Learn how to leverage the power of the social web to manage publicity for your own small business. Spend a little time, and save a lot of money.

1. DIY PR for small
businesses
How the social web has made it easier
for small businesses to manage their
own publicity -- and how to do it
Katherine Raz
Community Manager, Signalhq.com
@katherine_raz

2. Youareyour own
bestpublicist.

3. Making yourownnews
● No one knows your story, and the story of your business,
better than you do
● The social web has made it easier than ever to control your
story by telling it yourself through blogs and social media
channels like Facebook and Twitter
● Each social update is a micro press release
● Social updates can lead to bigger stories...
... but how do you guarantee media placement with DIY PR?

4. Identifyinginfluencers

5. Findingjournalists
online
● Who is writing about your
competitors?
● Google searches and Google
alerts for news relevant to
your business
● Whose opinion matters
most? (the "tipping point"
press)
● MuckRack.com

6. What aboutblogs?
● Bloggers are media, too
● Individual bloggers vs. online
news organizations -- the
lines are blurring
● Some bloggers have a wider
circle of influence than
traditional media online
● Google blog search www.
google.com/blogsearch

7. Buildingyour presslist

8. Creatingasocialmedia
presslist
● Follow journalists and
influencers on Twitter, move
media "follows" onto a list
you can monitor and engage
● Using your business Facebook
page, fan media outlets
relevant to your business
● Add your input, via
comments, to blog posts
relevant to your industry

10. YourPRemaillist
● List all print and online media
outlets in a speadsheet
● Find contact information on
each outlet's website
● Dig deep, be tenacious -- not
everyone is listed. Try:
○ Rapportive
○ Gmail
○ Google drive
○ MuckRack.com
○ Google search

12. Otheroutlets
● Events listings sites
○ Do 312
○ Eventful
● Review sites
○ Yelp
○ Zagat
● Directories
○ Yellow pages
○ Foursquare
● Community
○ Neighborhood
organizations
○ Aldermen
● Strategic partnerships
○ Symbiotic businesses
○ Promotions

13. Pitching

14. How to pitchtraditionalmediawitharelease
● Craft a one-page media alert or press release
○ This is the who, what, where, when, why of your news
○ Google "sample press release" and copy the format
○ Outsource press release writing to Odesk or other outlet
● Host your press release online -- you want to link to it
● Reach out to media individually or use an email client like
ToutApp to manage bulk emailing a large list
● Include a short note describing why your news is relevant (make
it as personal as possible!)
● Do not send attachments! Link to your release or paste a copy
into the body of your email

15. Abetterapproach to
pitching
● Know who covers your
industry and who matters
● Get to know them and what
they write about -- follow
their "feeds"
● Learn what their problems
are, what stories they're
looking for, and how news
about your business can save
them time by leaving a story
on their doorstep

16. Pitchingbloggers
● Pitching a blogger isn't a
formal pitch
● It must be personal -- no
exceptions
● No faking it: you have to have
read their blog
● Let them know why you think
your story is relevant to them
● What's in it for them?

17. Identifying thenews
withinyour business
● Ask yourself: why would
people who aren't my friends
or current customers care
about this?
● Is it part of a larger story? A
trend?
Remember: newsworthiness isn't
determined by how something
affects your business internally,
but rather how this changes the
way the world interacts with your
business.

18. Addingapresspageto yourwebsite
● YourWebsite.com/Press
● Your press section should include:
○ Copies of your latest press releases or media alerts
○ Contact information (including a phone number!)
○ Hi-res versions of your logo
○ Hi-res images of your business to accompany latest news
○ Your bio and business bio
Make it easy for media to get information about you and contact
you for more information... on tight deadlines!

19. Findingjournalistswho
arelookingforsources
● HARO -- Help a Reporter Out
HelpAReporter.com
● ProfNet prnewswire.
com/profnet
● MediaKitty.com
Be quick, within 10-15 minutes,
to respond to queries, and make
sure your response is 100%
relevant to the inquiry.

20. Thanks.
Questions? Feedback?
Want to share your own PR
successes?
Contact me anytime.
Katherine Raz
katherine@signalhq.com
@katherine_raz