This may or may not seem obvious to you, but the old “PR Engine” is DEAD!
Once upon a time, there were PR firms that would pitch you and your business to various news outlets, both print and TV. They would mail your product or information out to newsrooms and magazines, actively working on your behalf to get you in front of an audience. And they did it at an astronomical price.
As you can imagine, this method didn’t really work for small businesses. And in today’s world, pricing aside, print media is as good as dead anyway – so it really doesn’t work for anyone any more. But that doesn’t change the fact that your small business needs to get in front of an audience. So how do you do it?
In my opinion, the key to PR in 2024 is podcasts. Everyone you know listens to some sort of podcast, and everyone is always willing to try new ones – especially when they know someone on it! It’s an efficient way to get in front of a lot of people, and it’s very easy for people to share and get you in front of more people. So first and foremost, get on a podcast or two and talk about your niche!
Next up I would go for collabs. Collaborating with an influencer that is growing in your niche – but not at the top of their game yet – can be beneficial for both parties, because you can access each other’s audiences to increase reach. The same kind of collaboration and audience sharing can be done with other business owners that are aligned with or tangential to your business – think a hair stylist and a makeup artist, or a nutrition brand and a personal trainer.
Figuring out your way into a major news source is still worth doing (though I don’t think hiring a PR firm to do it is worth it). You can find a contact at a local morning talkshow and pitch them your business for seasonal or topical pieces. You can also use HARO, a website that allows you to be a source or quote for a reporter, thus featuring you in the news. You need to check this website often, respond quickly, and do the grunt work for this website to work for you, but an in is an in!
At the end of the day, it’s all about creating your own PR opportunities. You can schedule a webinar, workshop, or educational opportunity that you can promote – this will add value to your intended audience while giving them a low pressure way to let others know you exist. You can submit yourself to be a speaker at different events to get in front of new audiences. Create your own opportunities!
Does this take a lot of legwork? Yes. Absolutely it does. It will take some dedicated focus if that’s something you want to tackle this year. The good news is that the more legwork you do, the more eyeballs will see you, and the more your business has the opportunity to grow! You are a small business owner, you know how to create things from nothing – so use that skillset and go create some chatter about you!
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With over 15 years of experience, I've worked with countless small businesses just like yours. I can provide you with the tools and resources that will help make marketing less overwhelming.