OFF-MUTE 🔈
🔁 It’s not a message unless it’s repeated.
☝️You’ve heard us say this before.
📕 That’s why it’s so important to find new ways to tell – or repeat – your story (and key messages) to make it stick.
✉️ We refer to rethINK PR as a thought leadership newsletter. But really, it’s a content marketing tool that allows us to share our point of view and reinforce what our brand is all about.
💬 But we’re not here to just talk about ourselves – our goal every week is to provide actionable advice or to help you [re]think PR from a new perspective.
✨ So, whether you’re getting back into the school grind or shrugging off Summertime Sadness, this week we’re giving you some PR inspo by recapping our best 101 advice:
☑️ Fear is not the only way to capture attention. Give people hope and show them what they have to gain.
☑️ Double down on your business story. Drop the tech particulars and tell a bigger story about who you are, what you’re doing differently and why it’s solving an existing problem.
☑️ Balance what you do with how you think. PR requires you to have a POV. As our CEO Beth Monaghan likes to put it: “Manufactured ideas are easy to spot and easier to ignore.”
☑️ Treat every interview like a broadcast interview. Come into every media interview with the three points you want to make. Write them as soundbites and practice out loud, in front of a mirror. We’re not joking. Cite data and real-world examples when you can. This will make you more relevant, engaging and quotable. Pro tip: We recommend brushing up on media training 1x per year.
☑️ Timing is everything. Does your story tie into a larger trend? Why should the reader, listener or viewer care now?
☑️ Media relations is still not enough. Earned media is important, but it’s fleeting. You need to lean into content marketing on your owned channels to build your audience.
☑️ Keep it real. People want to buy from (or work for) people they like and trust. Be you online and offline.
☑️ Change is the only constant. We are living through unprecedented times. Remember, crisis management isn’t an “if” but more of a “when” thing. Without a plan, PR can only make a crisis less bad.
☑️ Relationships matter. People are craving real human connections and experiences. Spend time building a community, not just an audience.
☑️ Influence in new ways. Start a newsletter like this one. Launch a podcast. Or partner with influencers to expand your reach.
☑️ Balance speed with substance. Your launch is a one-time opportunity: don’t squander it to excitement or impatience.
☑️ Say more with less. When good messages are hard to read, people miss them. Spend time brushing up on your copywriting skills.
☑️ Quality over quantity, always. Quality is performing better than gimmicks because people are overwhelmed with volume. Focus on one hub to create new, quality content often.
☑️ Practice what you preach. Actions really do speak louder than words — your audience is watching (and judging) your every move.
☑️ Good PR cannot fix a bad product (or business model). Changing your messaging might improve brand perception but that doesn’t guarantee loyalty from your customers — adding value to their experiences or making their lives better does.