Planning your pr for 2015

Hitting your stride with PR isn’t rocket science but it does demand relationship building, time and constant attention, says Louise Wood of LWPR. Tune in – gathering information is the first step on the road to great PR. Identify your local media and if relevant national media too. Create a database of named contacts with email, phone, address and social media names. Include all media, including online magazines, radio stations and even local club newsletters if it’s right for your salon and target client. Research the media and keep notes of the kinds of stories they like and specialist sections such as women’s pages or a regular fashion focus. Monitor their social media feeds and see the kinds of conversations they are having and, when possible, join in! Turn them on – be proactive AND reactive. First look inside your business to find stories. Think about your services and staff and consider strengths and anything unusual. Do you have great ‘hair-up’ skills? Then talk about vintage hair and victory rolls for summer, wedding hair for spring, party hair for Christmas. Create a short press release with an eye catching title, bullet points and pictures and always include your contact details and tell them how you can help with advice, tips and make-overs. Keep a constant list of stories that you can create in that way. Then look outside your business, tap into news stories, seasons, celebrities. A Royal pregnancy? How about 10 tips on hair for pregnant readers/listeners/surfers. A celebrity hair change? Pop a ‘get the look’ description through to journalists within 24 hours. High-profile hair loss sufferer? Give your professional advice and showcase your expertise. Stand out – standing out means standing up. You need a personal relationship with the media. Call and introduce yourself, invite journalists/bloggers/DJ’s in to sample your services and share your story. Keep them close and always follow up whenever you send anything. Keep yourself top of mind with little gifts such as ‘hair product hampers’ tailored to their hair type, VIP cards and even special press event invitations. Keep on top of your social media because rest assured it’s where the media will turn when they actually need something and they want to find you. And our last piece of advice – just when you think you aren’t getting results – keep going, in PR steady wins the race!