Tag: Public Relations

We’re already almost a month into the third quarter of 2019, and we’re launching headlong toward 2020. It’s the time of year when budgets and goals for the next year are being set. A lot of business owners set budgets and goals based on what’s current, not what is projected for next year. We have our ears to the ground, though. Here’s what we’re hearing as public relations trends for 2020 and where your time and money should be spent.

Data will increasingly become an integral part of forming campaigns and strategies. In days gone by, public relations professionals could rely on hunches. As more and more marketing, advertising, and public relations efforts go digital, though, more and more data is available. We will be able to measure a campaign’s impact more accurately and more immediately. Thus we’ll be able to make better decisions faster, and we’ll be able to construct more selective, targeted campaigns to reach more specific audiences.

Similarly, public relations pros will be integrating their strategies more with those of a company’s marketing team. The full picture of a company’s social media efforts, influencer initiatives, and digital footprint, as well as what’s going on in other marketing outlets, will need to be considered when developing content and how it’s communicated and broadcast.

There will be an increase in the demand from consumers for accurate, transparent, and authentic content. When telling a brand’s story, a PR practitioner is going to have to craft it in a way that really connects with the audience, a way that’s honest and perhaps even a bit vulnerable, to gain traction.

Socially conscious branding will continue to grow, especially with it being an election year. The role of a public relations pro in 2020 will encompass telling the stories behind this branding. This will mean communicating the importance of the causes a company supports along with why these causes are authentically ingrained in the company’s culture.

Keeping current is crucial when it comes to winning in business. When you need a team that’s not only on top of public relations trends but can also offer you full-service PR, marketing, and advertising to keep you ahead of your competition, give Asterisk Creative a shout. Our award-winning methods can take your company to the next level!

As public relations professionals, we work to get our clients coverage in a wide range of media outlets. As a result, our clients are often interviewed by reporters in order to get their stories told.

Know your audience.
Being interviewed for an industry publication is much different than being interviewed by a mass-market publication. Keep this in mind when using jargon and terms that may not be known outside of your industry.

Understand the outlet.
Talking to a reporter for a print publication allows you time to “chat.” Your words will be edited and culled as the reporter writes the article. (That’s not to say you should disrespect the reporter’s time and ramble on, though.) If you’re being interviewed on a podcast, you’ll want to be a little more succinct. There’s usually a general time limit, and as a result, you’ll want to try and help keep the editing needed to a minimum. When you’re doing a TV interview, each segment has a hard and fast time limit. Have your talking points ready and all the fat trimmed to get your story told in the bare minimum of time.

Grasp the topic of the interview.
Will you be talking about a new product? Explaining something you’re an expert in? Giving a demonstration? Once you have that information, it will be easier to cull your talking points into bits that must be said and have a little “extra” information in your pocket to add if there’s time.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the prospect of promoting your business in an interview! If you need help prepping for an interview – or help with public relations to get the interviews – give Asterisk Creative a call. Our expert public relations team can help you tell your story in an appropriate manner to the right audience!

A lot of people out there tend to confuse marketing and public relations. While they are similar and work hand-in-hand, at the end of the day, they are different. Here are a few things all business owners should know about public relations.

• Public relations is based on earned media, mentions that cannot be bought and paid for. Instead, they are garnered by your business’ reputation and the connections your public relations person or staff can make work for you.
• Public relations is not just for crisis management. Yes, having a great public relations team can help mitigate the damage should a crisis arise. But without them out there telling your story when your company is not in crisis mode, their efforts may be futile if you, your company, or any of its employees find yourself in trouble.
• Similarly, your public relations practitioner cannot force a reporter or publication to produce a story about you. We can submit press releases telling your story or news, and we can pitch your story/news to reporters and editors with whom we have a relationship. The acceptance of the story by the media, though, is not up to us.
• Public relations professionals should be able to help you find interesting angles that make your story newsworthy. Do you own a restaurant that’s helping to feed the homeless in an area where homelessness is abundant? If that homelessness situation is in the news, you have an angle. Do you own a construction company that’s sending a team to help rebuild after a natural disaster? Again, if that disaster is in the news, you have an angle. It’s noteworthy that even the quiet elements of your business can help your story be told.

Put the southeast’s premier public relations team to work for you. We love being storytellers. And above all we pride ourselves on our ability to work with our clients’ budgets to create results through a variety of public relations efforts. Contact Asterisk Creative today.