Public Relations Best Practices Version 1

Written by Jack Knollson | 28 December 2009

There are two kind of Public Relations: (1) statutory public communications about a corporation's actions and (2) public communication for the purpose of increasing sales of a product, product line, or business. The following list of best practices relates to the second kind of PR and is appropriate for all businesses, but especially for small businesses. Original Publication Date: January 24, 2008

1. Targeted PR is more Relevant
Press release distribution services (like PR Newswire) have their place, but rarely do they have the ROI to justify the expense for a small business. On the other hand, if you target the publications, websites, and editors that are most related to your product, you will fare much better.

2. Solve the Editor’s Problem
Write your PR to fit the “news hole” in terms of length, style, approach, etc. The more customized your release for the particular medium or publication, the more likely it is to be published. Think in terms of providing editors with exactly what they needed to finish up and go home early today.

3. Quantity Beats Quality
If you are practicing number 2 above, it really does not matter if your press release is actual news. It only matters that it came when the editor needed it. Send targeted releases frequently and the editors will use them every time they fit the need.