ad agency pr tips | The Art of Telling Your Story

If you’re looking to build your ad agency’s reputation this year, here are 13 PR tips for 2013. If your agency is already doing all these things, you’re doing well PR-wise—just keep up the good work this year and make sure you maintain a consistent effort.

If you’re doing some but not all of these things, consider adding the ones you’ve not yet tried and see how, over time, they enhance your visibility and boost your new business efforts.

If your agency is not doing any of these—wow, it’s high time you started taking PR more seriously because you’re likely losing business to competitors who are engaged in these activities.

Fine tune your agency’s messages so that you can convey your expertise clearly and concisely.
Shorten your pitch. In this age where sound bites, e-mail subject lines and Twitter characters dominate, it’s vital to “do more with less” by making your pitch a quick read that immediately gets to the point.
Regularly update your media list. People come and go, and failing to keep up to speed on who is covering your industry can be costly. Resources like Bulldog Reporter and Bacon’s Media Directories not only provide the latest listings of reporters’ contact information and the industries they cover, but they also have valuable insights on each reporter’s preferred method of contact, their deadlines and pet peeves, etc.
Get to know at least one reporter who covers your niche each quarter. That’s just four people this year, which is very manageable but could have a huge payoff. Not sure where to start? Try following the reporter you’re targeting on Twitter, Facebook and/or his or her blog. Not only will you learn a lot about this reporter’s interests, but you’ll also discover opportunities to comment and interact.
Get to know at least one blogger who covers your niche each quarter. Read that person’s blog regularly, comment when you have something worthwhile to add to the conversation, and when the time is right ask for an opportunity to submit a guest post.
Utilize a new channel, such as LinkedIn Answers, to help others seeking information and to position yourself as an expert.
Subscribe to receive daily e-mail updates from Help A Reporter Out (HARO), BloggerLinkUp and RadioGuestList, and review them each day. These are free resources that bring interview opportunities to you.
Keep an eye out for opportunities to comment about what’s already in the news, such as trends or breaking news. Google Alerts can help you keep on top of news related to your niche, but you must act quickly because the media will soon be on to the next story.
When you see a story about a topic that you could have provided some great insights and commentary, rather than bemoaning the fact that you weren’t included in it, get in touch with the writer, tell him or her how much you liked the story, and then add an insight or two based on your experience. Close your note by offering to be a source for future stories related to the topic and thank the reporter for considering you down the road.
Use one or more paid online news release distribution services like PRWeb to expand your reach and generate buzz. A steady stream of news through these services will draw the attention of reporters and bloggers covering your industry, and also make it easier for prospects to find you.
Create an e-newsletter to comment on trends in the industry, and as you meet reporters and bloggers, ask if they’d like to be added to your mailing list. This keeps you front and center, and may trigger story ideas from those who read it. If nothing else, you’ll stay on their radar as a source when they do stories in your area of expertise.
Tell your agency’s story visually whenever possible. Photo sharing, infographics and visual story telling are growing at an incredible rate. This year it’s estimated that more than 90% of Internet traffic will be video based, and more than 800 million unique users visit YouTube each month. Pinterest is now one of the most popular social networks. Your prospects are there—are you?
Keep your blog current and its content top-notch. (You do have a blog, don’t you? If not, this is the year to start one.) Great content is one of the most important ways you can build a following among your