Personal branding, building your brand and generating an online presence works when you work on two-way communication. The communication between you and your brand and others around the business - whether that is your audience or external collaborators.

As you begin to plan your 2021, have a think about the engagement you can add to your business through PR opportunities and collaborations.

For the podcast and this blog, I’ll dive deeper into what this means and how you can start adding them into your strategy for 2021.

In episode 58, it is all about the plans for 2021. What do you need in your 2021 plans? Getting some PR for your business. What is this? Collaborations, engagement and publicity - but with an authentic twist. It is all about the audience and the connections!

Let us explore the world of Public Relations and business collaborations.

What is Public Relations?

Public Relations or PR is the two-way communication and promotion you have in your business. For the term Public Relations, there is no definite definition. It is all about thinking of ways you can get your brand name out there for more people to see - but to also build amazing connections for your business.

Public Relations in the entrepreneurial and online business world could look like joining podcasts, getting in the media - and everything in between. It comes down to finding the right channel and people to connect with for these opportunities.

Finding the channels and people for the PR opportunities

When loads of entrepreneurs think of collaborations or getting public relation opportunities, they mainly think, podcasts. Of course, yes joining podcasts is an amazing way to get eyes on your business, but here are some others you might want to consider:

Going live with other entrepreneurs
Guest on masterclasses or courses
Social media takeovers
Media (through press releases)

So how do you actually find these opportunities? Well, it is all about using the platforms you have access to. Search in Facebook groups, network with people on social media - it is all about being social on social media.

The next stage of “PR’ing” yourself

Okay, great - now what do you do? Well, it is all about doing what we all do best. Build connections, talk and make friends. Connect with the person you would like to collaborate with. Follow, message, whatever that looks like.

What you want to do is build some form of a relationship before you go in with a “hey I would like to join your podcast”. So make sure you try to build some form of a connection. Be conscious of this connection. Don’t know what I mean by this? Check out my podcast episode with Lee-Anne all about conscious selling.

Next, what you want to do - always when asking for a collaboration, is tell them what their audience needs from you! At the end of the day, all that person wants to do is create a better experience for their followers.

When it comes to “pitching” or asking to collaborate, do something personal. In the poddy I explain the method I use, but it goes something like this:

Intro
Tell them why you know them what they have done that you like
Talk about the collaboration
Mention why their audience could benefit
Give topic ideas
Sign up with a nice message
P.s about you and any additional information (could add something you have in common with them to build a connection)

You can do this through an email, message or a voice message.

What you need to remember

When it comes to building awareness for your brand and getting your name out there - it isn’t just about being transactional. The main goal really is to help an audience, it is about the experience of the people you are trying to help - make it about the audience.

Remember, this is also a great way to build connections with the person you are collaborating with. You can also work to help them with a collaboration with your audience. It doesn’t have to be transactional, it is all about connection building and working together.

Getting in the media

When it comes to getting media attention, the one piece of advice you need is this - make it about the story, not the promotion.

If you are planning to write a media release, a journalist or news outlet wants to know the story. You need to come up with an angle that will attract a reader's attention. If you just talk about your business and how it solves XYZ, it most likely will not be picked up.

If you make it about the problem, why it is a problem and then mention your brand or business as a possible solution to that problem. Again, you need to make it about the audience, not about your brand.

When I did work experience for a newspaper at university, the chief of staff knew I was studying Public Relations. The one thing she said to me (and it stuck with me) “If you write a press release to any journalist, please do not make it a promotion of the brand, make it about the story”.

Final thoughts

How do you feel about your 2021 strategy? Will you be trying to get some more exposure to your brand? It is a great way to do many things other than just promoting you and when done with the intent for the audience, can bring a lot of benefits to you and your business (and of course those you are trying to help).

Go podcast for podcast, live for live on Instagram and remember you can do these every month or so. Sometimes if you do too many, it can be tiring. Build on the momentum with your own content so when people find you, there is information for them to dive into!

In episode 58, it is all about the plans for 2021. What do you need in your 2021 plans? Getting some PR for your business. What is this? Collaborations, engagement and publicity - but with an authentic twist. It is all about the audience and the connections!