Going Through A PR Dry Spell? There’s Always Something!

For all of us in public relations, we pray for a constant stream of impactful, fascinating, ground-breaking stories from your brands and clients; we dream of seeing the masses of tier-one coverage flood in; we fantasise about never-ending requests for interviews left, right, and centre…

But let’s be real. Most PR companies, including us here at Elliot Communications, are way more familiar with the dreaded PR dry spell. It doesn’t matter if you’re a PR company in Malaysia, the United States, or Australia; we’ve all experienced that quiet, nervous period of time where there’s — scarily — not much to talk about at all.

This is particularly pertinent for startups and SMEs, especially those who are newer to the scene; massive announcements simply don’t come as frequently in comparison to, say, an MNC or conglomerate. So what on earth do we do?

Here’s the secret: there’s always something. Here are a few tips and tricks from and for a PR agency to get that dry spell out of the way!

??Go Behind The Scenes

It is absolutely crucial that smaller businesses put themselves out there regularly, but they may not have a new product to shout about (or even a product at all!). However, that doesn’t mean the work isn’t getting done, and it turns out people love seeing how products and projects come to be. Use the R&D process as a jumping off point for content! You may be surprised how much hype can be built here, especially for tech industry players with eager early adopters hungry for the next new innovation.?

??Create Consumer-Friendly Content?

Word-of-mouth can get your client way further than you might imagine, and the best way to build that is creating content geared towards the consumers. Not only does this generate buzz way more effectively than B2B angles, B2B stakeholders will want to see wider adoption anyway — and if your client’s customers feel directly connected to the brand, you can be sure investors’ ears will perk up, too.

??Money, Money, Money

No product? No problem! Leverage numbers from grants and funds instead. Cash exchanging hands is always a surefire way to draw some attention not just to your client but to the future of the industry they’re in. It also helps to build anticipation for where the brand is headed, and how the money will actually be used.

??Look At Me: I’m The Thought Leader, Now

Hopping onto the latest news story or trend is a no-brainer, but you could also gain a lot if you position your client as a reliable information source. Naturally, this isn’t a quick process, as you’ll have to work to build relationships with the media and convince them of your client’s vast wealth of industry knowledge — and if your client is comfortable with stretching outside their comfort zone, that opens them up to way more coverage opportunities.

At the heart of it all, get creative! Look for stories that even your client might not realise are there. For us at Elliot Communications, we look forward to coming up with innovative, wild, and unexpected new approaches to make sure our clients always have something to say.

Let us know: which ideas are you going to use in the New Year? Have you done any of these before? How did it go?

H/T to PRWeek!