Simple PR Mistakes You Don’t Even Know You’re Making

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Simple PR Mistakes You Don’t Even Know You’re Making

Bryan Karas

September 10, 2018

You are the master of your domain. There is no question about your industry, company or product that you can’t answer – but…did you answer correctly?

There’s a really great article I came across that highlights the major communication mistakes startups make in PR situations – specifically interviews and speaking engagements.

The most interesting PR point I came across is once you finally do land an interview, don’t fall into the trap of “oversharing” when an interviewer asks a question. Instead, keep to your talking points and get your message across.

That interview is like landing an audition for a big time Hollywood movie. You can’t let the nerves affect your performance. Instead, own the room and know that it’s your time….

Getting the coverage…

There’s only one way to get the press’ attention…be interesting – please…

If you’re going to start pitching the press you need to have a great story. Look, writers and journalists want good content – they need good content..their job depends on it – so make their jobs easier by giving it to them.

When pitching niche, industry news it’s okay to let them know about a new product or feature but if you’re pitching national news you’ll probably have to find a way to weave your brand story into some sort of current event or controversial issue.

Poke them on Facebook. Keep the emails short. Tailor specific messages towards specific journalists. Stroke the ego. Tell a good story.

Nailing the interview…

Terra Carmichael, previously at Yahoo, Mattel, Nike and Trulia and the currently the VP of Communications at Eventbrite, spoke at the First Round’s Founders Summit.

During her session, Terra outlined the top mistakes companies make when dealing in PR…

Faking it – if you’re not funny don’t try to be. Instead, ask certain people you trust about your most outstanding quality and capitalize on that strength.
Saying too much – when you’re doing an interview and feel like you’re on a role it’s easy to sway off message. Remember to stick to your talking points.
Answering the questions – you’re not there to answer the interviewer’s questions. You’re there to get your message across.
Forgetting about your team – your team should always be number one. They will be listening to and reading every interview and article that comes out about the company. Make them proud!

PR Like a Pro: The Complete Guide to Getting Media Coverage

Getting media coverage is an art form. You need to nurture it like a newborn baby. Test different strategies to figure out what works. But in the meantime, check out this complete guide to getting media coverage for your business. This will help you get started off on the right foot.