How to Create a Public Relations Plan in 7 Steps

Every business regardless of its size or industry needs a public relations plan. A comprehensive PR plan helps companies strengthen their reputations, increase brand awareness, reach more customers and ultimately increase the bottom line.

Below are seven steps that can help you create your own PR plan for your business:

1.   Determine your goals

Think of what you want to achieve with your campaign. Is it securing earned media? Is it establishing credibility within your industry or engaging your customers? Don’t try to accomplish everything at once but focus on a handful of things that fit within your current scope.

2.   Define your target audience

Define the segment of the population you are trying to reach. Then, look at the ways they consume information and determine the best ways to communicate with them.

3.   Develop your PR tactics

After identifying your audiences, develop specific tactics you will be utilizing in order to reach them. These can vary greatly, from using traditional media channels, such as radio, TV, newspapers and magazine, to engaging with your stakeholders on social media and in face-to-face conversations.

4.   Draft key messaging

Prepare a list of bullet points containing the key messages you want to communicate to your audiences. Again, don’t try to say everything there is to say about your company, but focus on several main points, which would be reiterated across different channels.

5.   Prepare your PR budget

PR is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming discipline, and like every such work, it will require a budget to keep it going. Identify how much you can afford to spend and scale your goals and tactics accordingly.

6.   Create a detailed implementation schedule

Create a step-by-step task schedule with deadlines that would keep you on the right track.

7.   Determine measurement metrics

In addition to setting realistic goals, it is also important to identify appropriate metrics that would allow you to objectively measure the success of your engagement. Take those measurements before, during and after your campaign and adjust your tactics accordingly if you don’t see the desired results.

Need expert help in creating and executing an effective public relations plan? Call Red Banyan today and see what we can do to propel your brand forward.