Easy Steps to Get More PR Citations and Boost Your Brand

July 24, 2023
1 year ago

Easy Steps to Get More PR Citations: Boost Your Brand Recognition Today!

Understanding PR Citations

Public Relations (PR) is a powerful tool that every business should use.

PR helps you get in front of your target audience. It helps you get in front of new audiences. It helps you build brand awareness and get recognition as a leader or expert in your industry.

But getting full blown articles about your brand can be really hard most of the time. Unless you’ve got absolutely outstanding information that will drive clicks and views for the journalist, getting a full story is usually going to be really tough.

Thankfully there’s another way to get great press exposure, on top publications, that help you build your brand and brand awareness – without as much difficulty.

How?

With PR citations.

They’re a key part of effective PR strategies. So, what are they? And how do they work?

What are PR Citations?

PR citations are mentions of your brand, or links back to your brand, based on your contribution in the media.

They’re like a shout-out from a friend at a party, but this party is the whole world, and the friend is a trusted news source that your target audience is reading on. They boost your brand visibility and increase your brand awareness.

In short, they’re a big deal.

And they’re one of the more common and easy ways to build your PR, build relationships with journalists and reporters, and help establish your brand as a main player in your industry.

Why are PR Citations Important?

PR citations are important because they’re little references back to your brand. They’re little “shoutouts” (as I mentioned above) that help contribute to the overall brand awareness, credibility, and even SEO value that you’re looking to build.

They enhance brand recognition and help your brand get the attention it deserves.

And you can use the citations as proof points on your website, social media, in your sales materials and more.

How Do PR Citations Work?

When a journalist or blogger mentions your brand in their content, that’s a PR citation.

If they do so without a link, this still can add a lot of value to your brand. It enhances your credibility, and gives you the ability to say that you’ve been seen in that publication.

If they cite your brand with a link this is even better – as it helps you increase your brand awareness, get SEO value, and help other media outlets see you as an expert.

Getting More PR Citations for Your Brand

In order to get great PR citations, you’ll need to reach out to journalists. A lot. This means being proactive, not reactive. You need to reach out to journalists and bloggers and not wait for them to find you.

And while one mention in a high-quality publication can be more valuable than ten mentions in lesser-known outlets, it’s important to balance out your strategy, especially when getting started. The larger publications are going to be much more difficult to secure a mention on, while smaller publications will be easier.

And if you utilize a tool like Press Jockey to monitor, manage, and respond to free or paid services that connect brands like yours to journalists and reporters (Qwoted, Help a Reporter Out, and Source Bottle are a few examples) then you’ll maximize your opportunity even more.

There are literally 1000’s of opportunities to get a citation listed every week.

Let’s look at what you’ll need to do to get started.

Crafting Newsworthy Stories

Creating engaging content is a bit like baking a cake. You need the right ingredients, in the right amounts, mixed in the right order. But what are those ingredients when it comes to building brand stories? Let’s dig in and find out!

Identifying Newsworthy Angles

First, you need a good story.

But not just any story – a newsworthy one.

What does that mean? It’s a story that catches people’s attention because it’s fresh, important, or exciting. Something that is relevant to current events, current trends, or something that people are paying attention to.

This is your “news hook for PR”.

It could be a new product launch or a significant company milestone of yours. But it will need to be newsworthy and help the journalist or reporter in their effort to drive more clicks and get attention from users.

Alternatively you can also use tools that connect journalists and business experts like you together. While you won’t control the story, you’ll be able to respond to journalists and reporters who are looking for experts to help them with their newsworthy stories.

This is also a very effective strategy when getting started, and Press Jockey can make it easy to manage.

Impactful Storytelling Techniques

But a good story isn’t enough.

You need to tell it well. This is where impactful storytelling techniques come into play.

I’d recommend using vivid language, create strong images, and make sure your story has a beginning, middle, and end. A narrative or story arc to it.  I’ve also found that it’s helpful to share elements of your brand story. What you stand for, what you offer, and why people should care.

Remember, you’re not just sharing facts – you’re painting a picture that the journalist or reporter can follow, that they can connect with, and that they can find their own story angles from.

Attracting Media Attention From Journalists, Bloggers, Podcasters and More

Finally, you need to get your story out there. This is where attracting media attention comes in.

There are really two ways to do this.

  1. Cold outreach – You’ve got to build media lists, find the right journalists and bloggers to connect with, and reach out to them. You’ve got to followup, and keep on pushing forward on getting in contact with the media. You’re looking to build long term relationships here. So push forward, but don’t be too pushy.
  2. Inbound PR – This is a better option for small business, startups, and PR professionals who are on their way up. There are services that allow journalists and reporters to post expert requests (or PR requests). These services can help you get connected with a media outlet that is already writing a great story. You provide the added insight, and voila – you’ve got a PR citation.

In the next section, we’ll talk about building strong media relationships. Because once you’ve crafted your newsworthy story, you need to make sure it gets in front of the right people. Stay tuned!

Building Strong Media Relationships

Now that you’ve got a handle on crafting compelling stories, let’s move to the next step: building strong media relationships. This is a crucial part of your PR strategy. After all, your stories need an audience, right? And that’s where journalists and bloggers come in.

Establishing Press Connections

Your first step is to establish connections with the press. Reach out to journalists and bloggers who cover your industry. Introduce your brand and share your story. Remember, it’s not just about getting your name out there. It’s about building a relationship.

Once you’ve made those initial connections, don’t let them go to waste.

Keep in touch with your media contacts. Share updates about your brand. Offer insights into your industry. Make yourself a valuable resource. This is key to nurturing journalist networks.

As your relationships grow, so can your partnerships. Collaborate with media outlets on features or interviews. Offer exclusive content. These partnerships can boost your visibility and establish you as a leader in your field.

Strengthening media bonds takes time and effort. Be responsive. Be reliable. Show appreciation for coverage. These actions build trust and rapport, strengthening your bonds with the media.

Mastering media relations isn’t a one-time task. It requires ongoing effort. Stay informed about changes in the media landscape. Adjust your approach as needed. And always, always keep the lines of communication open.

You can also take it a step further if you’d like. Attend industry events. Participate in media forums. These interactions can lead to new opportunities and stronger relationships.

Remember, reporters are people too. Get to know them. Understand their needs and challenges. Building strong reporter relationships can lead to more coverage and a better understanding of your brand.

It’s about creating partnerships that can amplify your brand and drive your success. So start reaching out, nurturing those connections, and growing your media alliances. Your brand will thank you!

Monitoring and Evaluating Your PR Efforts

After you’ve put in the hard work of crafting newsworthy stories, building strong media relationships, and leveraging social media for PR citations, it’s time to track your PR campaigns. This is essential to assess their impact on your brand recognition.

Track PR Campaigns

How do you know if your PR efforts are paying off? By using PR monitoring tools and CRM tools. These tools help you keep an eye on your outreach and communications. They can help you keep an eye out on your press releases. They show you where they’re being cited, how often, and by whom. This information helps you understand the reach of your PR efforts and the audience you will connect with.

Measure Your Website Traffic

You’ll want to keep an eye on your website traffic. You can see how your traffic is picking up, where it’s coming from and what sources are leading to the most.

If you really want to go further, you can even track which audiences lead to the most conversions for your product or service.

Don’t forget to really look at the data of what you’re doing. It’s not just enough to get your brand out there, you want to be able to monitor what’s going on with it, and how the data is telling you what’s working and what’s not working.

Public Relations Evaluation Overview

Remember, PR is not a one-time effort. It’s a continuous process of learning and adjusting. By monitoring and evaluating your PR efforts, you’re setting yourself up for long-term success. You’re ensuring your brand gets the recognition it deserves.

Avoiding Common PR Citation Mistakes

6. Avoiding Common PR Citation Mistakes

In your quest for more PR citations, it’s crucial to avoid common pitfalls that can hinder your progress. Here are some of the most frequent mistakes and how to steer clear of them:

  1. Overlooking Opportunities: Often, PR professionals are swamped with email requests from various platforms. This can lead to missing out on valuable opportunities. But there’s a way to simplify this process. A solution like Press Jockey can help you effortlessly find and filter your expert requests from platforms that you’re on (such as Qwoted, Source Bottle, and others). By helping you to monitor these platforms, find you the best matches, and even help you respond to the matches using custom pitch AI technology, Press Jockey can ensuring you never miss a chance to shine.
  2. Ineffective Pitches: Crafting a compelling pitch is an art. An ineffective pitch can be the difference between securing a citation or not. Press Jockey’s AI assistant crafts compelling pitches that get results, saving you time and increasing your success rate. Used for in-bound PR, or expert requests, this can dramatically help you respond to more pitches, faster – getting you more placements and citation opportunities for your brand.
  3. Wasting Time: Time is a valuable commodity in the PR world. Spending hours reading through emails and crafting responses can be draining. With Press Jockey, you can automate this process, freeing you up to focus on other important aspects of your job.

Press Jockey is a tool designed to make your PR citation journey smoother and more efficient. By connecting to your email and automating the press request process, it allows you to respond quickly and effectively. With 1-click to send, you’re off to the races, seizing more press opportunities with ease.

If you’re opting for cold outreach, and looking for opportunities to try and get citations by reaching out to various media outlets, journalists, and reporters – then you’ll want to use a combination of free and paid tools such as Google Sheets, Hunter to find email addresses, LinkedIn to reach out on social and more.

In conclusion, avoiding common PR citation mistakes is all about being efficient, effective, and proactive. With the right tools, like Press Jockey, you can elevate your PR game, secure more citations, and ultimately, increase your brand’s visibility.