So the year of 2019 is about to go by and here we are R-eflecting on all the fun openings, book launches, new businesses we supported, and clients and media we related to. PR at it’s finest but what have we learned from this year that we will bring into next? Here is our ultimate PR checklist—we are always happy to set-up a free consultation if you have more needs, wants or R-equests!
R words of advice
R words of advice for 2020 as far as public relations goes is:
- Stop sending press releases for things that are not immediate release or going to earn attention as “news.” There is a time and a place for all communication but press releases—unless it is breaking news—are a thing of the past. Customized-meets-personalized pitching is where things are headed, which means short, sweet, and to the point.
- Start investing in video—things are moving towards fewer written words, not more. I started blogging in 2010 and began doing vlogs shortly thereafter, as well as short videos that convey a message. YouTube is still going strong as an avenue to share and post videos + iPhones have made it super easy too!
- Speaking of short and sweet, keep your communications to media appropriate and short and sweet—not mass distributed. No one likes a mass email, especially someone who gets 100s of emails a day. This is one of the perks to hiring a publicist—we have ways to get the message to contacts without being pesky.
- Start posting in your social media stories NOW. General posts are moving towards a thing of the past, so have your social team post those stories and make them personal!
- Know what is a trend and what is an end! Avocado toast was so five years ago—things move particularly fast in the food and fashion worlds, so ask your PR team to help advise before making a product launch or new menu.
6. Invest in EVENT-focused outreach. Start sharing your brand with a party or collaboration. Being a solo-standing brand is becoming a thing of the past.
7. Do use professional photos in all situations. No more dark photos of parking lots—have your marketing/pr team help you put your best photo-foot forward.
8. Do sign up and/or post on Linkedin NOW. Trends revive and Linkedin is one of them, especially for B-to-B businesses.
9. Do sign up and/or start posting on Tik Tok NOW. This video streaming platform will be taking over Instagram in 2020, just you watch and see!
10. As far as social media goes, know your platform when sharing on digital media. As we say to clients, each social media channel is its own neighborhood, and not all work the same way—think art district (Instagram), up and coming (Tik Tok), hipster (Snapchat), old historic (Linkedin/Twitter), mom ‘n’ pop (Facebook). A good PR team will help you navigate this so you can maximize your efforts in all places or just focus on one neighborhood doing really well!
Onwards towards a new year and a R-fresh of your brand!
Emily + RPR
***Schedule a free discovery meeting with us today at http://www.rprfirm.com/schedule/