Tactical PR strategies for our clients have resulted in some strong coverage in recent months. But what do we mean by PR? How has it changed in recent years? Which businesses is it appropriate for? What makes good PR? And what are the benefits PR can bring to your business?

PR update: tech challenger

Sharp Minds’ PR campaign for Dootrix, the national tech start-up, and its work for EV-charging pioneer, Gridserve, generated more than 16 articles across the UK in key trade titles. This catapulted the brand into the media for the first time, receiving praise and recognition within the cloud technology sector. Digitalisation World, The Business Magazine and the UK’s leading industry trade title Technology Record were just some of the strong media placements.

What size businesses should have a PR strategy?

Businesses of every size can benefit from having a well-considered strategic PR plan, one that reflects your brand’s overarching goals and desired positioning within the media landscape. Whether you’re a start-up, a thriving direct-t- consumer brand or a national business, there are numerous benefits that PR can provide.

There’s no company too big or too small for press to do PR. In fact, fledgling startups can often attract the most attention as reading about new business ventures can be innovative and inspiring. Positioning and knowing what makes a good story is something Sharp Minds excels in. We are also extremely well connected within the media and our senior team is made up of ex-national newspaper and BBC broadcast journalists.

PR adds credibility to your business. PR has intangible and far-reaching benefits; you simply can’t put a price on getting featured in media outlets and setting yourself up as a thought leader. It puts you in a position of strength within your industry, becoming the go-to person for commentary, insight and expertise.

Many people think PR is simply getting mentioned in the press, but it’s so much more than that. It’s everything you do to promote and increase the visibility of your business.

The media landscape has changed so much in the last few years, especially with the shift towards digital and remote working during the pandemic, and our definition of PR needs to adapt accordingly. PR is anything and everything that helps get your business talked about, including social media and influencer brand relations.

PR in its true definition refers to strategic communication from an organisation to the public to maintain or cultivate a public image. PR is what other people say about you. It’s how your services and brand are perceived by others and the efforts you undertake to build a positive brand image. But it’s also so much more than that.

PR is about how the public feels about and interacts with your company. Yes, it’s about image; but it’s also about connection and appeal. It’s what springs to mind when the name of your company has been mentioned and how people engage and respond to the content you post online. PR is about the emotional connection you’re able to build with individuals through your work, which in turn leads to sales opportunities and results. We all have relationships with the brands we buy from, the companies whose services we use, the experts we trust, and PR can fast-track building these relationships.

PR is about getting in front of your audience and creating trust with them. Getting featured in the press is a medium for nurturing relationships with your desired audience. If you find other effective methods to help you build those relationships such as Instagram, LinkedIn or email marketing, then traditional PR can complement this. Getting featured in the media helps build your credibility, thus strengthening the bond with your audience. Word of mouth is often cited as the most powerful method for getting business traction; with PR you simply get in front of more mouths.

The execution and successful application of a PR activation or campaign relies on a thorough understanding of the brand. Whether your PR process is being headed up internally or externally by an agency, it’s crucial to get under the skin of the brand, its ethos and its client base. When implementing an integrated campaign, Sharp Minds undertakes a thorough analysis of the brand’s audience base, what they like and what they see, as part of a discovery process.

The success of any campaign is based on knowledge of the landscape and what the brand wants to achieve. Whether it’s increased sales, brand awareness, reputation management or the promotion of a new product or service, good PR is a competent combination of meticulously planned communications, in the brand language, placed in relevant spaces that your audience will be.