▸ Public Relations: Build a Strong Brand

Did you know that 92% of consumers trust “won” media (articles, recommendations, etc.) more than traditional advertising? (Source: Nielsen). That means the power of public relations (PR) to build a strong and credible brand!

In this step-by-step tutorial, learn how to get targeted press coverage by following a gradual approach. Thanks to PR, you will be able to:

Promote your products/services to a qualified audience 🎯
Generate more traffic and highly qualified leads 📈
Establish your reputation and Inspiring trust 🤝

Ready to exploit this lethal weapon of growth hacking? Let's go!

Why Focus on Press Relations (PR)?

Public relations (PR) are crucial to improving the visibility, credibility and conversions of your business.

Direct Impact on Conversions and SEO: PR attracts customers and boosts your SEO thanks to links from reliable sources.
Higher Performance and Longevity: 70% of professionals report a higher ROI than other channels. Press articles maintain a lasting presence, respecting the rule of 7 exhibitions required before purchase.

Investing in PR strengthens the credibility and authority of your brand, essential assets to stand out in a competitive market and promote long-term growth.

Step-by-Step Guide to Getting RPs

Convinced? Here's how to get press coverage with a well-established PR strategy.

Step 1: Target relevant journalists and influencers

It all starts with Define the right press contacts, in line with your business:

List journalists/bloggers in your sector using tools like VoxPublic, NinjaOutreach Or even Google News
Refine by selecting “mid-tier” profiles with between 3K and 5K followers on networks (good reach/accessibility ratio)
Study their favorite topics to identify the most eye-catching angle

Base de données de Journalistes — Journalist database

👉 Link to the VoxPublic page: Click here

Step 2: Write an irresistible pitch with AI

Make way for getting in touch with your target journalists!

To maximize your chances, Fine-tune a compelling pitch :

Write a personalized email in 3-4 paragraphs max, which demonstrates your knowledge of their interests
Tell me how your story is unique, impactful, in line with current events or trends
Support your words with highlights, key figures, and strong visuals
If possible, offer a gift or an exclusive experience to try to stand out.

Here is an example of a prompt for ChatGPT to help you out:

### Step 2: Write an Irresistible Pitch for Journalists #### 🎯 Purpose: Reach out to your target journalists with a powerful and personalized email to maximize your chances of media coverage. #### 📝 Instructions: 1. **Personalized introduction (1 paragraph) **: - Speak directly to the journalist using their name. - Mention a recent article or a topic of interest from the journalist to show that you have done some research. 2. **Presentation of your story (1-2 paragraphs) **: - Explain how your story is unique, impactful and in line with current news or trends. - Use highlights, key figures, and strong visuals to support your statements. 3. **Value proposition (1 paragraph) **: - Offer an exclusive gift or experience to try to attract attention and stand out. 4. **Conclusion (1 paragraph) **: - Thank the journalist for their time and attention. - Offer to discuss your initiative in more detail. - Include your contact information for easy follow-up. #### 📧 Email structure example: 1. **Introduction: ** Hello [Name of journalist], I recently read your article on [Topic or Article Title] and was particularly interested in [Specific Detail]. I think our story might also catch your attention. 2. **Presentation of your story: :** Our project [Project/Product Name] is unique because [Explain what makes your story special]. At this time when [trend/news], we believe that our initiative could have a significant impact. Here are a few highlights: - [Highlight 1] - [Highlight 2] - [Highlight 3] Additionally, our data shows that [Key Number] and [Strong Visual] support this vision. 3. **Value proposition: :** To thank you for your interest, we would love to offer you [Exclusive Gift/Experience]. This would allow you to live the experience personally and to understand the impact of our project. Thank you for your attention and look forward to discussing our initiative in more detail. Sincerely, [Your name] [Your Position] [Your Contact Information] 4. **Conclusion: :** Thank you for your attention and look forward to discussing our initiative in more detail. Sincerely, [Your name] [Your Position] [Your Contact Information]

Step 3: Find email addresses

👉 A tool like Hunter.io or Rocket Reach will allow you to automatically find their emails in a few clicks.

Step 4: Relaunch if needed

No response to your first email? Don't panic, You often have to go through it several times before getting a reaction!

Wait 3-4 business days after your first contact
Forward your initial email to recall the context, adding a new element that will arouse their curiosity
Suggest a quick 5-minute phone or video chat to create a more direct relationship

The key is to find the right balance between persistence and respect for the journalist's time.

Here is a prompt to help you refine your personalized message:

### Step 4: Relaunch if necessary #### 🎯 Purpose Relaunch a journalist in an effective way to get a reaction after a first email that went unanswered. #### 📝 Instructions #### Waiting time Wait 3-4 business days after your first email before sending a reminder. #### Background Forward your initial email to recall the context of your contact. #### Add a new item Add new information or something that will arouse their curiosity and encourage them to respond. #### Direct contact proposal Suggest a quick 5-minute phone or video chat to establish a more direct relationship. #### Balance between persistence and respect Be sure to show persistence while respecting the journalist's time. #### 📧 Example of a reminder email structure #### Object Relaunch: [Your Project/Product] - A quick exchange? #### Introduction Hello [Name of journalist], Hope you are well. I wanted to follow up on my previous email concerning [Your Project/Product]. #### Context reminder (initial email forwarded) [Forward your initial email here] #### New item Since my last message, [Add new relevant information or something that may be of interest to the journalist]. I think that could be of particular interest to you. #### Direct contact proposal I would be happy to discuss in more detail during a short 5-minute telephone or video chat. This would allow us to create a more direct relationship and explore opportunities for collaboration. #### Conclusion Thanks for your time and consideration. I look forward to your return. Sincerely, [Your name] [Your Position] [Your Contact Information]

Step 5: Activate and track your results

That's it, the long-awaited article is finally online!

The time of Make it bear fruit sounded, while accurately measuring its impact. And that's where UTMs come in.

UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules) are parameters that you add to your site's URL when you share it, to precisely identify the source of traffic. They come in this form:

yoursite.com/ page?utm_source=value&utm_medium=value&utm_campaign=value

For example, if you share your article in a newsletter, your UTM link will look like this:

yoursite.com/article- sponsorise?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news -july-2023

Likewise, by sharing on LinkedIn, you will be able to use:

yoursite.com/article- sponsorise?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=post -sponsorise&utm_campaign=campaign-rp-ete2023

Thanks to these parameters, Google Analytics will accurately categorize your visitors according to the source (newsletter, LinkedIn...), the medium (email, sponsored post...) and the associated PR campaign.

You will thus obtain very fine reports such as:

To do the right thing, apply these best practices:

Use UTMs on ALL your PR links: social networks, newsletters, media sites...
Adopt a precise and consistent nomenclature to find your way around
Capitalize on your UTM links by reusing them as soon as you share content again

By systematically using UTMs, you can easily isolate the traffic coming from each press release in Google Analytics. And thus accurately measure the scope of your PR actions.

The aim: to give maximum attention to each article to multiply its impact

To help you, consider using the tool provided by Google Analytics :

Step 6: Analyze and boost performance

To transform your PR into a real lead machine, closely follow these key metrics in Google Analytics :

Number of visits generated by each PR source (thanks to your UTMs)
Time spent and page views per visit from articles
RP visitor bounce and conversion rates
Number of leads and sales attributable to each release

By creating a dashboard dedicated to PR traffic with these indicators, you can quickly identify optimizing insights:

What are the most powerful media in terms of traffic and engagement?
What editorial angles generate the most leads and sales?
What types of offers and landing pages best match your PR audience?

Valuable lessons to refine your PR strategy and make it even more effective!

FAQs

What are the 3 UTM parameters for?

utm_source: identifies the original site (ex: lemonde.fr, newsletter, linkedin...)
utm_medium: specify the type of link (ex: article, email, sponsored post, advertising...)
utm_campaign: indicates the global PR campaign or operation (ex: RP-July-2023, interview-john-doe...)

How can I easily create tracked links?

Use the free Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder URL builder tool. Simply enter the destination URL and UTM values to get your link tracked in one click.

Show Image

Where can I find PR traffic with my UTMs in Google Analytics?

Go to the “Acquisition > Campaigns > All campaigns” menu. You will find traffic, engagement and conversion data broken down according to the utm_campaign, utm_source and utm_medium values used.

By applying this UTM tracking system to all your press coverage, you will finally be able to measure and prove the concrete impact of your PR. Enough to valorize them internally and justify new investments!

Conclusion

By applying this PR strategy rigorously and creatively, you will increase your media presence and establish your reputation sustainably.

Strengthened credibility, boosted qualified traffic, better conversion : the benefits will be multiple and lasting!

To go further, consider combining your PR with targeted guest blogging and partnerships with complementary influencers. A real virtuous circle for your reputation.

So get started, experiment and share your successes. Your brand has everything to gain! 🏆

Public Relations: Build a Strong Brand