Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on | 0 Comments
It may be hard to believe, but 2012 is upon us. That means if you haven’t already, you should be getting together your DIY PR campaign plans, including your monthly outreach strategy. A DIY PR campaign plan is a "do it yourself public relations campaign plan". As you may have heard Sabina say before, the true path to PR success is proper planning, and that means it’s time to “plan your work and work your plan”.
The PR journey (especially when you’re doing it without the support of a publicity team, aka DIY) requires a roadmap! Roadmaps can help you save time, and time is money. You’re a small business, therefore, wasted time and money is not something you want affecting your business in the New Year. The only way to be sure you’re not wasting either is by creating an organized plan of attack when it comes to your PR campaign. We've created a special DIY template for members to track their monthly moves in their PR Campaign. If you're not a member, read on for tips in how to use such a template, should you make one for yourself.
Using a template will give you a bird’s eye view into what your tasks will be PR-wise every month. To start it, we’re trusting you have already:
- identified who your customers/clients are
- spent some time looking at where your company was in 2011 and where you'd like it to be in 2012
- and laid out your objectives for the first quarter of 2012.
If you haven't done these things, do them first. They will steer what media outlets you will appeal to, and what kind of pitches you will craft. At that point, you are ready to use the template. Develop your own, or use the one we put together for you (if you're a Tin Shingle member). Dive into this template and begin identifying what you’ll need to get done every month, from short and long lead pitches to social media tactics. By planning these things in advance, you’ll be better able to determine how they will get done and who will be doing them. Even if the "who" is always "you," (especially if it is you) this template will help keep you on target and ensure you can create a system that allows you to accomplish your PR goals monthly.
Tips when crafting your DIY PR Campaign Plan, and working with our template:
- Calendars: Use both a company calendar and a national calendar. The national calendar would cover national holidays and special days like “National Small Business Day," etc. This will give you inspiration for what short and long lead pitches you will be creating.
- Do It Soon: Brainstorm ideas first for each month. We recommend planning out Q1 of 2012 within the second week of January.
- Strategize: After you’ve given your creative and business sides of your brain time to think, strategize and come up with ideas, jot them down and then begin to see how they fit into your monthly outreach plan.
- Don’t overdo it: Not every category has to be filled for each month. You may have a great short lead for January, but nothing relevant in February. You should focus on accommodating your needs, goals and abilities.
- Change as Needed: Remember that you can always tweak and modify your plan – you’re not married to it, but it’s a great road map!
- Get excited! Planning and organization are key parts to a successful public relations campaign, and having a clear plan will instantly lower any anxiety you have about your DIY PR Campaign plan!
The template to make your life easier and keep you moving forward is available to members only, so if you're not a member yet, zoom on over to our member benefits to see what else you get with your membership that can move your business forward.
If you are a member, this template, along with a few others, is available in your PR Center under "PR Templates". Look to the right side of the screen, and you'll see the link if you're logged in.
