________________________________________________________________________
After you've properly researched your target audience and have created that compelling and action-inducing message, the next step is implementation.
Step 3 - Implement your message:
This step requires some thought. From the research you conducted in the first step, establish which avenues and vehicles are best to use in releasing that message. You should have defined the publications, media, and Internet sites your audience uses, so utilize that information and create a plan of action.
For example, if your audience reads trade journals and use Twitter, incorporate the two. Contact media from the trade publications you would like to see your story featured in and pitch them. Your pitch is key to your success, so ensure that you do your homework first.
What does the media professional write about? Is your press release, news story, or media alert relevant to what they frequently write about? If not, your efforts are best spent pitching someone else. (This will surely make your relationship with that media contact better, as well; sending a non-targeted, irrelevant pitch is spam, and spamming media is not a good first step to building a relationship.) You are more than welcome to spam everyone in sight, and it may get you a few spots, but know that journalists may remember you from a pitch you sent months ago that they considered spam.
After sending a pitch, be sure to follow-up; this gives you an opportunity to see if your pitch was received and to further tailor your request. Give them a few days to get to it, but do note in your pitch that you will be getting in touch with them to see if they have any questions. This is especially important when sending out a media alert; for an event, a headcount is necessary, and knowing which media person will be attending is crucial to your event's success.
Key points for your message's success:
Overall, remember that your message's success relies on your efforts and your understanding of your target, whether that be the media or the buyers you've crafter your message for. Be respectful of whomever you are pitching or communicating with; a lack of respect can certainly be detectable.
What are some tips you have to creating a successful pitch? Have you had trouble implementing a message?
PR Strategies | The Third Step to Reaching Your Audience
________________________________________
After you've properly researched your target audience and have created that compelling and action-inducing message, the next step is implementation.Step 3 - Implement your message:
This step requires some thought. From the research you conducted in the first step, establish which avenues and vehicles are best to use in releasing that message. You should have defined the publications, media, and Internet sites your audience uses, so utilize that information and create a plan of action.
For example, if your audience reads trade journals and use Twitter, incorporate the two. Contact media from the trade publications you would like to see your story featured in and pitch them. Your pitch is key to your success, so ensure that you do your homework first.
What does the media professional write about? Is your press release, news story, or media alert relevant to what they frequently write about? If not, your efforts are best spent pitching someone else. (This will surely make your relationship with that media contact better, as well; sending a non-targeted, irrelevant pitch is spam, and spamming media is not a good first step to building a relationship.) You are more than welcome to spam everyone in sight, and it may get you a few spots, but know that journalists may remember you from a pitch you sent months ago that they considered spam.
After sending a pitch, be sure to follow-up; this gives you an opportunity to see if your pitch was received and to further tailor your request. Give them a few days to get to it, but do note in your pitch that you will be getting in touch with them to see if they have any questions. This is especially important when sending out a media alert; for an event, a headcount is necessary, and knowing which media person will be attending is crucial to your event's success.
Key points for your message's success:
- Do your homework. I cannot reiterate this enough. This takes time, but the success of your entire message relies heavily on this. The homework needs to start at step where you research where your customers/buyers/target audiences are spending time. This also refers to doing your homework on the media; this will take time, too, but you can create great lists to use in the future. Categorize journalists, reporters, and bloggers by their area of interests and include them when pitching a story they may find relevant.
- Implement your message in the right places. (What else would you be doing homework for, after all?) Once you've figured out where to implement your message, do it! Utilize every outlet that makes sense. All of the social media sites are game, including your own blog.
- Optimize your message. This can be done with key words that will optimize your post for search engines, but this can also be done by really calling your target audience to action, as mentioned in Step 2. Get them to do something so that all of your hard work getting them to read your message pays off.
Overall, remember that your message's success relies on your efforts and your understanding of your target, whether that be the media or the buyers you've crafter your message for. Be respectful of whomever you are pitching or communicating with; a lack of respect can certainly be detectable.
What are some tips you have to creating a successful pitch? Have you had trouble implementing a message?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Comments (0)
Post a Comment