The power of PR and what it can do for a business is incredible. I’ve seen first-hand how it has changed companies and now one of my favourite things in the world is sharing PR tips with company leaders and marketing teams across the world.

Just one strategically placed media mention can do wonders for your business. After our first session together, a client’s product was featured in a national newspaper and they had to restock their warehouse SIX times due to all the orders. All from that one media mention.

Side note, if you’d like me to come and train your team on how to do PR, just click here.

To help you start landing media coverage for your company here are 10 of my favourite PR tips…

1. Get in the media your ideal client consumes

The big names are great to have in your ‘as seen in’ image. There’s no denying it. It boost credibility and gives you, what I like to call, ‘cool points’. BUT it’s also a good idea to be featured in media outlets you know will get you right in front of your ideal clients.

2. Find the decision maker

Type in the job title and media outlet into Twitter or LinkedIn to find your exact contact name. This is the person who you need to pitch your idea to so you know it gets seen by the right eyes. Try writing ‘Editor’ or ‘Fashion Editor’ and then the magazine name. Boom.

3. Use direct contact details

Rather than email generic news@ or admin@ email addresses it’s best to find the exact contact details of the person you need to see your story. Your first point of call will be the media outlets website ‘contact us’ page as they may have a staff list and how to get in touch with everyone. Sometimes journalists may add their email addresses to their social media profiles too.

4. Pitch a story idea not a topic

A general topic is much too vague for the media to decide if they want you or not. If you want to write an article for a magazine, pitch an actual article title. Sharing your work history doesn’t help the magazine know where to put you or know what you could write about.

5. Check the media pack

Be strategic with your time and spend time pitching yourself to media outlets with an audience. Magazines and other media often have a ‘media pack’, ‘media kit’ or the like, featured on their website. This is created for advertisers to see who and how big their reach is so will give you a great idea if they are the right place to feature your company in.

6. Be wary of advertorials

Advertorials are paid-for media. They are often something smaller businesses or those new to PR get collared into because they don’t realise how else to appear in the media. If you know your ideal client is absolutely going to see you and you will leverage the opportunity to the max then it may be worth it. Chances are there are other ways to gain exposure.

7. Find your PR Sweet Spot

Once you have defined what media your ideal client is consuming, now think about which PR activities you want to try and where the sweet spot between them lies. If you are a great writer and know your dream client reads certain magazines, then you know it is worth focusing on that as a strategy.

8. Be media-ready

Once you start putting yourself out there people will Google you or land on your social media profiles or website. Make sure everything is up-to-date, page 1 of Google reflects your current business, and that you are ready to be found.

9. Have an opinion

If you agree with all your industry says or do everything perfectly it doesn’t make a great story. If you have an opinion, voice it. Just keep your published opinions on brand and in line with your business values. People love to see a negative turned into something amazing so if you overcame a failure that’s something your audience can (and will) resonate with.

10. A rough game plan (however simple!)

Having a communications plan helps keep you and your team on track with your marketing, channels you are engaging on and the messaging you share. You’ll be able to plan for publicity and content for your business events, awareness days etc. This can be as simple or as in-depth as you need depending on how deep you’re diving in but having something to keep track of your ideas, task list and deadlines will definitely be a good start.