With more than half of news stories being driven by public relations*, small businesses should be pitching to the media. If they’re not, their competitors definitely are.
There is skill involved in receiving an invitation to sit on the couch with Mel and Kochie (and it doesn’t involve making outlandish statements about mums!), but many small business owners struggle to find the time to hone these skills amongst all the other tasks they have on a daily basis.
The other option is paying a professional to do it, but that can be an expense that eats up the whole business’s marketing budget – and more!
PR consultant and small business owner Johanna Baker-Dowdell has developed the solution – a group PR program. Make Me a Star has been developed with small business owners who want to generate their own publicity in mind.
“Nobody can tell a business’s story better than the person who started it because they infuse their tale with the passion that catches the media’s attention,” Johanna explained.
“I work as a journalist and a PR consultant so I understand how the media thinks and what works. My Make Me a Star training program will teach SMEs what they need to know to generate publicity for their businesses.”
The Make Me a Star program includes six one-hour online learning sessions covering:
• Building a media contact list including print, online and broadcast
• Contacting media outlets
• Creating an editorial calendar
• Writing media pitches, press releases, articles and case studies
• Advice on drawing everything together for a complete PR strategy
Participants also receive templates, ideas and admission to a private mastermind group to share ideas with others on the program.
Make Me a Star ran over November and December 2012 and a second course will start in February 2013. Business owners who would like to join the program in its beta phase can start now. A reservation list has been started for the February course as well.
Fore more information, or to secure a spot on the Make Me a Star program visit www.strawberrycommunications.com.au/make-me-a-star
* Source: Crikey – Over half of your news is spin