What is Public Relations? – Part 2

So now that you know from the first post that public relations is simply managing the communication between an organization and its targeted audience, where do you go from here?  I will explain more in-depth several options for reaching those audiences through public relations outreach.

The following are some of the avenues Olewinski Group employs to get your story out:

Press release – a press release is an integral part of PR and the primary, most widely-used vehicle to get your message to the media.  After being sent to the editorial staff, the release is then reviewed for newsworthiness and, if chosen for publication, is converted to a news story for publication.

A press release is “a public relations announcement issued to the news media and other targeted publications for the purpose of letting the public know of company developments.”

The beauty of press releases now-a-days is the wider reach they have due to the extensive use of the internet.  You can directly speak to your customers or target audience via the internet, email blasts or brochure inserts.  I always suggest clients put each release on their website in a newsroom so both the media and customers have access to the updates on your company.

Feature Story – feature stories are articles pitched and secured for your company on what makes you different, a recent business success, or how you are making your way despite challenges.  These features are written by the media, with consultation by your PR consultant, and often result in more in-depth coverage than a press release would provide.

Expert Source Opportunity – Have you ever read an article on the real estate market, restaurant trends, or the local economy and wondered how certain “experts” were chosen to be quoted?  These opportunities are most often handled by public relations professionals, who set up the interviews with the reporters handling the story.

Bylined Article – These article opportunities are pitched, secured and written by PR professionals to position their clients as an expert in a particular field/topic.   Bylines are focused on a specific topic and feature a headshot with the executive’s name in the “by” section of the article.  These are excellent for trend features, case studies or to discuss a particular topic more in-depth.

Once you investigate, it quickly becomes clear that there are many ways for a public relations partner to provide value-added service to your company.  The good news is what is featured in this post is just the beginning, and can be part of a fully-integrated plan to give your organization a competitive edge, no matter what field you compete in.

“The tools are all out there.  It is up to you to put them to use for your company and make them work for you.” – Jen Olewinski