What EC-PR taught me about public relations
Alice Hollis - More than words?
B2B tech copywriter. Executive ghostwriter. Messaging strategist.
Early in my career I spent 5 years working in a PR and marketing communications agency. We specialised in campaigns for B2B tech companies, working with startups through to the giants of Silicon Valley. I even had one client reach the finals of the National Business Awards for the coverage they’d secured on fuel cell technology.
Why am I sharing this?
To (hopefully!) show that public relations (PR) isn’t an alien world to me. That I understand what PR content looks like, how it differs to promotional copy, and what the process entails to get your opinions in print.
BUT.
As with everything in life, you can never know EVERYTHING. And I’m pretty sure that a lot has changed in the world of PR over the last 12 years. Wanting to learn more, I set out on a mission and immediately fell in love with the quirky purple branding of EC-PR – an agency that has helped ambitious B2B tech brands to build, grow, and manage their reputations for over 20 years (so if they don’t know the answer, I think we’re all in trouble!!)
They had just hosted a webinar entitled ‘Leaders on LinkedIn’ (you can watch it yourself here). As one of my main channels for lead generation, it piqued my interest and gave me A LOT to think about, including:
??Building community is key: you can’t just show up and shout, you need to engage in a conversation. Be authentic. Be genuine. Don’t sell, sell, sell.
??Work the room first: like a face-to-face (F2F) networking event, you need to talk to people first so that when it’s your turn to speak (or rather post), people know who you are and want to listen.
??Let them get to know you: no, LinkedIn isn’t Facebook, but just like a F2F networking event, you wouldn’t keep it entirely business focused. Relationships start when we find something in common, so you need to let people make a connection, such as a favourite sport, being a parent, or where you’ve travelled to.
??It doesn’t happen overnight: LinkedIn isn’t a ‘quick win’. It yields results when you consistently show up and share something that’s valuable to your audience. The timing might not be right today, but everything could change next week/month/quarter/year.
??Let the leaders lead: in content marketing you’ve always got certain corporate messages you need to communicate with your audience. But if you force people to shoehorn them in, your copy becomes unnatural. Therefore, let people interpret the messages in their own way.
Following the webinar, I decided to immerse myself in EC-PR’s other content to see what other golden nuggets I could pick up. The following are some of the notes I jotted down:
B2B PR isn’t simply about coverage
I’ve always thought about PR in terms of brand awareness and how to secure the most coverage to get in front of the largest proportion of your target audience. And because it was about awareness, the content was more educational and positioned the client as an authority figure.
EC-PR take a slightly different view, where PR is about building, growing, and managing brand reputation.
It’s a subtle but important shift because it gives you scope to play more with the content you’re sharing. For example, rather than always trying to raise awareness of who you are and what you do, you can use PR as an opportunity to challenge the status quo, align your brand with certain trends, and differentiate yourself in the market.
As EC-PR says, “A company’s reputation is worth the investment, and should not only be nurtured but raised to lead the pack.”
I like this way of thinking because it elevates PR content above ‘advertising value equivalent’ (a KPI we focused on in the agency to demonstrate editorial worth) to show how PR builds brand value, and therefore company worth.
Read more in this article: What is B2B PR?
‘Earned media’ is unpaid exposure or publicity produced and published organically
I’ll be honest, the term ‘earned media’ isn’t a term I've come across before. But as a big fan of marketing models and frameworks, I was very excited to discover the PESO model, which uses 4 types of media - paid, earned, shared and owned -to deliver a coherent message to the audience.
In my previous life, I’d secured ‘earned media’ for my clients through press releases, editorial, journalist interviews, and speaking opportunities. Interestingly, EC-PR includes wider content under the umbrella of earned media, including guest blogs/articles, and influencer/analyst relations.
A bit like a case study, they stress the importance of using earned media to build trust with the audience – because it’s not you saying how amazing you are, the words come from an independent third-party.
Read more in this article: What is meant by earned media
PR covers more than press releases, editorial, and speaking opportunities
I read with great interest the content types that now fall under the umbrella term of ‘PR’, which include:
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Why?
Because in my mind, tactics like blogging, infographics, events, social, thought leadership, and white papers have traditionally fallen under promotional content marketing to support the sales funnel.
And yet when you think about PR as a content strategy to build, grow, and manage your reputation (rather than simply raise brand awareness), it makes absolute sense to have all these different tactics at your disposal. Each serves a different purpose and helps you work towards a different outcome, but collectively they protect and nurture your brand.
Also, I like the idea that it’s shifting the emphasis away from lecturing the media/audience on what you do, in favour of starting a conversation where everyone has a voice. Together, we can share our experiences, learn from each other, and work towards a new, different, or better outcomes. In this world, it’s not about trying to put spokespeople on a pedestal, it’s about community and how you add value to the community.
Read more here: B2B PR services
An appreciation for the periphery areas
Starting my career as a marketer, I got exposed to creative disciplines outside my skillset, like graphic design, web development, and branding. It helped me to become a better marketer because I understood the ‘bigger picture’, and how everything fits together to create an amazing campaign.
EC-PR takes the same approach. Yes, its core business is PR, but that 20+ years’ experience means the team understands that PR isn’t a standalone function – to be truly effective it needs to integrate with the wider marketing efforts. It’s why EC-PR dedicates time and space to explore the importance of the periphery areas – like SEO, imagery, and roundtable events – and how they support PR so that ultimately the business achieves its marketing goals.
13 questions every marketing manager should ask before hiring a PR agency
This particular article struck a chord in my heart, I think because I’ve had sooo many similar conversations over the years with companies who have been burned in their past. The article is so good because it succinctly lays down the key points that will identify any ‘red flags’ before you make a decision on the best partner for you.
For example, I’m always baffled when clients are amazed that I did what I said I was going to do. And yet so many have been left in the lurch by freelancers/agencies who failed to deliver.
Furthermore, the article explores the unasked questions – the niggling doubts that leave those pesky question marks in our minds and leave us feeling nervous about our decision.
For example, yes, I’m under NDA with many of my clients, which means I’m not allowed to name drop them, but I don’t hide the fact I have other clients, the sort of work they do, and the content I’m helping them with. This means any new prospect I’m talking to knows exactly where they fall in my ‘client roster’ and how I would prioritise their work. I’m also very clear about the information I need to know about their business and why, so they understand my working process. And I’ll always share ideas for how they’ll get the most out of their content by integrating it with their wider marketing efforts.
And finally, I need to highlight this beautiful piece on value propositions…
I specifically love the line, “Value propositions are not mission statements”.
It amazes me when companies struggle to provide their value proposition, because it's something that is used in every piece of content you create. A bit like an elevator pitch, it’s 1-2 lines that should roll off the tongue. And yet what I’m often presented with is a link to the ‘about us’ page.
As EC-PR so beautifully explains:
??Value propositions focus on the company bringing security to a client’s concern. They talk about the benefits they provide, how they intend to help, and how they go beyond other organisations to do just that.
??Mission statements do none of the above. Rather, a mission statement tells why your company is helping in the first place.
If you need help honing your value proposition, the article even shares some examples and includes a nice template!
Need some help with PR?
Follow EC-PR, Lorraine Emmett, and Liz Churchman on LinkedIn, who are constantly sharing useful and interesting content to help you build, grow, and manage your brand reputation.
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Thank you for this analysis and feedback Alice Hollis - More than words? We have been told by clients that we are ‘so much more than just a PR agency’ but i think ‘PR is so much more than just media relations’. PR is essentially everything you say or do that relflects on your stakeholders relationship with your brand. So for us this means you (we) have to embrace all the tactics and tools available to you to build, nurture and manage brand reputation..the only way we can do that with authority is to practice on ourselves and know what it feels like to succeed (or fail!??) and we document the successful outcome as a valid process we can we roll out to clients. It’s a system that works for us.
Strategic & Bold Head of Marketing at A-SAFE - Delivering revenue and revitalisation with compelling and creative communication strategy ?? Conservation & community volunteer, festival builder and park ranger
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Wow! Thank you for that shout out! We try to make our material useful and our guides are only developed after we’ve practiced on ourselves!!