This is my personal view of what constitutes the backbone of Public Relations. At the end of this page you will find a list of projects and features that I am currently working on. I am avaliable for any writing project and by reading this page you may find that it may give you a starting point to explore the possibilities of begining your own PR campaign. The following paragraphs may help show how PR can benefit your company, even if you are a small outfit or self-employed - and need just as much, if not more, publicity.
There are some standard misconceptions about Public Relations that need to be corrected.
What you may find commonplace and and of no account, others may find fascinating. All businesses have news and events happening all the time that someone, somewhere may want to know about.
You don't have to pay high fees to get effective PR
PR is not just for the rich and famous but for the small and ordinary too.
The object of Public Relations is to create a favourable impression of a business. Just as we all desire affection, understanding and respect, so the effect of good PR can create that atmosphere about a company. PR can make a company seem bigger and more productive by creating a positive approach.
Regional papers, radio and TV thrive on local news. Their audience want to know about what is happening in their neck of the woods. News and information about businesses, organisations and clubs operating in their own area is more important than the national news fed to local media from outside agencies. Local papers especially have plenty of newspages to fill with local news and if you can supply them with events happening in their own backyard, you will be their best friend.
No opportunity should be lost to put your company's name before the people that matter - customers, and to a equal and forgotten extent, your own staff. The stuff of local news can be summed up in four letters:
This is just a brief example of how these can be put to good use in the media
Employee wins an award
Employee wins promotion, long service, appointed to staff.
Employee actively involved with charity
New/ increased recruitment drive
New product launched
Used/ recommended by a famous/local personality
100th/1000th/1miilionth product/service/contract passed
New design./package
New factory/site/branch/shop opened
Out of date site closed
Company relocates
New/ bigger distributorship
Quarterly/ half yearly/ annual profits/results
New investor stake
Price cut
Contribution to charity
You will see from the above that there are many ways, most occurring in the normal run of business that your name can be brought to the attention of those who matter most, the public - the people who buy from you, your customers. There is no guarantee that the editor will print your PR Release but if it is relevant to his audience, is well written and is about things happening in his own catchment area it is a good chance that he will.
Please contact me at my e.mail address initially and we can discuss the ways of helping you secure a wider audience for your company, business, organisation, church, club, school or whatever you are involved in that you believe ought to be known about by a wider audience.
It is as important to your staff to be aware as to what your organisation is considering, planning or achieving as it is to those in the company who are carrying plans through.
The attitude of senior management is one critical factor in a company's success or failure - as much as it is conveyed to all other staff at whatever level, from boardroom to canteen.
Goodwill does not apply solely to your product - the company is not necessarily judged by those at the top of the pyramid; the first person you see in a shop is the sales assistant. Information about company events can help to prevent the alienation of staff often physically removed from Head Office and assist in promoting corporate awareness.
Staff want to know what is going on in the organisation they work for. A casual look in the daily newspapers will show how bad news sells. It is better to correctly inform those involved with the running of your business than allow gossip, rumour and speculation to fester and eventually becoming the real news.
People like to know what is happening to other people, promotions, office moves, appointments, retirements - it is as BT often tells us, good to keep in touch. It is all part of feeling as if you are part of the whole, involved in things, rather than just an employee.
A newsletter does not have to be an eight page experience with glossy paper and full colour photographs - a simple four page A4 sheet keeping staff up to date with events, regularly issued with news, comments and own contributions is a good starting point.
Please e.mail me initially and we can discuss how best to turn your company news into a piece of bright, informed information.
An acquaintance of mine was putting his early retirement to good use by researching and writing his family history. When I mentioned that this was something I'd really like to do he told me to do it now! Before all those far-flung relations were no longer around to fill in the gaps and recount their childhood experiences.
My own Theatre Company was eagerly looking forward to its centenary celebrations when it was discovered that it had actually been running for 113 years. An opportunity missed by previous members and a dampener to those present ones.
So it is with companies. It is far better to start preparing a formal history now, even if you consider yourself a fledgling enterprise, for when the time comes to put all the backbreaking setting up operations on to paper there will be no-one around who can remember the details. It is a good thing to celebrate 25 years, 50 years or even 100 years in business and an excellent PR opportunity, but when it comes to the actual day who will be able to provide the necessary historical background when the local press come to call.
Company histories are a source of interest to present and past staff, not to mention a generation of social and local historians and schoolchildren. They provide an excellent couple of paragraphs to accompany sales and promotional literature. Knowing and presenting the company history gives a company not a little prestige and the appearance of sound foundations.
Please e.mail me intitially to discuss whether I might be able to assist in presenting archive material in an interesting and informative way.
A history of the Bedford Music Hall in Camden High Street, North London
A biography of George Bradshaw, who gave his name to the Victorian timetable
A non-fiction book for children aiming at giving them the outline to compose short stories
A crime novel in which the dead bodies seem to have not just many aliases but different jobs as well.
Clicking on the banner takes you to my Home Page where you can find details of my International Trade consultancy, novelty greetings cards and Hidden Britain, an off-beat tourist guide in search of a publisher.