If you’ve recently signed up for your first PR campaign and you’re not sure what to expect - it’s a good idea to set expectations for all involved.
What components make up the program?
How much time and resources will it require?
When can we expect to see results?
How can we measure results?
These are just a few of the questions you may be asking. A strategic PR program consists of many pieces, beginning with message development, proceeding through media tours, interviews, and potentially even writing articles for industry publications.
Each of these opportunities takes a different amount of time depending upon your particular goals and circumstances.
A hypothetical…
Let's use a hypothetical example to illustrate how much time a PR program might take.
An established software company, XYZ, is launching a new product so they’re going to leverage their existing relationship with their PR firm.
As they prepare to launch, XYZ executives will want to spend time with the PR firm fine tuning product messaging and practicing how to deliver that message to the media. They will also want to promote their new product to the media and decide to travel to New York monthly for media tours.
A PR program like our hypothetical above would take 3-4 days per quarter, plus additional travel time. The amount of time your PR program will take, will depend upon your needs and goals.
Which individuals from your firm would meet with the media? If you’ve got multiple people, you’ll want to include them from the start.
As you work with our team at SunStar Strategic to uncover and fine tune your messages, you want to be sure your story is told consistently no matter which member of your team is telling it.
The outcome of your public relations campaign will depend heavily upon your participation and availability, but there are a few things you can expect. There should be a big increase in the number of media mentions your firm receives in the first three months, particularly in the articles and broadcast interviews that have been identified as being relevant to your target audiences.
Depending upon how your program develops, you may be considered one of the premier thought leaders in your industry within a year.
Call us at 703-299-8390 for a free consultation to discuss how SunStar can help you get discovered in this competitive environment.