Success in the public relations industry is all about getting more opportunities for your clients. It doesn’t matter whether you’re part of a firm or a consultant: you’ll be judged on the results you deliver.
Finding the ones that will give your client’s brand some traction is easier said than done. To help you with this, here are 7 strategies you can utilize to generate qualified leads for your PR clients:
1. Write and distribute a good press release
Getting solid opportunities for your client will largely revolve around a rock-solid outreach strategy. Before you can get started planning and implementing one, however, you need a solid framework/template for your press releases.
A press release is an official statement that informs media outlets about a particular issue related to your client. It’s a way for you to gain publicity and coverage while controlling the story and facts.
Press releases come in many different forms; some examples include:
- Product launch
- Events
- Partnerships
- Breaking news
- Research
- New hires
- Awards
- Crisis communications
Writing a press release is all about ensuring you include the key pieces of information that media figures expect. There’s very much a formal process/understanding here; here’s what you should include:
- An engaging headline
- A summary in bullet points
- A lead paragraph detailing who, what, when, where, and why
- 2-3 body paragraphs detailing the press release topic in-depth
- A boilerplate: includes your company/client details like contact information
Press releases can be sent in a variety of different ways. They’re typically used when dealing with media outlet figures: reporters, journalists, and producers. You can reach these individuals through various channels, like email and social media.
Another way you can get your press releases out there to the media is to use a press release distribution service. Alternatively, you could hire an experienced freelance writer, which should actually end up being a cheaper option.
2. Perform cold email outreach
Email messaging is still, to this day, the most personal and effective digital marketing channel. An individual’s inbox is there’s and there’s alone; it’s intimate, and specifically about them. Given this, it makes it an ideal way to reach out to reporters, journalists, producers, and others.
Public relations is all about connecting with the right people; an effective cold email outreach strategy can accomplish this. Finding emails can be tricky; use an email finding tool that has access to an extensive contact database.
The email pitch that you send must be appropriate; here are 3 key elements it should have:
- The hook: this is what you’re pitching to whoever you’re sending the email to. For PR for your client, this might be a news story or an upcoming event.
- The call to action: just like any email, landing page, or post on social media, there’s a specific action intended to be taken. Your email pitch is no different; it needs a CTA. As an example, this might be to review a product or ask for an interview.
- The value proposition: this is your reasoning for why they should cover the story you’ve provided them. It needs to clearly illustrate how it benefits them and their audience. A good value proposition makes it seem like you’re doing them a favor.
Each pitch you send should be personalized enough to stand out and not appear like a copy and paste. An email service provider’s important to use for this strategy: it’ll help you automate your efforts, and track your results.
3. Use LinkedIn to connect and build relationships
There are so many different social media platforms out there, but only one LinkedIn: the premier professionals network. While the others, like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok are more recreational, LinkedIn is more business-minded.
As a PR specialist, LinkedIn provides you with a way to connect with important people in your client’s industry. With a specifically targeted outreach strategy, you can identify and message key individuals, like journalists, reporters, and industry experts.
The key to success when reaching out on LinkedIn is to provide them with something they’d find valuable.
For example, if your client has created any free tools, such as Signaturely’s signature creator, share them with them. If they like it, they might just share it with their audience.
4. Message Instagram influencers
Instagram is one of, if not, the most popular image-based social media platforms around. As a strategy for PR-related lead generation, it is particularly effective; this is largely due to influencer marketing.
Influencers are essentially authority figures within a niche or industry; their opinion and expertise are trusted. This makes building a relationship with them incredibly valuable. Instagram influencers can be an individual, such as a public figure, or an actual brand.
As a PR consultant or someone in a PR team/department, Instagram influencers are super valuable. They are opportunities for your client to potentially gain exposure; influencers tend to have highly engaged followings.
Before you consider reaching out to them, ensure that you properly audit them for fake followers. There’s a lot of trickery when it comes to influencers; real engagement is what’s most important.
Once you’ve identified appropriate, high-value influencers within your client’s industry, you can reach out to them. Get creative and come out with any potential ideas that you might have; it must have some value to them. They won’t give your client exposure if it doesn’t help them.
For example, they might want to review your client’s product or service; so send them a free copy/sample.
5. Use Facebook to reach out to targets
Still to this day, Facebook is the most popularly used social media platform on Earth. Given this, it can be an incredibly valuable channel for outreach. If you’re looking for another method to generate more qualified leads for your PR clients, this is one to try.
On the Facebook platform, you can perform outreach in a multitude of different ways. You could target Business profiles of popular, respected brands in the industry.
Another angle would be to reach out to specific private profiles of targeted individuals, like influencers, reporters, and journalists.
Lastly, you could try Facebook groups; these are active communities within your client’s industry. Building a relationship with admins can get you the appropriate exposure for your PR client.
6. Get in contact with top industry bloggers
Online blogs are, in today’s digital world, considered a source of expertise and knowledge. People search for answers on search engines like Google, and end up on blogs, seeking solutions to their problems.
Reaching out to top bloggers in the industry can be a very effective strategy for getting your client more PR. These blogs can be run by individual influencers or experts, or that of an established, respected brand in the industry.
Make sure to look for bloggers with a good amount of traffic in your niche to reach the widest audience possible. Influencers who start and run successful blogs can drive a lot of targeted traffic in your niche, so make sure you use a tool like Ahrefs or Similarweb to understand the amount of PR you will get from them.
You can send a press release to these individuals if they’re an important information source. You can also proposition them for the chance to write for them if they do guest blogging. Regardless of the type of PR exposure you want for your client, blogs are a great platform.
7. Reach out to top YouTubers
If one thing’s for certain, it’s that video content is the future of digital marketing; it’s why YouTube’s so popular. As network TV’s popularity and economic influence continue to dwindle, digital online platforms have become major players.
As a PR specialist, your eyes should be keenly focused on YouTube. You can find great opportunities for your client by reaching out to top industry-related YouTubers. Plus, sponsorships are one of the top ways that YouTubers make money, so they’re very likely to respond. They’re invaluable as social media influencers, just like on other platforms.
Conclusion
In this article, we covered 7 different methods you can use to find your PR clients more qualified leads.
When it comes to success in the PR industry, it’s all about building meaningful relationships. Finding media outlets that’ll give your client’s brand the exposure it needs takes time and effort—and the right tactics.
