A Simple Guide to Creating a PR Plan
For your PR Campaign, an overall method of strategizing the spread of information to the public through traditional & social media, community relations, partnerships, events and more is key! PR Plans take the strategy and put it on paper. It is the basis of what needs to be done and strategically outlines the entire process providing a crystal clear outlook for PR Agencies and the brands they help.
Below we’ll discuss exactly what a PR Plan is, what it consists of, why you need it and much, much more. Publicists connect with the ultimate gatekeepers, the media, to target audiences across the globe and craft newsworthy story angles to convey messages in the best possible light. These initiatives take time, thought and strategy. Having a PR plan in place will put these ideas and messages to action in an organized, strategic way, ultimately setting you up for success in the future!
What is Public Relations?
Public Relations (PR)…storytelling, building awareness and shaping a brand’s image through different forms of communication. Fun, right? As veteran publicists, we connect with the ultimate gatekeepers, our media friends, to target audiences across the globe and craft newsworthy story angles. We love what we do because it’s about promoting other entrepreneurs like ourselves and we take pride in helping businesses organically grow. We also love it because the power of PR is real! Part of its superpower is the fact that its earned communication, meaning “not paid” like advertising or sponsored content. It’s the most unbiased, honest depiction a brand can receive, making it the most credible type of coverage! Everybody wants it, but no one has control over it because it is through the eyes of the media. As publicists, we provide as much information as possible, connect the media with our clients and craft the message. But after we’ve delivered and the media personally experiences the service or tries the product, it’s their words. And that’s when the excitement & roller coaster ride begins!d
What is a PR Plan
The best PR plans serve as a guide for your overall public relations campaign. It determines your message, goals and objectives, media targets, strategies and tactics, plus an overall analysis of what a brand is looking to achieve. It’s a way for PR agencies to understand your brand better by asking questions, researching and more, which helps them decide where the business is headed or needs to go. All of this understanding allowsPR agencies to create a plan, which serves as a guidebook to the overall campaign. A working or tentative plan that is constantly evolving, but provides a path to move forward including suggestions and recommendations of strategies, tactics, methods and targets. This plan takes the many forms of “getting the word out” and plugs them into a structure that works for your business. How can anyone move forward without a clear understanding of what is needed to achieve their goals, right? Your PR plan will determine which methods will work best to communicate your brand.
Why Should I Create a PR Plan?
Top PR Agencies need to create a plan for clients, because they need to be methodical and strategic. Everything we do needs a plan, right? A well thought out plan leads to success! There are so many forms of communication to use to promote a brand and “get the message out,” that if you looked at everything at once, it’s too much. Plus, different types of communication work for different messages, so you need to look at the overall goals and objectives of a business and then decide what makes sense to implement. For example, it could be the launch of a brand. Well, that’s completely different than promoting a new product. Or perhaps you are a new business? That’s completely different than taking an existing established brand, who is looking to offer a new service. A plan keeps the Public Relations Agency on track, plus shows the client exactly what to expect and when to expect it.
How Can a PR Plan Help My Business?
A PR plan helps your business by giving it a clear path to success through organization & thoughtfully taking your needs and deciding the best practices to achieve them. Without a plan, PR agencies are not thinking specifically about what your brand needs and are just throwing a bunch of ideas out to see what sticks. This is not strategic and is a waste of time. A PR plan is a well-thought, laid out approach with your brand top of mind.
When creating a plan, PR agencies dive in to discover what makes your brand unique, ask questions, collect brand assets and gather as much information that they need to tell your story. They learn about your goals, objectives, struggles, successes and overall, what you are looking to achieve.
What is your message? What are you trying to promote? What story are you telling?
PR agencies help you determine what is newsworthy and the best approach to communicate your message. Together, agencies and brands decide which initiatives to implement & execute.
What Are Elements of a PR Plan?
The elements of a PR plan are broken down into the following:
- Analysis – A deep dive into your brand – past media exposure, successes, failures, communication platforms and an overall idea of how your business resonates with consumers.
- Goals & Objectives – By working with a PR agency, what are you hoping to achieve? Where do you see your brand in one, five or ten years? Are you opening? Relaunching? Offering a new product or service?
- Strategies & Tactics – Based on the deep dive and overall understanding of a brand’s objectives, offering a detailed run down of which forms of PR are recommended. An overall strategy and the tactics or methods to get there.
- Timeline & Execution – The plan of action broken down into months or quarters, which showcased when & where initiatives will be implemented and executed.
- Evaluation & Measurement – What an agency does to measure ROI through press placements and media metrics including circulation, audience and impression numbers.
Introduction to Bettie Bomb
Founded in 2005, Bettie Bomb is a Chicago Public Relations Agency offering a suite of services from trusted industry partners under one creative umbrella. PR, Marketing, Social Media and beyond…we work as an extension of your team, creating personalized campaigns, building awareness and telling your story when it matters most.
We are a female-owned, boutique agency specializing in all things lifestyle: food, fashion, hospitality, retail, health & wellness, medical, consumer and philanthropy. Partners Rebecca Kussmann & Laura Collins work closely with businesses & organizations to target key audiences and generate exposure all under the Bettie Bomb umbrella. Work one-on-one or have us build a team. We can be BIG and we can be small…that’s the beauty of it. Small, but mighty with the ability to grow. That’s us in a nutshell.
