I talk about PR strategy and planning a LOT. As someone who has worked in PR for over 20 years, PR planning and strategy is at the heart of everything I have ever done for clients.
Having clear objectives is crucial to your PR success, from massive businesses such as the Football Association down to smaller sole trader businesses, it all comes down to a plan.
We know PR is all about relationships, reputation and getting known and seen through various different outlets and platforms. But PR planning is how you will get there by working out where you want to be seen and when.
Whether you love it or hate it, there is a way we can make PR planning work for you.
Today I have 8 reasons that PR planning can transform your business to convince you to get pen to paper!
- It gives you structure and a routine to work out what you need to be doing in your business and when you need to start telling people about it. Obviously you can change your plans but having a place to start will make it so much easier to adapt.
- It gives you a focus for the future. It allows you to think about where you want to be, what you want to achieve and how you can make steps towards these goals.
- It increases your chances of success! What is the difference between someone who is on the back foot and missing deadlines, compared with someone who has worked out in advance what they need for when? An increased chance of success and flexibility to adapt!
- It forces you to plan your business – the two are inextricably linked! You need to know what you are going to be putting out into the world, what you are going to be selling, key dates of events etc. Without this you cannot plan your PR (let alone your business).
- It gives you a roadmap for the year – without one how do you know where you are heading? It can be detailed or topline but it will give you step by step stages to get you to your goals.
- You will be ahead of yourself and on the front foot! By planning ahead for the platforms that have the longest lead times, you will have all the copy, images and details required to talk about your products and/or services well in advance.
- It gives you a chance to look outside of your business. We are all very committed to what we do, but sometimes we need to look at how our business relates to the wider world. That is how we start conversations and grow our audience. PR planning requires you to look outside of your business to see what key dates or events are coming up in the world that are relevant to your business. By doing this, magic can happen! Collaborations, partnerships and opportunities can show up when you start to look outside.
- It makes you proactive rather than reactive. A lot of my audience are busy women who are juggling a lot of balls and it is very hard to be proactive due to those everyday demands (or even reactive sometimes!). But by being proactive not only does it allow you to get those proactive opportunities, but it also allows you to pitch for those reactive opportunities you may see on #journorequests, as you already have pulled together the necessary information. You will be able to respond so much quicker and more detailed than you would otherwise, opening a lot more opportunities for you!
I want you to feel calm, collected and organised ready to get the PR you deserve. A PR plan can help you do exactly that by providing you the relevancy and timeframe to work towards.
How do you feel about planning? Do you have any planning processes that keep you going?
📣 And if you want to work with me 1:1 to get your PR plan nailed, and learn how to plot your opportunities out for 2024, then sign up to my PR planning Zoom workshop coming up on Wednesday 31st January at 9.30am-11.00am.
It’s fully online so you can join me from anywhere!
It will be a small group of passionate go getters who want to plan their PR for 2024 in real time with my support.📣.
Book now here.
