PR and free publicity

What PR is, and what it isn’t

Public relations (PR) is getting people to talk about your business: journalists, podcasters, newsletter writers, community groups and industry bodies. Unlike advertising, you don’t pay for the space, so you don’t control what’s said. That’s why it’s trusted.

PR is not:

• sending a press release about your new website to every journalist in the country
• paying for an “article” (that’s advertising, and should be labelled as such)
• a quick fix for falling sales.

It works best as a steady habit alongside your other marketing. See Writing a marketing plan.

Step 1: Find your story

A journalist’s first question is: why would my audience care, and why now? Good angles for small businesses include:

New products, new staff and new websites rarely make news on their own. Look for the human or local angle behind them.

Step 2: Choose the right outlets

Start where you’re most likely to succeed, and where your customers actually are:

1. Local and community media: community newspapers and their websites, local radio, local news pages and Facebook groups.
2. Industry and trade media: association newsletters, trade magazines and websites, specialist podcasts. Ideal for business-to-business firms.
3. Podcasts and newsletters: many are looking for guests with real expertise.
4. Regional and capital-city media: once you have a strong story and some coverage to show.
5. National media: for genuinely national stories, data or expert comment.

Build a simple media list in a spreadsheet: outlet, journalist or producer, what they cover, how they prefer to be contacted, and notes on what they’ve written recently. Read or listen to their work before contacting them.

Step 3: Pitch it

The pitch email is what gets you noticed. Keep it under 200 words:

• Subject line: the story in one line. “Ballarat café trains refugee baristas - 20 now in paid jobs”.
• First sentence: the story and why it matters to their audience.
• Two or three sentences of key facts.
• What you can offer: an interview, photos, a customer who’ll speak, data.
• Your name, mobile and availability.

Send it to one person at a time, by name. If you don’t hear back in a few days, one short follow-up is fine. After that, move on.

The media release is a one-page document the journalist can pull facts and quotes from. Attach it or put it on your website:

1. Headline and a one-line summary.
2. First paragraph: who, what, when, where, why.
3. Supporting detail, facts and figures.
4. One or two quotes that sound like a real person.
5. Background on the business (three lines).
6. Contact details and links to high-quality photos.

Step 4: Be easy to work with

• Answer the phone and reply fast. Journalists work to tight deadlines.
• Have photos ready: a few high-resolution images of you, your premises and your product, plus a logo.
• Prepare three key messages before any interview, and come back to them.
• Keep it accurate. Don’t exaggerate numbers or claims. The ACCC is clear that claims a business makes about its products or services must be accurate and based on reasonable grounds, and that applies to what you say in interviews and media releases as much as to ads.
• Don’t ask to approve the story. You can offer to check facts, but editorial decisions belong to the journalist.
• Say thank you, and share the story with your customers when it runs.

Other ways to earn publicity

• Awards. Local business awards, industry awards and chamber of commerce awards give you a story whether you win or not. Read the entry criteria carefully and answer every one.
• Expert commentary. Let journalists know you’re available to comment on your field. Some services connect journalists with expert sources; reply only when you have real expertise.
• Speaking. Talk at local business groups, industry events, schools or libraries.
• Writing. Offer a useful article to an industry newsletter or a local publication.
• Partnerships. Team up with a charity or another local business on an event or cause.
• Customer stories. With permission, share how you helped a customer. Real stories are more convincing than claims.

When things go wrong

A bad review that spreads, a product fault, a data breach, an angry social media post: any business can face bad news. Preparation makes it manageable.

Before anything happens, write a one-page crisis plan:

• Who speaks for the business (one person) and who backs them up.
• Who needs to know first: staff, affected customers, suppliers, your insurer, any regulator.
• Where you’ll post updates (website, email, social media).
• Contacts you may need: your lawyer, accountant, IT support and insurer.

When it happens:

1. Get the facts before you say anything public.
2. Act quickly. Saying something short and honest within hours is better than silence.
3. Say what happened, what you’re doing about it and what customers should do. Apologise sincerely if you got something wrong.
4. Don’t argue in public, delete genuine criticism or post fake positive reviews. Suppressing genuine negative reviews or posting fake ones can mislead consumers, and the ACCC takes action on both.
5. Follow up when the problem is fixed.

For cyber incidents and data breaches, see Cyber security and backups. Get legal advice if the issue could involve a claim against you.

Measuring results

PR is hard to measure precisely, but you can track:

• coverage won (outlet, date, link) and the audience size
• website visits and enquiries in the days after each story
• new customers who mention seeing you in the media (ask them)
• links from media websites to yours, which can also help your search rankings (see SEO and GEO).

Keep a simple “media” page on your website with links to your coverage. It adds credibility for customers and for the next journalist.