Building Successful PR Campaigns

BUILDING
SUCCESSFUL
PR CAMPAIGNS
HOW-TO GUIDE

2 Building Successful PR Campaigns How-to Guide
Building successful Public Relations (PR) campaigns is essential for Marketing Directors in
mid-sized enterprises.
Managing budgets and resources for PR can be difficult, especially when there is no clear under-
standing of the value, function, or tools that you may need to procure. This report will:
Although PR agencies will tell you that the PR function is too difficult to manage internally, having
the right strategy, tools, and knowledge, will save you money and further develop your marketing
skill set.
HOW-TO GUIDE
Define Public Relations
Outline typical PR activities
Differentiate PR from Advertising
Illustrate various PR elements
Provide PR Best Practices
Help you select the right PR tools
Building Successful
PR Campaigns
Public Relations Defined
Public Relations (PR) is the act of managing communication between an organization and its key
public stakeholders, with a focus on building and maintaining a positive image.
PR professionals execute campaigns targeted at specific audiences, to influence opinions and
measure public perception.
What Is Public Relations?
Typical Public Relations Activities Involve:
1. Evaluating public exposure, opinions, and attitudes
2. Developing policies for communicating with the public
3. Implementing communication programs across media channels
4. Integrating communications with Marketing programs and brand
5. Creating goodwill by managing a two-way communication process
6. Building a positive relationship between the public and the organization

Public Relations vs. Advertising
Public Relations Elements
It is essential that you create a comprehensive and measureable public relations plan before
starting any public relations activities. Use our Public Relations Plan Template to document and
formulate your PR strategy. While doing so, it is important to keep the following elements in mind:
Free Placement
Slant from journalist
Creates Credibility
Only mentioned in a story
Viewed more objectively
Takes time, and no guarantees
Audience Targeting - a fundamental technique in PR is targeting a specific audience for your
planned communications. Select the appropriate audience before creating your message to
ensure you will appeal to their interests.
Press Conferences - this method allows an organization to select a specific group of journalists,
analysts, or other constituents, when communicating its position on a given topic. It is assumed
that the speaker will answer questions, following their speech.
Press Releases - providing a written statement to the media, usually communicated via newswire
to many sources. Generally, journalists quote press releases verbatim, as if they had completed
an interview. Use our Press Release Template as a guide to writing an effective press release that
capture key messages, establishes credibility, and is interesting to the reader.
Optimized Press Release - written communications posted on an Internet news portal. Be
sure to include many carefully selected keywords so that top search sites, such as Google and
Yahoo News, index your release. This medium allows you to connect with readers, rather than
just journalists.
E-newsletters - newsletters are an excellent way to keep in touch with customers and pros-
pects. By having people register online for your newsletter, you can build up your email-mar-
keting database.
Public Relations Advertising
Paid Placements
Full Creative Control
Creates Visibility
Obvious to consumers
Will run when you pay for it
Simple, if you have budget

Investor Relations - communicating with current and potential investors is another critical dimen-
sion of public relations.
Webcasts - this communication vehicle provides steaming audio and/or video content to your
audience and can be viewed on their convenience. A well-developed webcast is an excellent
method for generating leads and industry buzz.
Speaking Engagements - positioning your key executives as experts in your industry is another
effective way to add credibility to your organization. Contact industry event planners to determine
which speaking engagements would be a good fit.
Corporate Events & Sponsorships - sponsoring industry tradeshows, community events, or charity
fundraisers, demonstrates commitment to being an industry leader. Be sure to develop a policy for
this medium, to avoid under-the-radar expenditures.
Analyst Relations - many industries have analyst firms who provide objective research & advisory
services. Be sure to contact these firms to establish a relationship and communicate your competi-
tive advantages.
Selecting the Right Tools
There are many providers who offer PR Consulting; media contact databases; newswire distribu-
tion; press and video clipping; blog monitoring; webcast platforms; and other helpful PR services.
This section will help you further develop your strategy by outlining various vendor offerings.
PR Consulting - partnering with a PR Consulting firm such as Hill & Knowlton, or a local
provider, can help you with developing an effective PR process.
PR Suite Vendors - while organizations such as Vocus and PR Newswire claim to have a best-
of-breed, comprehensive PR system, many practitioners prefer to save money and piece
together vendor solutions that are well-known for their particular offerings.
Media Contact Database - if your needs necessitate a large media contact database; consider
using Bacon’s MediaSource.Contact Module.
PR Submission Engine & Tracking - PR Newswire provides an excellent press release submis-
sion engine but is more expensive than PRWeb who also offers an integrated solution with
their partner Businesswire.
Press Clipping Services - to help you monitor the coverage of your press releases, consider a
subscription to BurrellesLuce.
Video Clipping Services - to monitor your broadcast coverage, look at multivision’s Digital
Showroom 4.0.

Blog Monitoring - blogs are a rapidly growing content medium. Analyze what people are saying
about your organization with Biz360 Blogview or CyberAlert.
Webcasting - create winning online presentations with IVT, or Angelvision Technologies.
Bottom Line
Public relations, if done effectively, can be an inexpensive addition to your marketing mix. As you
develop your strategy, consider the various elements of a PR Program, learn PR Best Practices,
and select the right tools for your organization.
If you anticipate having difficulty, consider partnering with a PR agency that has relevant industry
experience. Many mid-sized organizations outsource this function, but with the right tools and
know-how, you can save money and enhance your skill set simultaneously.

Action Plan
STEP 1 - Evaluate
3 Determine
1 Evaluate
7 Deliver
8 Select
9 Monitor
10 Measure
6 Distribute
4 Build
2 Segment
5 Review
Use our Media Relations
Maturity Assessment to
measure your Media Relations
Maturity across 6 key success
drivers: Media, Awareness,
Positioning, Internal Support,
Expertise, Process, &
Relationships.
Evaluate your Media
Relations Maturity Level
Media Relations Maturity Assessment
V I E W R E S O U R C E

Action Plan
STEP 2 - Segment
3
1 Evaluate
7
8
9
10
6
4
2 Segment
5
Evaluate your target audiences,
such as customers, prospects,
partners, suppliers, etc,
and segment into relevant
sub-categories.
Segment Various Target
Audiences
Determine
Build
Review
Deliver
Distribute
Select
Monitor
Measure

Action Plan
STEP 3 - Determine
3 Determine
1
7
8
9
10
6
4
2
5
Talk to representatives
from your target audience
categories to identify where
they go for information related
to your organization and
industry.
Determine Customer
Information Sources
Evaluate
Segment
Build
Review
Deliver
Distribute
Select
Monitor
Measure

Action Plan
STEP 4 - Build
3
1
7
8
9
10
6
4 Build
2
5
Create a high-level list of
potential media outlets that
correspond to your customer
information sources.
Build Media Source List
for Each Segment
Evaluate
Segment
Determine
Review
Deliver
Distribute
Select
Monitor
Measure

Action Plan
STEP 5 - Review
3
1
7
8
9
10
6
4
2
5 Review
Look for online editions
of your media outlets to
determine which journalist
would be an appropriate
contact. Develop a
relationship with these people
as they have a large influence
over what content will be
published.
Use our Media Relations
Database to track editorial
calendar opportunities, media
coverage & contacts and to
monitor due dates.
Review Media Sources &
Identify Journalists
Evaluate
Segment
Determine
Build
Media Relations Database
Deliver
Distribute
Select
Monitor
Measure

Action Plan
STEP 6 - Distribute
3
1
7
8
9
10
6 Distribute
4
2
5
There are three traditional
distribution options: newswire,
media database, or individual
correspondence.
Most PR applications
automate the delivery
process, and can provide
substantial contacts for your
industry.
Evaluate Distribution &
Delivery Options
Evaluate
Segment
Determine
Build
Review
Deliver
Select
Monitor
Measure

Action Plan
STEP 7 - Deliver
3
1
7 Deliver
8
9
10
6
4
2
5
Avoid the end of fiscal quarters
or year-end, as many large
organizations will be flooding the
media with their results.
Don’t get your message lost in
the clutter. If you are launching a
new product or service, identify
the optimal time to send your
message, i.e. two weeks prior to
an event in a specific geographic
region.
Decide an Appropriate
Time to Deliver
Evaluate
Segment
Determine
Build
Review
Distribute
Select
Monitor
Measure

Action Plan
STEP 8 - Select
3
1
7
8 Select
9
10
6
4
2
5
Review the following section of
this report to get an understanding
of the PR tools & services
marketplace. You may also
want to consider hiring a Media
Specialist. To learn more about this
critical function, review our Media
Specialist Job Description.
Select the Right PR Tools
Evaluate
Segment
Determine
Build
Review
Deliver
Distribute
Media Specialist Job Description
Monitor
Measure

Action Plan
STEP 9 - Monitor
3
1
7
8
9 Monitor
10
6
4
2
5
Monitoring websites, blogs, or
other media outlets for mentions
is a critical step in the PR process.
There are many tools to assist
with this process, including
website/blog monitoring, press
clipping services, or video clipping
services. It is also a good idea
to monitor the activity of your
competitors.
Use our Media Coverage Analysis
Tool to keep track of the PR
spending/value ratio of your top 5
competitors.
Monitor Coverage &
Competitors Activity
Evaluate
Segment
Determine
Build
Review
Deliver
Distribute
Select
Media Coverage Analysis Tool
Measure

Action Plan
STEP 10 - Measure
3
1
7
8
9
10 Measure
6
4
2
5
The hottest topic in PR is the ability
to measure campaign results.
Evaluate the total coverage,
tonality (positive, negative, or
neutral), sources, and how your
organization compares to the
competition.
Additionally, contrast how your
efforts stack up to traditional
advertising to demonstrate cost
savings. Be sure to ask your PR
service provider how reporting
and analytics are integrated with
their solution.
Measure Results
Evaluate
Segment
Determine
Build
Review
Deliver
Distribute
Select
Monitor

Demand Metric is a marketing research and advisory firm serving a membership community
of over 100,000 marketing professionals and consultants in 75 countries.
Offering consulting playbooks, advisory services, and 500+ premium marketing tools and
templates, Demand Metric resources and expertise help the marketing community plan
more efficiently and effectively, answer the difficult questions about their work with authority
and conviction, and complete marketing projects more quickly and with greater confidence
— thus boosting the respect of the marketing team and making it easier to justify resources
the team needs to succeed.
To learn more about Demand Metric, please visit www.demandmetric.com
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Building Successful PR Campaigns

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