The first question people ask is what is PR? PR stands for public relations and describes when you or your business get featured in the media, whether that be in the newspaper, on the radio or TV for free. Not only is this the cheapest advertising you will ever find but it is also the most powerful as consumers recognise advertising and know that what is said in an ad in never impartial while PR coverage in a newspaper is read as news and is taken to be fact.

The following points will give you an introduction to PR and ideas on how to make it work for your business.

The bad news - 99% of Press Releases get thrown in the bin. Yes 99% - and most of them are written by PR Agencies who are charging their clients a fortune. This is a waste of money. It's also a waste of perfectly good trees.

The good news - The 1% of Press Releases that lead to a story or interview have certain qualities in common. The following are a few of them.

The best Press Releases step into the shoes of the journalist or producer reading it and meet their needs. If there's one secret to great PR it's meeting the needs of the journalists. Everyone thinks PR is hard work. What they fail to understand is that every day, these journalists are pulling their hair out trying to fill their newspaper, magazine, radio or TV shows with useful, entertaining information. If you can show them how to do that, you're virtually guaranteed some coverage.

How do you meet their needs? Think about it like this. All of these journalists are under pressure from their editors to find stories that are of interest to the readers/listeners/viewers. So you meet the needs of the journalist by meeting the needs of their audience. If you're targeting a women's magazine you need to think of a story that's of interest to their readers. If you're targeting a late afternoon radio show you need to think of a story that's of interest to people driving home from work, listening to the radio.

The harsh truth is, these journalists are not particularly interested in your company, your history or your product or service. Which is why Press Releases with headlines such as:

'Local Company celebrates 30 years in Business‘
or
'FJ Widget and Son appoint New Chairman‘

go straight in the bin. They're boring. So just get over the fact that the press don't give a monkeys about your business and come up with a story (journalists call it an 'angle') that is of interest. For example, if the new Chairman of FJ Widget and Son celebrated his appointment by painting the building pink, or giving his top performing sales person some free plastic surgery or whatever - that would gain instant coverage. As with most marketing, it's all a matter of being creative and thinking outside the box. 

The most important part of the press release is the headline. It needs to be bold and interesting - and above all it needs to stand out from all the other press releases. Your best bet is to write it in the style of the headlines of the publication you're targeting. For example, if you were selling a new supplement to help indigestion, which of these Press Releases do you think would get the best response:

New Supplement helps Ease Indigestion
or
Why Some Foods Explode in Your Stomach!

Most people think that the only way to get good PR is to come up with a story. But there is another way. This involves positioning yourself as an expert in your industry. Whatever your profession, there's an area that you're an expert in. If you're a dentist contact the media during the next national smile week. If you're an accountant, contact the local press before the next budget and tell them you're an expert on tax and available for commenting on how the budget will impact local business. Get the picture. PR starts to be easy - when you know how.