece of news to share. (This doesn't mean sharing news like a new vending machine in the lobby, but rather news that you can make newsworthy by relating to the community.) "Too often, companies let the momentum subside between major announcements, losing the visibility they've worked so hard to create." (pg. 78)
Realistic. This deals not only with the budget, but how feasible goals are and how likely they are to be accomplished. While it is great to aim high, there is such a goal that is too high that will never be reached. This also deals with time; if your company doesn't have enough time to reach the goals set, the plan will fall apart. That also refers to the time of others; if you need to have a story published by a set time, "make sure all the publications you work with are able to publish your story within this time frame." (pg. 78)

Furthermore, a PR plan should include the following components:

Introduction (or analysis of the situation). This would where the research is shared. The research, again, would be an analysis of the industry, company situation, market analysis, etc. This is also the place where the plan is briefly described and defines the issues that brought upon the creation of the plan. This is like an Executive Summary that is meant to answer the questions of "why".
Objectives and Goals. As described above, this is the place where company goals are recognized.
Target Audiences. This part of the PR plan is where you, as the PR team or agency, take the company's already established target market. For each new plan or venture that a company wants to take on, the target market can change or become a more narrow/focused target audience from a larger, more general market. This can be left up to the PR team to establish, but the company should, presumably, already have a general idea of who their target market/audience is. This portion of the PR plan is meant to make the objectives, strategies, and activities easier to define. With a goal in sight, you are more likely to be successful.
Strategies. This section is meant to define the tools and methods you plan to use to reach your target audiences. This can include describing the vehicles you will use, whether that be social media, press media or trade media, celebrity endorsement, etc. This is the portion of the PR where you explain how your objectives will be met.
Activities. This segment of the PR plan requires creativity and the most effort. This is where you will describe, for yourself or your client, what exactly you plan to do with the above mentioned/defined tools and methods. Specific ideas are included here to give you or your clients an in-depth idea of how your objectives will be met. Ensure that you define how the activity will be successful with your target audiences, why they are likely to generate media attention, how it will help you/your client, and answer anticipated questions.
Implementation and Evaluation. This is the area of the PR plan where you designate who will be in charge of what, how the plans will be implemented, how you will track the publicity, and finally which tools you will use to evaluate the plan's success. Evaluation is one of the most important part of a PR plan the companies often times look-over; if you want to share the importance of PR in a company, show key executives and stakeholders the results! You can do this by measuring sale increases, qualitative research methods such as surveys or focus groups, or the effects of using a vehicle you choose to use in the strategies section.
Budget. As mentioned before and in the "Strategic Public Relations", this needs to be realistic. Don't leave anything out, and cover any anticipated costs. This way a client or an executive of your company can see what sort of investment this will be, and if there are any portions/activities that can be cut if funds are limited. This should be very detailed and in-depth, but also to the point and clear.

If these sections encompass the aforementioned characteristics, your PR plan has a great chance of succeeding; don't forget, though, that not every PR plan is successful. Proper planning, research, creativity, integration, and thoroughness can help your plan get off on the right foot.

Do you have any success stories or tips for someone who is creating their own PR plan? Click on the post title and leave a comment!