Many businesses struggle knowing where to start when it comes to their public relations strategy. With the landscape being so broad, it is no wonder you may be finding things tricky. Unfortunately, PR isn’t something you’re going to get far with on your own. Instead, it is always advisable to utilise the skillset of specialists in the field. Not only will this help make things far less time-consuming but also, more successful too.
Here at VerriBerri, we are responsible for helping our clients put together the perfect public relations strategy. We take into account each variable such as your budget, target segment and also, your company ethos. From here, we can get to work on creating an entirely bespoke package for you. By outsourcing this work to our team, you are one step closer to securing your brand the exposure it deserves.
What is PR?
Starting simple, let’s start by breaking down what public relations are.
Public relations (PR) are a way for companies to bridge the gap between themselves and their audience. In other words, build a relationship with their consumers. This is done through the use of outside sources. For instance, media relations. Further, more modern PR takes form through TV, radio or podcast appearances and also, influencer marketing. The main objective of PR is to boost your visibility and solidify your reputation.
News Hijacking
Focussing more on the traditional side of PR, there are two potential routes you can go down. These are known as ‘newsjacking’ and ‘thought leadership.’ When we use the term ‘newsjacking’ this refers to when a company takes a news story and uses it for their own benefit. This involves an individual or business spotting a relevant story and then commenting on it. This was a term coined by famous strategist, David Meerman Scott and is widely used in PR practise today. The usefulness of this technique is something that is heavily debated. Despite this, it definitely could have its place in your public relations strategy. One of the biggest benefits of newsjacking is simply that it allows you to steal the spotlight. By commenting on a popular news story, you take their invested audience and turn the attention to your brand. What’s more, the newsjacking technique allows you to show your audience that you are current. By keeping up to date with what is going on in your industry, this goes a long way in securing your credibility. Showing your knowledge on a topic will definitely make you seem more elite within your sector. This will of course have a knock-on effect, driving more traffic to your site and your social platforms.
Thought Leadership
In layman’s terms, thought leadership refers to the exact opposite of newsjacking. With this technique, it is all about being original and creating news stories about your company. In other words, topics only you can really speak on and lead conversation in.
Similar to newsjacking, thought leadership creates the opportunity for better brand recognition. With so much variety to choose from, consumers often stick to the brands they know or that are recommended to them. The more people know of your company, the more this will return in terms of popularity and sales.
Thought leadership also enables a company to humanize the brand they are promoting. By building stories around your own business, you are able to create more of a personal connection. This can go a long way in aiding your reputation and boosting your credibility. On top of this, if customers feel more connected with the brands they love, this can generate brand loyalty.
Which Is Best?
Ultimately, neither technique is a bad one however, thought leadership is definitely preferred. Whilst newsjacking can bring results instantly, the process offers little longevity. In other words, it does not offer a strong, long-term public relations strategy. It also requires a company to act quickly. Unless done in a timely manner, the entire campaign is likely to flop. Meanwhile, thought leadership shows more forward thinking and allows for wider campaigning. As specialists, we highly recommend thought leadership over newsjacking simply for this reasoning.
What You’ll Love About Us
At VerriBerri, we have years of experience when it comes to building a public relations strategy. Well over a decade, in fact. Throughout this time, we have run many a successful campaign for our clients. Through our hard work, we have achieved many accolades to prove testament to our reliability. Going above and beyond is just in our nature. Every successful business has a USP. At VerriBerri, our PR guarantee is ours. We know that before investing money, you need to be sure that what you’ll get is worth the risk. With journalists being so unreliable, you need a team who stick to their promises. As the only UK company offering this to type of security, you can be rest assured in our delivery of amazing results.
Contact the VerriBerri Team
At the core of every good marketing strategy is public relations. Without PR, many companies would struggle, especially in the current climate. Instead of holding yourselves back, why not look into developing your public relations strategy?
At VerriBerri, we’re friendly. Second to loving getting to know our clients, we enjoy watching brands flourish from our influence. If you’re passionate about seeing your company succeed, we want to hear all about it. Although unable to meet in person under these strange circumstances, we’re always keen for a chat over Zoom. For more information on our services, click here to get in touch.