How to squeeze short-term benefits out of long-term PR lemonade

A media relations strategy is a brand’s best friend when it comes to elevating its reputation; however, one myth about publicity is that the sales will come rolling in after each media hit. This can be true, but you shouldn’t expect it – PR, including media relations, is about the long game. One reason why a brand’s PR campaign might “fail” is that it gives up too soon.

Remember, the primary function of public relations is to enhance reputation. With reputation comes revenue over time – not the other way around (at least not most of the time!). Reputation can’t be bought and is not developed overnight, and the time that it takes to start tangibly seeing and feeling the ROI of your media relations efforts depends on several factors:

Relationships: Do you already possess industry relationships or do you need to build them first?

Brand awareness: Do people already know who you are or are you new to the game? If you’re new, it’s going to take more time to build that foundational awareness and then drive demand as a secondary call to action.

Timing: Media outlets have editorial schedules and specific lead times for stories. Even if your PR efforts are successful, it might take some time for your story or message to be published or broadcast. Sometimes stories are published months after you’ve pitched and interviewed for them!

Newsworthiness: This is different than timing. Your timing might be fine but your product could be irrelevant or not newsworthy enough. (This is why we suggest revisiting your strategy from time to time to make sure it’s working and adjust if needed!)

Competition: In a competitive market, it can take time to stand out from the crowd and have your message heard by the right people. You may need to persistently maintain your PR efforts to maintain your presence and reputation.

Consumer behavior: Remember that with PR and marketing, the work you are doing now to secure interest is equivalent to planting seeds, even with published coverage. When that consumer is ready to purchase, they need to know that you exist before and when they buy. If you’re a luxury brand, for example, that path to profit from PR is going to take much longer than a budget brand because your audience is likely purchasing less frequently in the first place.

Nevertheless, we’re human and love instant gratification, as well. In fact, at FACTEUR PR, one of the first things we do for our new clients is try to show results to them in the first 30 days. To help those results mean more and bring more short-term benefits, I want to share four small ways you can squeeze more out of your wins right now:

1. Remember that media coverage provides valuable backlinks to your website, helping elevate your search engine rankings. Once a story is live, link it on your website, too!

2. Media coverage is content – use it as such. You can impress your audience by sharing all of the great coverage you’re amassing on your Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and more.

3. Go a step further and seek out new customers with your media coverage, too. Advertise that content to prospective customers to boost visibility and credibility. Just be sure your ad has a clear CTA other than “read this article.”

4. Be proactive – go out there and secure lucrative partnerships. That could be brand partnerships or retail partnerships; either way, media coverage helps grow your credibility, making you desirable to work with in many business-related capacities.

In 2024 and beyond, building and maintaining trust will be essential for business growth and a healthy bottom line. With increasing competition and a digitally savvy consumer base, authenticity and transparency will set successful businesses apart. Set up a complimentary with us to learn more about how we can help!