One of the questions new companies and brands will often ask themselves is “Do I need PR?”

In reality the first question you should ask is - “Do I understand what PR is?”

PR - or Public Relations - is one of the most effective ways to build reputation, understanding, brand awareness and most importantly, brand loyalty. PR is about understanding the brand’s messaging, WHO you are trying to target, HOW you target them and WHERE you target them.

PR can be proactive or reactive.

Proactive, as you would expect, is to get ahead with messaging, actively communicating stories, news and campaigns; a hotel announcing a new restaurant opening or a fashion brand announcing a new celebrity line. Getting the news out there before you are asked for it.

Reactive is responding - often quickly - to a topic already out there; a tech giant confirming that yes, the rumours are true, their CEO is departing or, worst case scenario, a business responding to and trying to manage bad sentiment surrounding a decision made, a poor campaign decision or allegations of legal misconduct.

How can PR activity benefit my brand?

Before we even start working with a brand, we ask them one simple question - “What does success look like for you?”.

For most brands, it’s about awareness - they need news of their new restaurant site communicated; they’re launching a new gin and a listing at Waitrose is the dream retail spot, or they have just collaborated with a Love Island star and want the news announced nationally and on social media.
The next question we ask is - “Who is your target audience?”. This helps us plan a strategy - in line with your marketing strategy - in the area where the consumer is, on the platform they use and using verbiage they understand.

Our next step is to set goals and KPI (Key Performance Indicators) - these will help us to quickly identify if a campaign is working or it needs adjustment. Success might look like a glossy page in The Sunday Times Style Magazine but if your target audience is reading Women’s Health then we will need to reassess our targets to see any impact. A key error is underestimating the power of smaller, niche publications.

We then look at channels - where are your customers getting their information, in other words WHERE can we reach them.

Examples of popular PR channels:

Podcasts - According to statistics, the number of listeners worldwide is expected to be 464.7 million this year, a 9.6% increase on 2022

Traditional media - Magazines and newspapers

Social media - Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest…

And then we can have fun!

We can be as creative with campaigns as you dare. We can set up an OnlyFans account to launch your business as we did with a recent client, Send Noods Ramen Shop; we can fly noodles via drone into deepest Lancashire as we did for Chopstix or partner with Gemma Collins and launch a Pink FlaGINgo Gin for Zymurgorium.

Most importantly - we will listen to you, we will get to know your brand, your team, your ethos and your WHY. We will get under the skin of why you do what you do.

And then you just need to let us do what we do best - amplify your message and help you build reputation, understanding, brand awareness and brand loyalty.