3…2…1…Liftoff: The launch of a PR campaign
By Jeff Ballif, Intern (@jeffballif)
As I begin my second month of interning at Fusion, I reflect upon what I’ve learned over the last few weeks. One of the most frequent tasks I have been given is to participate in the pitching process.
Before executing any public relations strategies you have to sign the client, which is where the pitching comes in. In order to get a company to sign up with your agency, you have to impress its executives with a creative plan for their company.
When organizing a pitch, you truly have to get to know the company. A good deal of research goes into preparing a campaign, including research on the prospective client’s competitors, the company’s recent media coverage, and its current and past public relations strategies. Once you size up the potential client, you can better tailor a strategy to its needs.
When planning the campaign, it’s important to plan around the weaknesses of the company’s current PR strategies; show the company’s execs something that they’ve never seen before. A company’s weakness in social media can become a strong point in your strategy. If the current PR plan already entails a powerful media outreach, look for ways to build upon and improve those efforts.
After you have thoroughly examined a prospective client and created a strategy based on that company’s needs, you’re ready to pitch your ideas for a successful PR campaign. Once you present your well-planned strategy and win the clients over, you can move on to the next part of the campaign: The Kick-off Meeting
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