6 PR Stories You Didn’t Know You Had
Do you read industry magazines and wonder why your competitors seem to be getting constant media coverage while you’re getting a big fat zero? If the answer is yes, have you thought about why that is? If it’s because you think you have no news to share, you’re wrong. You may not realise it, but you’re sitting on a goldmine of PR stories you didn’t even know you had. You just need to think creatively and find stories from inside your business, rather than wait for news to come to you.
Here are some angles for PR stories you can find close to home to get your fair share of editorial real estate.
New product announcements
New products may seem like an obvious thing to take to the press, and they can be. But as well as shouting about new products, be sure to brag about any major enhancements, or updates to your current range. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but if you’ve tweaked the design of a product, and significantly improved its functionality, it’ll make your customers lives easier, so it’s worth shouting about. Consider the trade press for these announcements. This sort of story can float their boat.
Being proactive with product announcements, or enhancements sends out a strong message that you don’t rest on your laurels as a business and are constantly innovating. Need I say more than Apple? They’re the masters of innovation and product announcements.
Milestones and anniversaries
Are you organising a big party to celebrate your company’s tenth anniversary? Don’t forget to invite the press to the party. If you can meet them face-to-face, it’ll be much easier to demonstrate your passion and gain credibility with them. Also look beyond your own business anniversaries and consider market milestones. For example, did you know the 30th anniversary of the smartphone is coming up in 2022? It was the Simon Personal Organiser by IBM if you’re interested. This is a prime opportunity for tech companies to generate a bit of topical PR.
Charitable events
A great way to show your business is interested in more than just profit is to get involved in community events, or support a charity. Why not find a cause close to your heart and set a target amount to raise in a year? You could organise team fundraising events, from talent nights to silent auctions. Or, if you want to do something a little higher octane, why not undertake a sponsored office Three Peaks Challenge, or a departmental Tough Mudder? It’s a great way to prove you care about the community, while taking part in a little team bonding. If you reach, or better, smash your fundraising target, the regional media might be interested to hear about it.
Key dates
Valentine’s Day. Christmas. Easter. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding day. There are loads of key dates and occasions we celebrate throughout the year. And they’re all prime PR opportunities. A topical example comes from EasyJet. The low-cost airline took advantage of royal wedding fever ahead of the big day on May 19thand ran an international Harry and Meghan lookalike competition, attracting over 3,000 entries. The winners received a year’s worth of free EasyJet flights.
In addition to PR stunts like this, if there are any national or international awareness days during the year that are relevant to your business, why not use the opportunity to produce special articles, that present your company as an authority on the subject, while subtly promoting your services. For example, May was national walking month. This is a prime opportunity for gyms and personal trainers to tout the benefits of getting active.
Green initiatives
Green is the new black when it comes to business. Companies are going to great lengths to reduce their carbon footprints and make their products and processes eco-friendly. For example, the UK’s biggest coffee chain Costa Coffee recently announced an initiative whereby it will recycle as many disposable cups as it sells by 2020, as part of a ‘cup recycling revolution’. The story made the likes of the BBC News website, The Guardian, and The London Evening Standard.
If you can do anything to help protect the planet, from cutting back on the amount of paper used, to reducing the amount of non-renewable power in your data centre, it’s great for your green credentials, and is something the press may want to hear about.
What are your hidden PR stories?
As you can see, there are lots of newsworthy things happening in your company; you just need to find an engaging, compelling, and unique way to share them.
