DIY PR for small businesses

How the social web has made it easier for small businesses to manage their own publicity -- and how to do it

Katherine RazCommunity Manager, Signalhq.com @katherine_raz

You are your own best publicist.

Making your own news

● No one knows your story, and the story of your business, better than you do

● The social web has made it easier than ever to control your story by telling it yourself through blogs and social media channels like Facebook and Twitter

● Each social update is a micro press release● Social updates can lead to bigger stories...

... but how do you guarantee media placement with DIY PR?

Identifying influencers

Finding journalists online

● Who is writing about your competitors?

● Google searches and Google alerts for news relevant to your business

● Whose opinion matters most? (the "tipping point" press)

● MuckRack.com

What about blogs?

● Bloggers are media, too

● Individual bloggers vs. online news organizations -- the lines are blurring

● Some bloggers have a wider circle of influence than traditional media online

● Google blog search www.google.com/blogsearch

Building your press list

Creating a social media press list

● Follow journalists and influencers on Twitter, move media "follows" onto a list you can monitor and engage

● Using your business Facebook page, fan media outlets relevant to your business

● Add your input, via comments, to blog posts relevant to your industry

Your PR email list

● List all print and online media outlets in a speadsheet

● Find contact information on each outlet's website

● Dig deep, be tenacious -- not everyone is listed. Try:○ Rapportive○ Gmail○ Google drive○ MuckRack.com○ Google search

Other outlets● Events listings sites

○ Do 312○ Eventful

● Review sites○ Yelp○ Zagat

● Directories○ Yellow pages○ Foursquare

● Community○ Neighborhood

organizations○ Aldermen

● Strategic partnerships○ Symbiotic businesses○ Promotions

Pitching

How to pitch traditional media with a release

● Craft a one-page media alert or press release○ This is the who, what, where, when, why of your news○ Google "sample press release" and copy the format○ Outsource press release writing to Odesk or other outlet

● Host your press release online -- you want to link to it● Reach out to media individually or use an email client like

ToutApp to manage bulk emailing a large list● Include a short note describing why your news is relevant (make

it as personal as possible!)● Do not send attachments! Link to your release or paste a copy

into the body of your email

A better approach to pitching

● Know who covers your industry and who matters

● Get to know them and what they write about -- follow their "feeds"

● Learn what their problems are, what stories they're looking for, and how news about your business can save them time by leaving a story on their doorstep

Pitching bloggers

● Pitching a blogger isn't a formal pitch

● It must be personal -- no exceptions

● No faking it: you have to have read their blog

● Let them know why you think your story is relevant to them

● What's in it for them?

Identifying the news within your business

● Ask yourself: why would people who aren't my friends or current customers care about this?

● Is it part of a larger story? A trend?

Remember: newsworthiness isn't determined by how something affects your business internally, but rather how this changes the way the world interacts with your business.

Adding a press page to your website

● YourWebsite.com/Press● Your press section should include:

○ Copies of your latest press releases or media alerts○ Contact information (including a phone number!)○ Hi-res versions of your logo○ Hi-res images of your business to accompany latest news○ Your bio and business bio

Make it easy for media to get information about you and contact you for more information... on tight deadlines!

Finding journalists who are looking for sources

● HARO -- Help a Reporter Out HelpAReporter.com

● ProfNet prnewswire.com/profnet

● MediaKitty.com

Be quick, within 10-15 minutes, to respond to queries, and make sure your response is 100% relevant to the inquiry.

Thanks.

Questions? Feedback?Want to share your own PR successes?

Contact me anytime.

Katherine Razkatherine@signalhq.com @katherine_raz