PR Gives Free Publicity, or Does It?

Contrary to popular opinion, there is no such thing as free publicity. There is always an investment to be made to secure media coverage, and that investment can range anywhere from time, hard work and skills to money.

Although PR may be classified as free media exposure, a lot of effort goes behind the PR campaign and to achieve results.

Brands should not expect to make waves in the media overnight. A persistent PR campaign with a well-defined strategy and key messages, months of hard work and research behind it, and a dedicated team working on the campaign, are some of the prerequisites of gaining any form of media attention. Moreover, building media contacts and especially, finding that right person to pitch to, takes time. And these relations are not built by throwing one party or attending another.

PR professionals should socialize and network with the right people and be seen in the right place at the right time. A common mistake is when PR people, who generally crave media attention, for some reason become unavailable when a journalist contacts them. PR is a full-time job and its practitioners should be accessible to the relevant people at all times.

Know that every effort counts and you are in this for the long haul. After all, building a company’s brand and reputation is not a one-time goal; it is an ongoing journey that brings in new customers and retains the older ones.

How to Hire the Right Expertise?

• You need to understand how PR operates in order identify the right solutions for you.

• Understand the market u r operating in and the kind of expertise you will employ in order be able to identify the kind of strategy needed.

Make sure that the expertise employed have powerful connections and the right access.