For your association’s next public relations campaign, try thinking beyond the press release and consider expanding upon the traditional media relations activities you’ve done in the past.
More Than the Media
When thinking about public relations, it’s important to remember that your audience—or your public, is not limited to the media. So who is your public? Well, it depends on your message and your overall goal. If you’re looking to increase awareness about your association or one of its initiatives, you aren’t limited to writing and distributing a press release that you hope will get picked up by a busy reporter.
Try hosting a focus group to the type of individuals you want to ultimately reach. By doing this, you can expose them to your message and then go a step further—you can immediately gather feedback and determine the overall sentiment toward your organization.
Make the Connections
If your objective is to land media placement for your association, consider testing a new approach using social media. Connect with writers and familiarize yourself with what they consider to be newsworthy; read the articles they write, read the articles they share, and establish relationships by engaging with them on Twitter and other social networks.
Try changing your mindset from, “What can this writer do for me and my association?” to “What can my association and I do for this writer?” and think about the potential problems you can solve.
Do you have a member who can serve as an expert resource and provide comment to a topic the writer continuously focuses on? Let them know! This is your opportunity to pitch your association without making a hard sell and by helping the writer add credibility to their article, you’re opening the door for future opportunities to work together.
While this approach will take a little more time and nurturing, that’s what public relations is all about—making connections and building mutually beneficial relationships.
