(My secret splurge- french chocolate truffle tart)

When it comes to cooking and baking I can spend hours in the kitchen creating various masterpieces. I love  new challenges and learning a new cuisine is like living in a new country.   NEW WORLD. NEW EVERYTHING.  I learned many techniques on my own and got few techniques from my amazing grandmother Elena. I love to bake and entertain my friends. I love to see their happy faces when savoring my food. They know when they come to my house for a dinner they will get the best food with the highest quality ingredients, and I will make sure it is perfect.

But imagine if I was careless about my cooking or baking and did not care what I put into the food I made and did not have a recipe or a plan? Last week I made a brand new recipe of a french chocolate tart. It was a big hit. My friends tried convincing me to start a cooking channel.  But…the point I want to make…

Have passion for what do you, enjoy entertaining your audience, love people and bring solutions. I love to compare cooking and baking with PR. Professional Chef gives the best and uses the highest quality foods. He knows how to make his clients happy.  But he also knows what ingredients  are best for a particular recipe. I say PR PRO is like a Chef PRO.

Have you cooked or baked anything without knowing the key ingredients? I am sure you opened the cook book, wrote down the exact recipe, went to the store with your ingredients list , came home and bake the tart.  What would happen if you forgot it.. I love baking. I know if I ever miss the ingredients in my recipes I would be really angry.

When it comes to establishing yourself as an authority in your niche you must have a business plan and it is better if your business plan has PR element. According to the research companies will be spending more on PR by 2015.  In 2010 companies spent almost 10 billion dollars on PR and by 2015 they expect it will be around 15 billion dollars.

The major mistake business owners make is that they leave the PR plan out of their business plan or  it becomes “just in case solution”.  Good PR plan can make a huge difference in your promotional efforts- bring you a better reputation, more targeted leads and increase your income. In modern PR world we have a few major factors that are playing a big role in giving your business mode exposure: SEO, social media and of course your rich content.

Lets talk about the key ingredients you must have in order to make your publicity work.

1. Reaching your audience.

You must think about ideal audience and not using a shotgun approach. It means you must know what media outlet can be interested in  your message and if their readers would love your story as well. Will it be beneficial to them? Focus on reaching buyers directly. It is the best way to go.

2. How much credibility do these media outlets have?

Are they reliable, trustworthy and a leader in your niche? Do their readers listen to them? Think about Oprah OWN network. She talks, and people listen. She is the SOURCE.

3. Choose the specialized publications.

They are more targeted and more open to getting information from the writer. If you target generic publications you will find it hard to reach to them with your message. It must be very narrow.

4. Choose the medium for your message:

Is it a radio interview, a written article or a video? Then you must decide where you are going to look for the right publications.

Earlier I recommended to check these resources to get media inquiries and listings:

• MediaBistro

• HARO

5. Focus on the right angle.

You must learn how to write a good media pitch and approach media outlets. Knowing how to approach a media outlet or even a leading blogger in your niche you must be pitch savvy. Especially if your product is commodity you must know how to show the unique qualities or show the benefits that your competitors did not even mention. Quite often they do not mention and you can take advantage of that..

Make sure your news are strong.  Some companies make it sound like a nice story but media wants a story with news that can bring solutions, change and transformation. Example, company ABC runs ONE day sale on their hottest weight loss product  on a certain date…That is news and you must point out what they will miss if they do catch one time  special. Show it. Include bullet points what they will receive and how can they can have access immediately. Create urgency.

The most important approach is a service approach.. Show how to choose, buy and use product. Be the SOURCE for your listeners or readers.

6. Use surveys and test groups

You will be able to find out if your message is being accepted or rejected.  Send the message (press release) to your business associates and ask for feedback.

7. Make sure you have a media kit

It is very important part of your business. It can be downloadable or you can mail it to the media contacts.

8.  Tracking system

You must track your urls of your website when your readers click on the link to get a free report, an e-book, or even buy your products. Very important to see where they come from and how compelling your message is to your customers.

9.  Write your publicity goals for the next 90 days and 6 months and 12 months.

Remember your PR plan must be put together with your publicist or PR consultant. Without having a plan you will quit doing PR thinking it does not work for you. Understanding that it takes time to get your name known is a very important step .

10 Focus on the major stories and minor stories you want to cover.

Make a list of the top 10 stories that you must send out within 90 days and get to writing them. (Make sure focus on reaching buyers directly. Study buyers keywords and with good SEO you can get more online PR and leads)

11. Misconceptions.

What are the misconceptions your readers might have about your company? Think about it for a moment. Have you ever addressed them?

How do you think you can use them to get more attention? Use them to get  more positive publicity.

12. Write a list of your competitors

We do not bash our competition but we want to engage into the conversations with their customers or in some cases business owners. We want to share even common things and differences. Remember be polite and know how attack- I mean giving your opinions and facts. Never assume things but get the right answers. Your competition’s customers are watching you too.

13. Always discuss budget with your publicist

A publicist must know your budget for the next 6 months to a year and you must set it aside.  It shows you are committed to yourself and your team.  It shows how serious you are and plus it allows a publicist to create a flexible PR plan for you , especially if you have emergencies and need extra funds for your projects.  The tools, PR platforms are not cheap. The PR databases and PR management platforms will run between 5 to 10k a year plus other tools and services you might need  that can average about $500 to $1000 a month. The serious company owner will have 5k a month min in her or his budget.  PR is not a part time deal.
Love to hear your feedback and the part 2 is coming out on Jan 2 2012. Do your mini home work and follow the checklist I have just shared with you.

Look forward to know you more,

Tatyana Gann