Whether you elect to use an external agency or decide to retain PR in house, it is vital to do your research. Consider your target market(s). What media do they read, watch and listen to? Do not dare to assume their tastes – you can make educated guesses, but taking time to get facts, figures and actual feedback from existing clients will always be worthwhile.

Newspapers, magazines, journals, TV and radio stations, whether small and local or large and national/international, should be able to give you a breakdown of readership and circulation by numbers and demographics. Furthermore, if it’s printed material, get hold of a copy/copies. If you contact the advertising departments and ask for a media pack, it should include all of the above.

Don’t be enticed by the offer of an advert with some editorial – you are still paying for coverage! As Valerie Merrill, Managing Director of Merrill Consultants Ltd, reports: “We did an Institute of Directors flyer which got PR people talking, but no business. And our local Chamber of Commerce magazine did a whole page on us, but we got nothing from it. I guess what I’m saying is it was too little and too spasmodic.”

If you have something worthwhile to say, it will receive space or airtime. One way of encouraging the media to publish your story is to have a link with a charity or community cause. A word of caution: make sure it’s a genuine link, and not fabricated for convenience.

Choose media that reach your target audience and are therefore most likely to give you coverage.

  • Ask your customers what they read, hear and watch.
  • Use directories such as BRAD, Hollis or Willings Press Guide to find details of publications in your area.
  • Research publications and broadcasts to find out what kinds of stories they cover.
  • Request an advance features schedule.
  • It is always easier to get exposure in local newspapers and specialist magazines than in the national press.
  • But do not be afraid to approach the nationals, if your story is strong enough.

A fundamental technique used in public relations is to identify the target audience and to tailor messages to be relevant to each audience. Sometimes the interests of differing audiences and stakeholders common to a public relations effort necessitate the creation of several distinct but complementary messages. These messages however should be relevant to each other, thus creating a consistency to the overall message and theme. Audience targeting tactics are important for public relations practitioners because they face all kinds of problems: low visibility, lack of public understanding, opposition from critics and insufficient support from funding sources.

On the other hand, stakeholder theory identifies people who have a stake in a given institution or issue. All audiences are stakeholders (or presumptive stakeholders), but not all stakeholders are audiences. For example, if a charity commissions a public relations agency to create an advertising campaign to raise money to find a cure for a disease, the charity and the people with the disease are stakeholders, but the audience is anyone who is likely to donate money. Public relations experts possess deep skills in media relations, market positioning and branding. They are powerful agents that help clients deliver clear, unambiguous information to a target audience that matters to them.