Three Public Relations Blunders To Avoid

Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

In my years on both sides of the public relations desk – both as a public relations manager for a hospital and as a journalist that received press releases from various businesses and individuals – I can tell you there are ways to get your news printed and ways to get your news ignored.

Avoid these top three public relations mishaps and you can set yourself apart from the competition in the pet blogging industry:

Don’t tell the reporter what you sell; tell him about the results you offer. A potential customer doesn’t really care that you can sell her a widget, she wants to know how your widget will solve her problems. Being a problem solver sets you apart. Do you have a particular training niche that is showing results? Talk about the results first, the training method second. Have you started a great charity fundraiser? Tell what type of pet it will benefit and why and then tell why you are the one that is spearheading it.
Know who your audience is and target your press releases wisely. If your market doesn’t watch the local public access channel or doesn’t read the local paper, you’re wasting your time and efforts sending a press release to that outlet. Are there other influencers in your community to whom you could send a press release? If you’ve determined that the local paper is your best outlet, target the correct section of that paper and, if possible, send the press release directly to the editor of that section. Again, tell the reporter about the benefits of what you’re doing, not the product you’re selling. If you’re only selling a product the reporter will likely have the ad department contact you.
Be enthusiastic and passionate in your press releases. Have fun when you’re spreading the news. If you’re excited about the venture you’re writing the press release about, that will show through the words on the page. A great way to get your press release printed or even get yourself interviewed is to target your release to a holiday. For example, capitalize on National Pet Sitter’s Week, National Pet Adoption week/month, etc.

While I’ve said the press release is “not all about you” it is appropriate for you to include a bit of a bio at the end of the release. Yes, you’re “selling results” but the people who will be buying from you will want to know why you’re the expert and why they should buy from you.

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Comments

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Having been involved in PR for many years, I believe one of the biggest mistakes made is putting a press release out on the wire and then just hoping it gets picked up. Without follow up, emails, phone calls and forming direct relationships with media (and not being afraid to do so), often the release is just that: something that is let go and never to be found. Good tips here!

Posted by: Carol Bryant | 11/30/2012 at 11:53 AM