Melbourne-based public relations agency JMM Communications, has introduced a press release survey service to its online toolkit for SMEs.
The service gives small businesses handling their own PR the opportunity to have their press releases checked for effectiveness before sending them out to the media.
The press release review service complements other services on the business’s site including a do-it-yourself publicity guide and various media databases.
To better serve this new breed of small businesses opting for a DIY approach to PR, a number of agencies are beginning to offer online tools – at a cost – to help SMEs make their press releases more effective. Julie Morgan, CEO of JMM, says this approach in PR is a relatively new development in Australia.
“There is a new breed of publicist working to get the media’s attention. They don’t have degrees in PR, communications or journalism and publicity isn’t their core focus. They are small business owners – bypassing PR agencies and taking on the job themselves," says Morgan.
“An increasing number of PR professionals are responding to this trend by developing DIY PR services and tools from writing, to media training, media lists, mentoring and press release distribution."
JMM has started PRGuru.com.au to address the need.
“What we're trying to do is assist small businesses so they can really maximise their time. Like a lot of small businesses don't have the skills to do their own PR, and so they can waste a lot of time, so what we want to do is really direct them to do their own PR in a really cost-effective but fruitful way, so they actually get results.”
Morgan suggests that a business’s chances of success with their publicity are often increased with expert help.
“PR isn’t rocket science but sometimes, some expert input is all they need to get results.
Common mistakes made by small business owners trying to manage their own PR usually have to do with copywriting and delivery of press releases, explains Morgan.
“There's quite a few common mistakes, and they can be quite technical. I guess some of the ones are that the heading of their press release doesn't capture the journalist's attention. The press release might be more of a sales pitch as opposed to being written in a newsworthy way. They might be doing a scattergun appraoch with their media, sending the press release to people who are totally inappropriate, so they're wasting their time. They may be calling journalists at the wrong time of the day.”
Morgan claims PR Guru’s main purpose is to make PR more accessible and affordable for small businesses, “so that they can pick and choose the tools they need to use to promote their business when they need them.”
“A small business owner might not be able to justify spending thousands of dollars on having an agency take on their publicity work – but at an $80 price point, some professional editing and a quick turnaround service can really make a big difference in helping them produce high quality, newsworthy press releases. As they prosper and grow, they may then outsource it to traditional PR agencies, so it’s a win-win,” says Morgan.
Image credit: Thinkstock
