PR pro shares the many opportunities PR coverage can bring to small businesses.
Ruth Furman, founder of ImageWords Communications, recently appeared on the Actionable Marketer podcast.
The show, titled “The Untapped Power of PR,” was full of tips and insights about how small businesses can use PR to improve website SEO and build their brand.
“The biggest takeaway that business owners can learn from this conversation with Ruth is that expanding your presence online beyond social media is possible,” Actionable Marketer Founder Kri Edholm said. “The sooner you reach out to someone like Ruth to understand the PR and media options that are available, the quicker a larger-sized audience will learn about you.”
In the show, Furman talked about how PR outreach can be done on your own, but it can be time-consuming if you are not knowledgeable of the media. She works with a wide range of businesses and provides services per project or on a monthly retainer basis. Here are a few tips she shared for those starting out with PR.
- Before you start, make sure you have a website and some of your own digital assets, such as videos from your YouTube page. This builds credibility with the media.
- If you hire a PR pro, discuss with them the subjects you are comfortable talking about in the media. That way they can tailor pitches and press releases to your expertise.
- After you appear in the media, write a recap blog on your website with links to the media coverage.
- Share your new digital assets on social media, and don’t forget to include the tags of the station, other sources in the story and the journalist. It will expand your reach.
Above all, Furman said it’s important for people to remember that their business story and subject expertise is indeed newsworthy.
“A lot of people think ‘there’s nothing about me that people want to know,’ but there is value in your expertise. People want to know about it,” she added.
