Pump Up Your Internet PR

A good public relations campaign keeps its client - your company - in the news. Thatmeans your PR plan must consistently create or exploit events that make news. Here are a few"newsworthy" PR suggestions, but there's lots of room for your own creativity:

• Contests or sweepstakes. Although these kinds of events take a lot ofwork to run, they pay off handsomely in four ways. First, they make great PR opportunitiesprovided that the prize is well suited to the target audience. Second, people are usuallywilling to share personal information to participate in the contest, so you can increaseyour demographic perspective of your target market. Third, the lure of fresh names anddemographic information can bring cosponsors to your contest, who will offset your costsand allow you to cross-market your press releases. Fourth, contests draw people to yoursite that might not ordinarily come, potentially yielding higher sales during the courseof the contest.

• Product giveaways. "Free" maybe the most attention-gettingword in the English language, and editors and writers know it. So anytime you can givesomething away, use it to your benefit in your PR. You can usually find manufacturers that will trade an item for a giveaway in return for the free PR and advertising. Again, youcan use your giveway to capture demographic information. Free-PChas used this PR plan most effectively.

• Creating new and unique content. Depending on your site, you might beable to develop and post new content that will make news. News-making content includes publishing newresearch, unbiased wide-scale comparisons of products or services, or a new presentationstyle that shows the creative use of interactive technologies.

• Launch or relaunch a site. If you're planning a redesign of all orpart of your site, you can publicize it - especially if your new design includes a majortechnology innovation, you've used a high-tone designer, or you've reorganized yourcontent in a new and noteworthy way.

• Make announcements. Send a press release to your media contacts whenever you hire a new manager, form a new strategic alliance, contract a newvendor, or land a new, large client.

• Event planning. You can leverage your online PR with offline events,such as speeches, conferences, seminars, and sponsored events particular to yourindustry. Cosponsoring events with charities almost always guarantees good publicity (and can alsodeliver tax advantages).

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