Promotional Tools

A good public relations campaign keeps its client -- your company -- in the news. That means your PR plan must consistently create or exploit events that make news. Here are a few "newsworthy" PR suggestions -- and there's still plenty of room for your own creativity:

Hold Contests or Sweepstakes

Although these kinds of events require a lot of work, they pay off handsomely in four ways. First, they make great PR opportunities provided the prize is well suited to the target audience. Second, people are usually willing to share personal information to participate in the contest, therefore enabling you to gather more demographic information on your target market. Third, the lure of fresh names and demographic information can bring co-sponsors to your contest who can offset your costs and who will allow you to cross-market your press releases. Fourth, contests draw people to your site who might not ordinarily come, potentially yielding higher sales during the course of the contest.

Offer Product Giveaways

"Free" maybe the most attention-getting word in the English language, and editors and writers know it. So whenever you can give something away, use it to your benefit in your PR plan. You can usually find manufacturers who will trade an item for a giveaway in return for the free PR and advertising. Again, you can use your giveway to capture demographic information. Free-PC.com has used this PR strategy most effectively.

Create New and Unique Content

Depending on your site, you might be able to develop and post new content that will make news. News-making content includes new research findings, unbiased wide-scale comparisons of products or services, or a new presentation style that shows the creative use of interactive technologies.

Launch or Relaunch a New Site

If you're planning a redesign of all or part of your site, you can publicize this -- particularly if your new design includes a major technology innovation, if you've used a high-tone designer, or if you've reorganized your content in a new and noteworthy way.

Make Announcements

Send a press release to your media contacts whenever you hire a new manager, form a new strategic alliance, contract a new vendor, or land a large, new client.

Plan Events

You can leverage your online PR with offline events, such as speeches, conferences, seminars, and sponsored events particular to your industry. Cosponsoring events with charities almost always guarantees good publicity -- and can also deliver tax advantages.

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