Public Relations

Public Relations (PR) is defined as managing the flow of information between an organization and its public. In other words, your company can create exposure to your intended audience using topics or information of public interest that you do not have to directly pay for, such as you would an advertisement.

For example, when your company or an employee on your team achieves certification in a particular area of expertise, you should send this information to local media outlets – print or online.

There is typically no direct charge for this. It is simply a statement of achievement in your company that benefits current and future clients. Because it isn’t a paid announcement and is placed in a third party publication, its credibility is increased dramatically. PR can be done many ways. You need to actively seek it to achieve it. Toot your own horn when relevant news occurs.

What's are Important When You Deal With The Press?

When you're dealing with the press there are two important things to remember. First, always be honest.

If an editor asks you a question that you can't answer, don't make something up. Tell the editor that you're not sure, but will check immediately with one of your technical experts (or whoever is appropriate); the editor will respect your honesty. Then get back to the editor immediately. There's nothing worse than leaving an editor waiting; it causes bad feelings and could result in negative press.

Second, post all news releases to your Web site. As an editor for several technical journals, I can tell you that I and many of my colleagues gather most of our information for articles from the Internet.

If a company doesn't have its PR online, there's a good chance it will be left out of the article. Remember, keep your site current!

There are hundreds of free online services to distribute your PR. Also, many paid services such as prweb.com, prnewswire.com and eReleases.com to name a few.

Budget: $250 - $600