50 Proven PR Tactics to Generate Media Coverage for Your Business

Buzz Factory PR www.thebuzzfactory.co.uk 0161 408 2648

50 Proven PR Tacticsto Generate Media Coverage

for Your Business

Thank you! We’re celebrating ...

Thank you to all the businesses and marketers who have trusted The Buzz Factory with their PR during our first 10 years.

But as the Carpenters once said: we’ve only just begun.

Together ...

Our clients - large and small - have already enjoyed many millions of pounds worth of coverage in return for a tiny fraction of its value in fees!

To celebrate, we’ve compiled selection of our favourite work; biggest successes; and super-shrewd PR tactics.

We hope it inspires you and your colleagues to ...

… focus on stories that your customers would genuinely miss if you didn’t share them!

So enjoy some Buzz Factory PR brain fuel to help ignite your very-own slice of media super-stardom.

Good luck!

Enthral. Influence. Thrive.


Make the most of this guide.



Proof it works!

Background information about the story.

A creative prompt to help with your PR.

PR Tip!

Recruit new staff.

This story also made an appearance as the lead national business story on Sky News.

This BBC website coverage also offered a valuable reciprocal web link - making a significant impact on GO Outdoors’ SEO.

ACTION: Are you restructuring or recruiting new staff?



Reveal customer buying trends.

NewReg.com noticed an increase in the number of people buying personal registration plates as Christening gifts.

It made a great story. And we linked it in to the recently announced most popular names.

ACTION: Who buys from you? What trends can you reveal?



Court controversy.

This story generated a cool £1 million-worth of national coverage on TV, radio and here in The Sun.

Nothing gets you noticed like controversy. This hangover cure represented a massive confrontation for the anti-binge drinking lobbyists.

All enhanced by a great story about KGB scientists.

ACTION: What controversial message can your business share?



Conquer a fear.

My client faced his fear of heights with this bold offer.

Price matching is a common retail strategy.

But give it a personal twist and it becomes news.

ACTION: What personal trait will make your story more interesting?



Celebrate a milestone.

We encouraged Lancashire Ambulance Services to take a look through their call records - and add them up.

We were on the cusp of a massive milestone. And it was an opportunity too good to miss.

ACTION: Is your business approaching a milestone?



Announce an award.

We’re not going to lie to you here.

Entering awards can be a laborious, time-sucking and expensive process.

It’s a thankless task if you don’t win anything.

But win? Win, and a whole world of positive media coverage awaits.

ACTION: Which industry awards could you enter?



‘Celebrate’ an award.

Notice we say ‘celebrate’ and not simply announce.

We devised this story when trade and business press were being bombarded by (and mostly ignoring) ISO announcements.

Dynamix celebrated with free fruit.

Fruit isn’t massive news. But in this case different was enough.

ACTION: How will you ‘celebrate’ your next award?



Reveal expansion plans.

Regional business press love news about investment.

We recommend revealing architect’s visuals as a sneak peek of the new development.

ACTION: How are investing in your business?



Warn of a missed opportunity.

European Funding can be a confusing beast.

Our challenge was to simplify the process. And regionalise the message.

We alerted qualifying businesses to a potential missed opportunity, and advised of available assistance.

ACTION: What missed opportunities can you help customers with?



Make an offer.

This offer generated 2,000 covers at a local restaurant.

There are other reasons that this simple offer was one of our most successful reader promotions ever.

Drop us a line and we’ll reveal all.

ACTION: How can you add value with an exclusive offer?



Run a competition.

We negotiated competition space in a regional newspaper to celebrate the opening of a new GO Outdoors store.

The perfect way to use editorial space to raise awareness of the store opening.

ACTION: What prize could you offer in return for editorial space?



Host a Launch Party.

Buzz Factory event support delivered over 600 local shoppers to exclusive VIP preview evenings at this Lancashire store.

A combination of telemarketing, personal contact and hospitality delivered two events that will live long in the memory.

ACTION: What kind of memorable event will your customers love?



Submit a new website for review.

Web User published a helpful and complimentary review of a GO Outdoors website update for us.

ACTION: What new online marketing plans might you share?



Offer products for review.

National newspaper and consumer magazines love top 10 reviews.

Each magazine is different. Some will commission writers. Or some will appoint admin staff to source products.

But find the right person and look after them, and a whole world of media riches awaits.

ACTION: Could you offer products for review?



Take on a challenge.

How many hot dogs could you eat in a minute?

This story represents the peak human endeavour.

OK ... not really.

But record-breaking challenges are a great way to raise the profile of an event.

ACTION: What record can you break?



Reveal a key appointment.

Revealing a key appointment offers a great opportunity to remind people about how well your business is performing.

ACTION: Which new business roles can you reveal?



Launch a campaign.

This is a story about local firms joining forces and making a stand against disreputable telemarketing tactics.

Newspapers love conflict. And the fact that businesses were joining forces minimised any perceived commercial advantage.

Manage an appropriate response the right way for a compelling story.

ACTION: How can you help customers fight a frustration?



Help a local community group.

We spotted a newspaper story about a local football team having their balls stolen.

We arranged for our client NewReg.com to replace them, and meet the Preston North End team at an informal presentation.

ACTION: Is there a local community group that could use your help?



Take part 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 newspaper you’re targeting!

Here we offered interesting anecdotal questionnaire answers about GO Outdoors boss John Graham.

ACTION: Do you know the regular features in your target media?



Reveal a near-death experience.

OK. We’re not advocating extreme sport recklessness here.

But this serious personal event offered an opportunity to show how our client responded in a crisis to care for an injured employee.

This approach needs care. But get the balance right and the coverage is priceless!

ACTION: How will you respond in the face of unforeseen events?



Seek out brilliant local stories.

We raised the story of GO Outdoors’ store launches by seeking out a local adventure hero.

Journalists can be wary of promoting a national chain store launch merely to help with the commercial push.

But we researched the local story that mattered most. And, then, we hung our store launch message on it.

ACTION: Which local stories can you align your business with?



Strike a deal.

This store launch campaign had several stages. We were careful not to say too much too soon, and reveal each piece of news one at a time.

We pitched stories about seeking a new location, striking the deal (opposite),revealing the launch date, a mayoral opening, and a launch party.

More opportunities to maximise coverage!

ACTION: Are you lining up a new deal for growth?



Introduce a new twist to an old story.

Despite a death-defying crash - and several months off work - this client’s employee went on to top the sales performance!

This story was so good they (virtually) used it twice.

ACTION: How has a recently-used story developed?



Save Energy.

Investment in environmentally-friendly initiatives demonstrates strong business values.

ACTION: How is your business helping the environment?



Raise Money for Charity.

It’s called cause-related marketing. Although simply supporting a charity for commercial gain may leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Seek out causes which have a personal connection for you. This adds to your story.

Demonstrate a team coming together. Let people who read your story make their own mind up how this reflects on your business.

ACTION: How can you help a local charity?



Reveal a new product.

All electrical wholesalers sell electrical goods to the trade.

Bur Blackpool Electrical Traders were unique in launching their own bespoke range of energy-saving lighting.

And that means news.

ACTION: What unique plans do you have for business growth?



Invite a celebrity to support the community.

Here, a car dealer invited a sponsored local football manager to talk at a meeting of a community football league association.

It coincided with the launch of a new coaching initiative.

The manager was happy to help because he had a natural interest in it.

ACTION: Which celebrity could you invite to help the community?



Celebrate a birthday.

Birthdays and anniversaries are a good opportunity for a celebration.

The news you share can include a timely overview of recent achievements and a summary of future plans.

Not forgetting a plain English quote thanking customers for their support.

ACTION: How long is it since your business started?



Celebrate a local event.

Another great example of how a strong image can support a news story.

Here a restaurant celebrated a local art festival by cooking a Pizza like a Mondrian painting.

We love the way the journalist even added a Mondrian fact file!

ACTION: Which local events can you celebrate?



Sponsor a local athlete.

Let’s face facts! Businesses have no divine right to be interesting!

A smart move can be to associate your business with a local story.

Great stories typically involve ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Here, a car dealership offers support to a wakeboarder.

ACTION: Which local team or sports person can you support?



Sponsor a sporting event.

Bowker Motor Group enjoyed sponsorship of local athletes during the London Olympics.

The agreement included site or community event visits as part of any personal sponsorship agreement.

ACTION: Which national or local event might give your business the right exposure?



Offer a free sample.

If you have the kind of product which is easy to offer samples then negotiating a free distribution with a magazine might fit the bill.

Here, Foosh caffeine mints are distributed to thousands of PC gamers. They included a full-page of editorial.

Remember you’ll need to underwrite the cost of the samples.

ACTION: Could you offer free samples?



Celebrate a customer’s story.

This customer just happened to be Gwyneth Paltrow. So, once she’d agreed to take part our job was much easier.

But it’s not all about you! Your customers could be a great source of stories.

Stories with the power to identify with new customers too.

ACTION: What is unique or interesting about your customers?



Do something unbelievable.

An incredible story that just cannot be ignored.

This story saw us negotiate with - and receive a quote from - Uri Geller.

Manage stories of this nature carefully though. Some ‘unbelievable’ stories risk harming credibility.

ACTION: What unbelievable challenge could you set your business?



Create a feature idea.

Pitching a feature idea isn’t an exact science.

But if you get the creativity and timing right. And if you demonstrate a good understanding of what readers enjoy most about the publication …

… then you might just have a double-page spread on your hands.

ACTION: How well do you understand your key media?



Tie in to a current news story.

When Bez won Celebrity Big Brother, NewReg.com offered him a personalised number plate.

All he needed to do was personally claim it. The phone call never came.

But plenty of media coverage did!

ACTION: Are you ready to react to current news stories?



Reveal seasonal buying options.

Here NewReg.com revealed their most expensive plates available for Christmas.

Whist trending stories change on an hourly basis. Media stories are frequently seasonal. too.

Tie your services or products into a current seasonal story.

ACTION: What seasonal news stories can you add value to?



Share your passion.

This story shared Sharon and Jon’s passion for pub food.

They also enjoyed radio coverage about their new online community called Enjoy Your Meal.

We love this stunning photo.

Discrete branding plus all-too-often neglected depth make it really stand out.

ACTION: How is your business sharing your passion?



Challenge a stereotype.

Cheryl launched her own removals company.

This story is unique because it challenges the usual stereotypes of a male-dominated removals business.

ACTION: How does your business challenge the status quo?



Stand for something.

Sarah has gone on to become a TV regular on reality TV programmes.

But only by ignoring our advice to show empathy with those who disagreed with her!

A confident confrontational belief in your own views is not for everyone. But Sarah keeps getting booked!

No we’re not advocating confrontation, but ..

ACTION: What does your business stand for?



Follow up on negative publicity.

This article in The Star featured the social media backlash to Kathryn’s Channel Four Come Dine With Me appearance!

Kathryn’s sense of humour was misinterpreted by some.

And this article gave her side of the story in response to the torrent of abuse she had received.

ACTION: What negative publicity deserves your side of the story to be heard?



Host an amnesty.

GO Outdoors hosted the UK’s first walking boot amnesty.

A positive recycling message accompanied a call to action to boost footfall.

ACTION: What products might your customers swap?



Enhance a service.

Stagecoach enjoyed regional and trade coverage for their new route announcement.

Take care to avoid over-commercial announcements and reveal a relevant human interest context.

ACTION: How will you improve your service?



Announce a rallying cry.

To promote the North West Inventors’ Expo we positioned innovation as crucial to the region’s economic recovery.

Aerospace entrepreneur Dennis Mendoros agreed, and supported our message with a rallying cry.

ACTION: How can you mobilise other businesses to make a difference?



Reveal a takeover.

Takeovers are great for business pages, local and trade interest.

Don’t forget the importance of appropriate internal and customer communication too!

ACTION: Are you planning growth through acquisition?



Reveal an unusual hobby.

People buy from people. That’s why customers like to know what makes people behind the business tick.

Here the MD of Principal Hygiene reveals his love of paragliding.

ACTION: What unusual hobbies or pastimes can you disclose?



Ban something.

Love this story.

A ladies hairdresser raises money for charity by banning any in-salon chats about holidays.

Inspired by the age-old hairdresser question: “So, are you going anywhere nice for your holidays?”

The ban raised hundreds of pounds for local charity. And enjoyed newspaper and radio coverage.

ACTION: What can you ban?



Support a national charity event.

National charity events like Comic Relief and SPort Relief are often the days every year when every business attempts to get coverage.

Stack the odds in your favour by supplying the press with brilliant images and video.

ACTION: Which charity event will you support?



Host your own charity event.

Appeal for customers and local businesses to join forces in your own charity event.

ACTION: Who could you invite to support a charity event?



Reveal a unique marketing initiative.

Children of staff at this car dealership were invited to take part in a fun Christmas video.

It made for some great seasonal digital content. And some smashing news coverage too.

ACTION: What imaginative marketing initiatives do you have up your sleeve?



Will your business be next?


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50 Proven PR Tactics to Generate Media Coverage for Your Business