buzz factory - 50 proven pr tactics

8/12/2019 Buzz Factory - 50 Proven PR Tactics

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0 Proven PR Tactics


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Thank you! Were celebrating ...

Thank youto all the businesses

and marketers who have trusted

The Buzz Factory with their PR

during our first 10 years.

But as the ar!enters once said"

we#ve only $ust begun.

Together ...

%ur clients & large and small & have

already en$oyed many millions of

!ounds worth of coverage in return

for a tiny fraction of its value in

fees'

To celebrate( we#ve com!iled

selection of our favourite work)biggest successes) and su!er&

shrewd PR tactics.

*e ho!e it ins!ires you and your

colleagues to ...

+ focus on stories that your

customers would genuinely

miss if you didnt share

them!

,o en$oy some Buzz Factory PRbrain fuel to hel! ignite your

very&own slice of media su!er&

stardom.

Good luck!

Richard

Buzz Factory PRwww.thebuzzfactory.co.uk01-1 0/ -/

Buzz Factory PRwww.thebuzzfactory.co.uk01-1 0/ -/
http://www.thebuzzfactory.co.uk/http://www.thebuzzfactory.co.uk/http://www.thebuzzfactory.co.uk/http://www.thebuzzfactory.co.uk/


3/53

Recruit new staff.

This story also made an

a!!earance as the lead

national business story on

,ky ews.

This BB website coverage

also offered a valuable

reci!rocal web link &making a significant im!act

on 2% %utdoors# ,3%.

ACTION Are you

restructuring or

recruiting new staff


4/53

Reveal customer buying trends.

ewReg.com noticed anincrease in the number of

!eo!le buying !ersonal

registration !lates as

hristening gifts.

4t made a great story. 5nd

we linked it in to the

recently announced most!o!ular names.

ACTION "ho #uys from

you "hat trends can

you re$eal


5/53

ourt controversy.

This story generated a cool%& million'worth of

national co$erageon T6(

radio and here in The ,un.

othing gets you noticed

like controversy. This

hangover cure re!resented

a massive confrontation forthe anti&binge drinking

lobbyists.

5ll enhanced by a great

story about 72B scientists.

ACTION "hat

contro$ersial message

can your #usiness share


6/53

onuer a fear.

%ur client faced his fear of

heights with this bold offer.

Price matching is a

common retail strategy.

But give it a !ersonal twist

and it becomes news.

ACTION "hat (ersonal

trait will make your

story more interesting


7/53

elebrate a milestone.

*e encouraged 8ancashire

5mbulance ,ervices to

take a look through their

call records & and add

them u!.

*e were on the cus! of a

massive milestone. 5nd itwas an o!!ortunity too

good to miss.

ACTION Is your

#usiness a((roaching a

milestone


8/53

"nnounce an award.

*e#re not going to lie to youhere.

3ntering awards can be a

laborious( time&sucking and

e9!ensive !rocess.

4t#s a thankless task if you

don#t win anything.

But win: *in( and a whole

world of !ositive media

coverage awaits.

ACTION "hich industry

awards could you enter


9/53

#elebrate an award.

otice we say ;celebrate#

and not sim!ly announce.

*e devised this story when

trade and business !ress

were being bombarded by

ynami9 celebrated with

free fruit.

Fruit isn#t massive news.

But in this case different

was enough.

ACTION )ow will you

*cele#rate your ne+t

award


10/53

Reveal e$%ansion %lans.

Regional business !ress

love news about

investment.

*e recommend revealing

architect#s visuals as a

sneak !eek of the new

develo!ment.

ACTION )ow are

in$esting in your

#usiness


11/53

Warn of a missed o%%ortunity.

3uro!ean Funding can be a

confusing beast.

%ur challenge was to

sim!lify the !rocess. 5nd

regionalise the message.

*e alerted ?ualifyingbusinesses to a !otential

missed o!!ortunity( and

advised of available

assistance.

ACTION "hat missed

o((ortunities can you

hel( customers with


12/53

@ake an offer.

This offer generated ,-

co$ers at a local

restaurant.

There are other reasons

that this sim!le offer was

one of our most successful

reader !romotions ever.

>ro! us a line and we#ll

reveal all.

ACTION )ow can you

add $alue with an

e+clusi$e offer


13/53

Run a com%etition.

*e negotiated com!etition

s!ace in a regional

news!a!er to celebrate the

o!ening of a new 2%

%utdoors store.

The !erfect way to use

editorial s!ace to raiseawareness of the store

o!ening.

ACTION "hat (ri/e

could you offer in return

for editorial s(ace


14/53

&ost a 'aunch Party.

Buzz Factory event su!!ort

delivered o$er 0 local

sho((ersto e9clusive 64P

!review evenings at this

8ancashire store.

5 combination of

telemarketing( !ersonal

contact and hos!italitydelivered two events that

will live long in the memory.

ACTION "hat kind of

memora#le e$ent will

your customers lo$e


15/53

(ubmit a new website for review.

*eb Aser !ublished a

hel!ful and com!limentary

review of a 2% %utdoors

website u!date for us.

ACTION "hat new

online marketing (lans

might you share


16/53

)ffer %roducts for review.

ational news!a!er and

consumer magazines love

to! 10 reviews.

3ach magazine is different.

,ome will commission

writers. %r some will

a!!oint admin staff tosource !roducts.

But find the right !erson

and look after them( and a

whole world of media

riches awaits.

ACTION Could you offer(roducts for re$iew


17/53

Take on a challenge.

ow many hot dogs could

you eat in a minute:

This story re!resents the

!eak human endeavour.

%7 ... not really.

But record&breaking

challenges are a great way

to raise the !rofile of an

event.

ACTION "hat record

can you #reak


18/53

Reveal a key a%%ointment.

Revealing a key

a!!ointment offers a great

o!!ortunity to remind

!eo!le about how well your

business is !erforming.

ACTION "hich new#usiness roles can you

re$eal


19/53

el! a local community grou!.

*e s!otted a news!a!er

story about a local football

team having their balls

stolen.

*e arranged for our client

ewReg.com to re!lace

them( and meet the

Preston orth 3nd team at

an informal !resentation.

ACTION Is there a local

community grou( that

could use your hel(

1nthral. Influence. Thri$e.

Buzz Factory PR www.thebuzzfactory.co.uk 01-1 0/ -/


20/53

Take !art in a regular feature.

The key to generating

brilliant coverage is to

understand what your key

media titles actually want

for their readers.

The best way to do this is

to actually read the

magazine or news!a!eryou#re targeting'

ere we offered interesting

anecdotal ?uestionnaire

answers about 2%

%utdoors boss Cohn

2raham.

ACTION 2o you know

the regular features in

your target media




21/53

Reveal a near&death e9!erience.

%7. *e#re not advocating

e9treme s!ort recklessness

here.

But this serious !ersonal

event offered an

o!!ortunity to show how

our client res!onded in a

crisis to care for an in$uredem!loyee.

This a!!roach needs care.

But get the balance right

and the coverage is

!riceless'

ACTION )ow will you

res(ond in the face of

unforeseen e$ents




22/53

,eek out brilliant local stories.

*e raised the story of 2%

%utdoors# store launches

by seeking out a local

adventure hero.

Cournalists can be wary of

!romoting a national chain

store launch merely to hel!

with the commercial !ush.

But we researched the

local story that mattered

most. 5nd( then( we hung

our store launch message

on it.

ACTION "hich local

stories can you align

your #usiness with




23/53

,trike a deal.

This store launch cam!aign

had several stages. *e

were careful not to say too

much too soon( and reveal

each !iece of news one at a

time.

*e !itched stories about

seeking a new location(striking the deal


24/53

4ntroduce a new twist to an old story.

>es!ite a death&defying

crash & and several months

off work & this client#s

em!loyee went on to to!

the sales !erformance'

This story was so good they


25/53

'aunch a cam%aign.

This is a story about local

firms $oining forces and

making a stand against

disre!utable telemarketing

tactics.

ews!a!ers love conflict.

5nd the fact that

businesses were $oiningforces minimised any

!erceived commercial

advantage.

@anage an a!!ro!riate

res!onse the right way for

a com!elling story.

ACTION )ow can you

hel( customers fight a

frustration


26/53

(ave *nergy.

4nvestment in

environmentally&friendly

initiatives demonstrates

strong business values.

ACTION )ow is your

#usiness hel(ing the

en$ironment


27/53

Raise +oney for harity.

4t#s called cause&related

marketing. 5lthough sim!ly

su!!orting a charity for

commercial gain may leave

a bad taste in the mouth.

,eek out causes which have

a !ersonal connection for

you. This adds to yourstory.

>emonstrate a team

coming together. 8et !eo!le

who read your story make

their own mind u! how this

reflects on your business.

ACTION )ow can you

hel( a local charity


28/53

Reveal a new %roduct.

5ll electrical wholesalers sell

electrical goods to the

trade.

Bur Black!ool 3lectrical

Traders were uni?ue in

launching their own

bes!oke range of energy&

saving lighting.

5nd that means news.

ACTION "hat uni3ue

(lans do you ha$e for

#usiness growth


29/53

,nvite a celebrity to su%%ort the community.

ere( a car dealer invited a

s!onsored local football

manager to talk at a

meeting of a community

football league association.

4t coincided with the launch

of a new coaching initiative.

The manager was ha!!y to

hel! because he had a

natural interest in it.

ACTION "hich cele#rity

could you in$ite to hel(

the community


30/53

elebrate a birthday.

Birthdays and anniversaries

are a good o!!ortunity for a

celebration.

The news you share can

include a timely overview of

recent achievements and a

summary of future !lans.

ot forgetting a !lain

3nglish ?uote thanking

customers for their su!!ort.

ACTION )ow long is it

since your #usiness

started


31/53

elebrate a local event.

5nother great e9am!le of

how a strong image can

su!!ort a news story.

ere a restaurant

celebrated a local art

festival by cooking a Pizza

like a @ondrian !ainting.

*e love the way the

$ournalist even added a

@ondrian fact file'

ACTION "hich local

e$ents can you

cele#rate


32/53

(%onsor a local athlete.

8et#s face facts' Businesses

have no divine right to be

interesting'

5 smart move can be to

associate your business

with a local story.

2reat stories ty!icallyinvolve ordinary !eo!le

doing e9traordinary things.

ere( a car dealershi!

offers su!!ort to a

wakeboarder.

ACTION "hich localteam or s(orts (erson

can you su((ort


33/53

(%onsor a s%orting event.

Bowker @otor 2rou!

en$oyed s!onsorshi! of local

athletes during the 8ondon

%lym!ics.

The agreement included site

or community event visits

as !art of any !ersonal

s!onsorshi! agreement.

ACTION "hich national

or local e$ent might gi$e

your #usiness the right

e+(osure


34/53

)ffer a free sam%le.

4f you have the kind of

!roduct which is easy to

offer sam!les then

negotiating a free

distribution with a magazine

might fit the bill.

ere( Foosh caffeine mints

are distributed to thousandsof P gamers. They

included a full&!age of

editorial.

Remember you#ll need to

underwrite the cost of the

sam!les.

ACTION Could you offer

free sam(les


35/53

elebrate a customers story.

This customer $ust

ha!!ened to be 2wyneth

Paltrow. ,o( once she#d

agreed to take !art our $ob

was much easier.

But it#s not all about you'

Dour customers could be a

great source of stories.

,tories with the !ower to

identify with new customers

too.

ACTION "hat is uni3ue

or interesting a#out your

customers


36/53

-o something unbelievable.

5n incredible story that $ust

cannot be ignored.

This story saw us negotiate

with & and receive a ?uote

from & Ari 2eller.

@anage stories of this

nature carefully though.,ome ;unbelievable# stories

risk harming credibility.

ACTION "hat

un#elie$a#le challenge

could you set your

#usiness


37/53

reate a feature idea.

Pitching a feature idea isn#t

an e9act science.

But if you get the creativity

and timing right. 5nd if you

demonstrate a good

understanding of what

readers en$oy most about

the !ublication +

+ then you might $ust have

a double&!age s!read on

your hands.

ACTION )ow well do

you understand your key

media


38/53

Tie in to a current news story.

*hen Bez won elebrity Big

Brother( ewReg.com

offered him a !ersonalised

number !late.

5ll he needed to do was

!ersonally claim it. The

!hone call never came.

But !lenty of media

coverage did'

ACTION Are you ready

to react to current news

stories


39/53

Reveal seasonal buying o%tions.

ere ewReg.com revealed

their most e9!ensive !lates

available for hristmas.

*hist trending stories

change on an hourly basis.

@edia stories are fre?uently

seasonal. too.

Tie your services or

!roducts into a current

seasonal story.

ACTION "hat seasonal

news stories can you add

$alue to


40/53

(hare your %assion.

This story shared ,haronand Con#s !assion for !ub

food.

They also en$oyed radio

coverage about their new

online community called

3n$oy Dour @eal.

*e love this stunning

!hoto.

>iscrete branding !lus all&

too&often neglected de!th

make it really stand out.

ACTION )ow is your

#usiness sharing your

(assion


41/53

hallenge a stereoty%e.

heryl launched her own

removals com!any.

This story is uni?ue because

it challenges the usual

stereoty!es of a male&

dominated removals

business.

ACTION )ow does your

#usiness challenge the

status 3uo


42/53

(tand for something.

,arah has gone on to

become a T6 regular on

reality T6 !rogrammes.

But only by ignoring our

advice to show em!athy

with those who disagreed

with her'

5 confident confrontational

belief in your own views is

not for everyone. But ,arah

kee!s getting booked'

o we#re not advocating

confrontation( but ..

ACTION "hat does your

#usiness stand for


43/53

ollow u% on negative %ublicity.

This article in The ,tar

featured the social media

backlash to 7athryn#s

hannel Four ome >ine

*ith @e a!!earance'

7athryn#s sense of humour

was misinter!reted by

some.

5nd this article gave her

side of the story in

res!onse to the torrent of

abuse she had received.

ACTION "hat negati$e(u#licity deser$es your

side of the story to #e

heard


44/53

&ost an amnesty.

2% %utdoors hosted the

A7#s first walking boot

amnesty.

5 !ositive recycling

message accom!anied a

call to action to boost

footfall.

ACTION "hat (roducts

might your customers

swa(


45/53

*nhance a service.

,tagecoach en$oyed

regional and trade coverage

for their new route

announcement.

Take care to avoid over&

commercial announcements

and reveal a relevant

human interest conte9t.

ACTION )ow will you

im(ro$e your ser$ice


46/53

"nnounce a rallying cry.

To !romote the orth *est

4nventors# 39!o we

!ositioned innovation as

crucial to the region#s

economic recovery.

5eros!ace entre!reneur

>ennis @endoros agreed(

and su!!orted our messagewith a rallying cry.

ACTION )ow can you

mo#ilise other

#usinesses to make a

difference


47/53

Reveal a takeover.

Takeovers are great for

business !ages( local and

trade interest.

>on#t forget the im!ortance

of a!!ro!riate internal and

customer communication

too'

ACTION Are you

(lanning growth through

ac3uisition


48/53

Reveal an unusual hobby.

Peo!le buy from !eo!le.

That#s why customers like

to know what makes !eo!le

behind the business tick.

ere the @> of Princi!al

ygiene reveals his love of

!aragliding.

ACTION "hat unusual

ho##ies or (astimes can

you disclose


49/53

/an something.

8ove this story.

5 ladies hairdresser raises

money for charity by

banning any in&salon chats

about holidays.

4ns!ired by the age&old

hairdresser ?uestion" E,o(

are you going anywhere

nice for your holidays:

The ban raised hundreds of

!ounds for local charity.

5nd en$oyed news!a!er and

radio coverage.

ACTION "hat can you

#an


50/53

(u%%ort a national charity event.

ational charity events like

omic Relief and ,PortRelief are often the days

every year when every

business attem!ts to get

coverage.

,tack the odds in your

favour by su!!lying the

!ress with brilliant images

and video.

ACTION "hich charity

e$ent will you su((ort


51/53

&ost your own charity event.

5!!eal for customers and

local businesses to $oinforces in your own charity

event.

ACTION "ho could you

in$ite to su((ort a

charity e$ent


52/53

Reveal a uniue marketing initiative.

hildren of staff at this car

dealershi! were invited totake !art in a fun hristmas

video.

4t made for some great

seasonal digital content.

5nd some smashing news

coverage too.

ACTION "hat

imaginati$e marketing

initiati$es do you ha$e

u( your slee$e


53/53

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