The year that saw Michelle Payne become the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, another change of Prime Minister and an Australian competitor in Eurovision is drawing to a close and a little PR planning now will give your business a better chance of making headlines into next year.
Mountains of fruit mince tarts and a constant stream of Christmas albums advertised on TV means the festive season is well and truly upon us, but before you put on your party dress and wave goodbye to this year, I’ve got some homework for you. I promise your business will be grateful when 2016 picks up speed.
It is easy to use the same old PR plan year after year, but imagine how much more publicity you could generate if you take a more proactive approach for 2016. Here is my list of must do PR action points:
1. Plan your PR – put aside an an hour or two to plan your PR activity for the year ahead, broken down into quarters so you know where to focus your energy. Consider these opportunities:
- Product or service launches
- Important dates you can leverage for PR purposes
- Social media platforms you want to focus on
- The best way to spread your expertise, i.e. blogging and guest posts, article marketing, podcasts, speaking, etc.
2. Review your media list – if you spend some time updating the editors and journalists at your favourite media outlets you will save yourself time when it comes to sending out that media release or piece of exciting news in the New Year. This task doesn’t need to be arduous because all the information you need – names, contact details and social media links – can be found online.
3. Perfect your image – if you haven’t got professional photos you can send to a journalist straight away, make it your business to get some done. It’s a good idea to have more than one option in a few different outfits, but if you’re really pressed for time or money a good headshot will do. Make sure it is high enough resolution to use in print and online. While you’re thinking about your image, review the photos and cover images you use on social media to see if they all fit together. Do they say what you want them to say about you?
If you do these three things before the end of 2015, you will start next year in prime position because you can take up any publicity opportunity you like the sound of.
