With a well-planned PR campaign, companies can generate a positive public image and reputation. However, PR campaigns entail a lot more than creating and distributing a simple press release or throwing a fundraiser to generate brand awareness. Businesses that are looking to create successful PR campaigns can easily attract positive media attention, create a positive relationship with the public, and generate more sales.
Goals and Limitations
When creating a PR campaign, it’s important that companies establish the overall goals of the campaign. These goals can be anything from building a positive relationship with the audience, to reaching new audiences or generating sales. Establishing goals is the first step in creating a PR campaign because, after that, the business has to figure out the specifics of achieving these goals. This strategy helps companies create a roadmap for their PR campaigns.
Target Audience
Before a business can decide how to deliver its PR message for its campaign, it has to figure out who the campaign will be targeting. Companies need to establish the buyer persona they want to reach with their PR campaign. For example, if a business is trying to target families through its PR efforts, it should create a campaign that’s centered around a family-first message, or that shows why the business cares about how its products affect families.
Platform
Once the target audience for a PR campaign is established, companies need to figure out which platform or channel they’ll be using to deliver the PR messages. Companies should learn more about their target audience, how it prefers to receive PR or marketing messages from businesses, and which platforms it prefers to use overall. For example, if its audience prefers to watch TV instead of spending time on social media, a company should create a campaign that’s delivered on TV. Knowing the platform preferences of the target audience is helpful for companies because it helps them strategize the rest of their PR campaigns.
Story Angle
Companies can create their PR campaigns around small-scale news stories, such as a business receiving a local award from a charitable organization. Yet no matter what, the PR campaign has to contain a story angle that will pique the interest of the public. Fortunately, every story can be looked at from different perspectives in order to find the best angle to tell it in order to connect with the target audience. In this step, the goal is to figure out why people should care about the PR campaign, and in turn, about the business and its solutions. Figuring out the right hook for creating a newsworthy story is how a PR campaign can generate media coverage for the business, which generates attention from the public.