How can I evolve my PR strategy if it isn’t working?

Sometimes, your PR plan may need some tweaks if you’re not yet seeing the results you’d like. Below, we’ve outlined some key questions for you to answer that will help you evolve your PR plan to begin seeing more results. Once you’ve worked through these, you’ll be in a clearer position to make changes to your PR strategy if needed.

What do you want PR to deliver for your business?

If you’re not seeing the results you’d like from your PR activity, take your PR strategy right back to step one and make sure you’re clear on what it is that you’d like your PR outreach to deliver for your business. This could be anything from generating greater brand awareness to increasing e-commerce sales driven through digital articles. Once you’ve determined what you’d like from PR, you’ll be in a better position to invest in PR tactics that can help you reach these goals.

What are your metrics for PR success?

You’ve identified that your PR strategy isn’t working, however, what are your metrics for success? Is it how many journalists you’ve been able to pitch to? Or, how many editorial results you’ve achieved? Before making any changes to your PR plan, it’s important to define these metrics and outline what PR success looks like to you so you are really honest about what it looks like for your business.

What do you mean by PR strategy?

There is often a lot of confusion around what a PR strategy is. Sometimes various elements of marketing get bundled in under PR as they don’t fit anywhere else. It’s helpful to outline what your PR strategy currently really is as it could be that you’re focusing on certain aspects which will never deliver results for your business. Re-evaluating your PR activity to focus on fewer elements but those that deliver higher ROI PR tactics may help you see more rewarding results.

Not sure which PR tactics are best suited to your business? Email us via hello@fallowfieldmason.com.

Who are your target clients?

Have you spent time defining who your target clients are? This is a really important element of a PR strategy as it’s crucial to know who you’d like to talk to. For instance, not defining your target audience may mean you’re pitching to titles which will never reach your prospective client. Even if you did secure coverage, the reader isn’t interested in your product or service. Spending time building audience personas from the start and identifying which titles they read will ensure your pitching efforts are targeted and don’t waste time.

Not hearing back from journalists as often as you’d like?

This could be because you’re pitching stories to press who aren’t covering your sector. For instance, if you’re pitching a jewellery collection to the fashion press and not hearing back, it could be better to pitch to accessory press over general fashion. While it might seem counterintuitive to pitch to fewer people, it does allow you to target pitches with more focus and hopefully begin to receive more replies and ultimately more coverage.

Is your storytelling compelling?

If your brand story isn’t as strong as your competitors’ narratives, journalists may be less likely to feature your business. Therefore, it’s very worthwhile investing time in refining your brand story and wider brand messaging to make it as compelling as possible to journalists and by extension, your target audience.

Do you have high-quality imagery?

Low-quality imagery could be a reason you’re not seeing as many editorial results as you’d like. We’re often told by journalists that newspapers and magazines will remove brands from articles if their imagery isn’t strong enough. We recommend investing in both packshots of your products on a plain white background and lifestyle imagery to give you the best chances of seeing your products in the press.

Still not sure if your PR strategy is fit for purpose? Email us via hello@fallowfieldmason.com for more help.