We’ve done it again! A recent edition of the influential business magazine, BRW, has listed Publicity Queen amongst Australia’s best PR firms.
Our listing is between our esteemed colleagues at PPR and Red PR and we are pleased to be featured in such respectable and respected company.
If you are reading this, and wondering how to get such an endorsement for your business, well, I’m glad you asked. Although it can be tempting at a time when businesses are trying to keep costs down to scrimp on such ‘luxuries’ as magazine subscriptions (both in print and online) my advice to you would be to STOP and think.
The power of an endorsement from an industry or peer-rated journal is very high indeed. Why? Well, a favourable review by a peer publication lends your business genuine credibility and prestige that go far beyond the dim glow of self-promotion, and sponsored advertising. Consumers these days are well-educated and cynical by nature, and combine this with our healthy natural scepticism for ‘bragging’ (whether that is about ourselves or our business, which is also really an extension of ourselves) that Australians are known for, hence the tall poppy syndrome, and therefore are quick to activate their healthy cynicism.
So, how do you go about actually getting your business featured in a publication like BRW?
Step 1 – DON’T cancel your subscription. Peer journals like BRW and others provide invaluable insights and information, and enable you to benchmark what your competitors are doing, so that you can either replicate what they are doing well (or, do it better!) and ensure that your product offering is unique and ahead of the market.
Step 2 – Read your own peer journal CAREFULLY. Take note of who is on the editorial staff. When there is an article about a competitor or about a business or individual whom you admire, take note of who wrote it. These days, most journalists include their own personal email address or Twitter account, so TAKE NOTE and make contact with them.
Step 3 – Observe the editorial calendar of the journal, to see when these lists of providers in your field appear – then make sure you get in touch well before this list is being compiled. Those who really want to make a good impression might go further and try to meet the journalist, and buy them a coffee. Even if you are not working in the field of marketing or PR, it is in everyone’s interests to develop relationships with the media and other influential commentators in your field.
Step 4 – When your busines is actually featured in a journal or publication, write to the journalist and thank them personally. You would be surprised how rarely this happens, and as we learned from our old friend Adam Smith, who gve us the universal principle of scarcity, the rarity of a commodity increases its value. Your hand-written note will make a big impression, particularly in a world where personal, written correspondence is similarly rare, and therefore – precious.
If you do take this advice, and are featured in the media after following these steps, we would love to hear about it! Write and let us know.
Yours in PR,
Publicity Queen 