Page 51 - PR Communication Age January-June2020

It is easier to contact with specialized journalists than some- need to use tools to help you create your contacts list. You
one who is in charge of a channel. It is better if you try to can use a media database tool that helps you to find out
reach someone who writes about the theme of your story. contacts from your industry as well as relevant outlets. This
Or even better, someone of less authority that works for way, you would be able to reach many suitable writers in a
this person. You might get more and prompt replies. matter of seconds.

By the way, you can discover who writes about your indus- Having your contacts list ready, it does not mean you will
try reading articles and noting down their authors. And also, succeed. Remember that reaching journalists is quite diffi-
you can call the publication or search online. Whatever the cult as they receive many pre-written press releases every
method you use, you shouldn't try to reach different people day. So, you will need to write something that catches their
from the same place, but the right person with the right attention.
job title who might like your story.
And also, it is key to have your writers list up-to-date be-
On top of that, it is necessary to understand local media cause they might change jobs, move to another city, change
outlets. To determine which media outlet would be better position within the company, etc.
for you, you need to consider several aspects. If you want
them to post your content, you will have to consider how Audience Targeting
often do they publish content. And also, if they have spe-
However obvious it may seem, it is key to narrow down your
cific deadlines.
target audience. The truth is there are many people who
can form part of your audience such as customers, poten-
Apart from that, you will have to bear in mind tial customers, stakeholders, journalists, bloggers, and
their audience: more.
Y Y Y Y Y Do you share the same audience?
So, if you want to succeed, you will need to address your
Y Y Y Y Y How big is it?
PR campaigns to specific segments of your audience. If your
Y Y Y Y Y Will they be interested in your content?
aim is to target your local customers, you might want to
Y Y Y Y Y Will it help you to reach your objectives? run a PR campaign targeting location-based customers and
magazines.
Consider if your topic is relevant to the medium, how it
works and who follows it to decide which media outlet will Whoever your target audience is, it is vital that you specify
work best for you. Once you've identified it, then you will as much as possible who they are. This will help you to pass
need to create your contacts list. And after that build a on your message through a channel that is appealing to
relationship with them. them. Thus, you will achieve a better communication. So,
the results will be greater.
Contact Search
Depending on the impact you want to get with your mes- But, how can you reach your target audience?
sage, you will need to create a different PR contact list. Once you have decided on who are going to be subject of
your PR campaign, you should consider the following:
If what you want is to get your message published in local
channels, you can create your own contact list with relevant
contact details. You can note down the names of those who 1. Use social networks effectively
write about your industry, search online or call their publi- An excellent way of engaging with your audience is by us-
cations. ing social networks to post content. Besides, you can use
those channels to drive people to your website, solve their
Yet, if what you want is to have a wider exposure, you will problems, advertise your products, etc. And also, it is easier

"The relationships that you genuinely care about are the ones that will form the strongest network you can build."

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