5 PR Mistakes NOT To Make When Starting Your Business

As a PR professional working in the industry for over 20 years, I have launched dozens of brands across beauty, fashion, food, tech and lifestyle. From large corporate companies to boutique start-ups, no matter the size, I have seen many PR blunders. There are ones that are more common and can hinder the success of your brand, so I am sharing 5 of those mistakes, you should avoid when starting or launching a business:

1. NOT Allocating A Budget For PR

Now I know what you are thinking, of course a publicist is going to say this! But I am honestly not suggesting this because I am looking for new clients (although, feel free to reach out if you are looking for publicity! ;) I am recommending this because it is the most efficient way to raise brand visibility and get the results you want. Look at it this way, if you were facing legal action, you’d hire a legal professional to help and advise you, right? Most people wouldn’t try to represent themselves in court, they’d want a professional to guide them through the process. The same principle can be applied to PR. Publicists are professionals in their field, who have built close relationships with the media over a long period of time, sometimes decades. They know exactly what editors are looking for and how to present it to them, which makes the process a whole lot easier for them, and you.

Can a business owner secure placements by themselves? Absolutely! I know many brands who have come to me with much success, having obtained fantastic press themselves. However, those are the lucky few and they seldom know how to maintain that momentum over an extended period of time. When you work with an experienced publicist or PR team, with great relationships already in place, they can help get your products in front of the media quickly and can secure steady coverage over time. I have had clients tell me that they had personally sent out hundreds of emails to the media and got zero responses. When you work with a professional, they know how, and when, to speak to the press, as well as the best ways to get you to your goal – and quickly.

I would strongly suggest you crunch the numbers and allocate a budget for at least 3 months of PR services to get you started. This will give you a good foundation to build your company on, so if you choose to continue alone after this period, you will at least have had a solid start.

2. NOT Doing Enough Research

If you are lucky enough to have the funds to hire a PR professional or firm, then be sure to do some research,?before?signing on as a client. Over the years, I have heard so many horror stories of clients that have come to me after a “publicist”, had promised them the moon, and did not deliver. Tip: If a publicist says they can?guarantee?you placements in A and B magazine, or on X & Y TV show, be weary. Nothing is ever guaranteed when it comes to PR, it is all subjective based on an editor’s interests and what excites them. A good publicist knows who and what to pitch, but only paid advertising is ever guaranteed.

Make sure you do some research. Speak with the potential publicist and ask questions about clients they have worked with in the past. If they have worked with clients similar to your brand, find out the results of the project and ask what they feel would be realistic for you. You have the right to ask for case studies or references from past clients and once you feel comfortable, then sign on the dotted line. Doing this upfront research will be worth it in the long run and will save you time, money, and wasted energy.

3. NOT Considering Timing When Planning Your Launch

For business owners and start-ups without a budget for PR, the good news is that you can still get coverage through your own outreach. It may be more challenging and harder to get to the editors, but it is possible.

The most important thing for you to do is think about timing and using your common sense when planning your launch. For example, if you are launching an SPF cream, obviously the June, July or August issues would be when editors are writing about summer skincare. Therefore, you should plan to reach out to editors before those issues hit the shelves. The same goes for say, a skiwear collection. If you want to get into the winter issues (Dec, Jan or Feb), then plan to launch way before those dates. Remember, editors work at least 2-3 months in advance of the stories they are writing, so plan to reach out to them as far in advance as possible. So many people launch late and miss amazing opportunities to be included in a story because they don't understand editorial timelines. Make sure you plan accordingly.

4. NOT Researching The Editor Before You Hit Send

The number one rule in PR is to make sure you know what an editor writes about, before reaching out to them. Pick up a copy of each of the magazines you plan to target or bookmark stories from the websites you hope to be featured in and jot down the editors’ names. This is a simple way to research what an editor has written about in the past.

I have had clients come to me, saying they reached out to literally hundreds of editors and didn’t get even one response. When I ask them to show me their list of people they emailed, I often see they were pitching the entirely wrong person. If you have a great product and they like it, they will feature it. Just make sure you are reaching out to the correct contact.

5. NOT Making It As Easy As Possible For The Media

Editors are very busy and receive hundreds of emails each day. You have more of a chance of being featured if you make it super easy for the editor you want to work with. Be sure to include all relevant information they might need in your email such as website address, price of the product or service and where it can be purchased. Editors will feature a product they weren’t so keen on in their story, for the simple fact that the info was there and ready to go. Don’t make that mistake. Be as thorough as possible and it will increase your chances of getting a placement in your dream publication.

Happy pitching!