Low cost PR tips for publicity in the credit crunch

19 May 2009

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Your public relations and marketing budget can be the first to be cut back when money is in short supply. However, with your competitors also cutting back due to the financial situation, this could provide you with a perfect opportunity to get ahead and make the most of good press coverage.

Plus, you don't need to have lots of money to be able to produce effective PR. In fact it can be one of the cheapest forms of promotion available to you.

1. Press releases are the key way of letting a journalist know about your product. Keep them short and punchy and for maximum impact, focus on one product or aspect of your service. Remember, journalists get sent 100s of releases every day, so make yours as interesting as possible.

2. If the product is new, include new in the title, journalists love writing about anything new and original.

3. Make your releases relevant and timely - for any releases relevant to an event send it up to four months before the date, especially if you want to make sure you get in monthly publications. Always remember to include a reference to the day or event in the title.

4. In the light of the economy, bargains and deals for products and services are well received by journalists, again, make sure this is featured in the subject heading of any press release.

5. If you find the thought of writing your own releases daunting, post a request for a press release to be written by a professional on freelancing sites where writers will compete on price to work for you. Quotes go as low as £25 per release.

6. Make your images available to journalists. The easier it is for journalists to access high resolution images, the more coverage you will get. Either create a simple download facility on your own website, or use an online press office.

7. Once you have the release written, buy the magazines you want to appear in, look at the specific sections your product / company is relevant for and then call the editorial assistant to find out the name and contact details of the journalist who works on that section.

8. To save time collating the contact details of all of the magazines and newspapers, you can buy a database of journalists.

9. Send releases – simply send the releases via email using the contacts you have gathered yourself or use a press release distribution facility to hit as many journalists as possible.

10. Send freebies – if you have relatively low cost products or services to promote, the best way to get journalists to notice you is to send samples or offer free services. It is important however, to offer this to the right journalist.

11. To find out about the latest articles that journalists are working on, you can subscribe to 'lead alert services'. Journalists who are urgently looking for leads send alerts using these services, which registered companies can receive, giving you opportunities to appear in the press.

12. If you do have the budget for a PR agency, choose very carefully and, if possible, select one where you only pay for the coverage received. Although long term brand building exercises are important, in this economic climate, the focus is on getting high volumes of coverage to drive immediate sales.

About the author

This article was written by Nicola Snell at Press Loft, providers Low cost PR tools to help businesses carry out their own PR, including calendars, journalist databases and press release distribution software. For more information email info@pressloft.com

If you're a member of the FPB and have a business issue which you think the press might be interested in, we can often put you in touch with a journalist who might wish to cover your story.

This is another way of getting some free PR and helps to support the FPB's campaigns as well. Contact our Press and Media Officer, Phil McCabe on 01565 626019.

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Low cost PR tips for publicity in the credit crunch

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