media update’s Nakedi Phala takes you through four of the reasons why using PR can actually save you money.
While advertising and marketing tools generally require a lot of money in order to get your business out there in the public domain, PR is a cheaper alternative, and sometimes, it is a
free tool that you can use.
Here are three reasons why PR is the more cost-effective option:
1. PR is earned, not paid
One of the main objectives of PR is to try and convince a third party, such as a journalist, to share news or report favourably about your brand, business or service.
Being able to win over journalists as a third party endorsement means you don’t have to put up more marketing and advertising campaigns to sell your product or service.
PR is like the military: you want medals? You’ve got to
earn them. Read and follow journalists’ content that falls within your industry or trade; read their content on a regular basis, even if it isn’t about your brand — as long as it is related to your brand’s products or services.
Journalists are not just writers, they are also there to inform and educate readers. So making comments on their content will give them an idea of how their writing is impacting your brand or business.
To better the relationship, make sure that your commentary is thought-provoking and that it encourages others to engage with that particular content. This will make you stand out from the rest, and the journalist that wrote the content will be more likely to remember you.
Don’t forget to stay in touch. Be consistent with your communication; even if your press releases don’t get published, be patient and focus on building good relations with journalists
and consumers. As time progresses, your brand will soon start to earn its medals.
2. PR can help you achieve your goals
One of your objectives as a business is to promote goodwill (
corporate social investment), by building positive rapport with communities in which you trade.
For example, if you make it your business to attend charity events or community activities, there’s bound to be reporters around. Be open to doing an interview with a number of journalists to ensure that your content is published by more than one media house in order to reach a bigger audience.
Engaging with people that consume your brand on a social basis is a good way of building loyal relationships. And, in this regard, you are raising awareness of your brand or services.
3. PR content has credibility
Adverts are not always successful, as some consumers don’t believe them. Or, at times, the message in the advert is not persuasive enough to convince consumers, while a PR message shared by a reliable third party is most likely to be persuasive.
PR can be considered as free advertising depending on how you use it. This is because the content isn’t about trying to sell something, but rather, about creating awareness.
Do you think PR is a good, cost-effective way for businesses to get their message across? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below.
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*Image courtesy of
Vecteezy