Who cares how you do what you do? Your clients sure don’t. And, they shouldn’t. They have their own piece of the business to run. You should be focused on explaining to them what you are going to do to help their business grow. That’s the “what” – that’s results. Isn’t that why you were hired?
Once you’ve talked with your clients, you know what you have to work with. You know how you need to get the job done. Anyone telling clients more than what may happen is just drumming up what may be a big letdown. Better to focus on what you can achieve, set goals, be realistic about those goals, and make sure that they tie into the clients’ business, sales, and marketing objectives.
Am I stating the obvious?
Unfortunately, no I am not. Many PR professionals that I speak to have their own method, their own way, their own secret sauce, to helping clients get the word out. There is no secret sauce in PR. It is not a science. It is a skill. You either have the skill to recognize a story and tell it or not. And, that story is only one chapter in your clients’ books. Many will follow and you need to help your clients build those stories onto one another to complete their novels.
PR is an evolutionary process, not a revolutionary process.
If you continue to provide the press with newsworthy and compelling feature stories then you will build long-term relationships with the media, build trust, and be known for working with companies who have stories to tell. You can also help your clients secure contributed articles that are by their representatives, but those pieces will only have value if they are not just one offs in brand name publications.
Start where most PR folks don’t. Define your audiences. Get your marketing messages in order. Adopt PR messages from marketing. Be consistent with your messaging. Don’t keep trying to re-create your messaging when it doesn’t work. Tweak it. Prove the stories through case studies, studies, and other methods.
Show results.
Be a straight talker with your clients. Keep the communication open. Tell them what to expect based on your past experience. Don’t lie. Don’t mislead. Don’t deceive. Be real. Be yourself. Be a team player.
Read more: Increase Your Company’s Media Exposure by Trading Up the Chain