A public relations effort is one of the best ways to build your firm’s brand as well as to gain thought leadership status for your partners and firm owners. Here’s a few steps, tips, and apps that can get your PR launch off to a great start.
Develop a Press List
Once you’ve decided where you want to gain attention, have an admin research relevant news sites, publications, and blogs. For example, if you want to build your name in Dallas, TX, you’ll want to know reporters, editors, and bloggers at the Dallas Morning News and Dallas Business Journal. Depending on your niches or services, you can dig deeper to find publications on those areas.
Add these names to a special press list in your list management software (such as Constant Contact). When you have news or an article to share, you can email the list. (You can also send merger and partner-level staff news to editor@cpapracticeadvisor.com.)
Add a Press Page to Your Website
Have you been mentioned in articles already? Have you authored articles that have been published? If so, list them on a press page on your website. At the top of this page, be sure to list contact information on how you can be reached for comments.
Make News
Partnerships, new hires and promotions, charity work, and new services are things that can easily be put in a traditional press release and distributed to numerous places. You never know when something as little as a firm mention of a C-level change can trigger a call from a large client for more work.
Use one or more of these cost-effective apps to distribute your news:
- http://www.prweb.com/
- http://www.prnewswire.com/
- https://www.newswire.com/
Get Coached
There is a whole world of rules we don’t learn in Accounting 101 about how to be interviewed. For example, a TV interviewer prefers 10-second sound bites and a radio interviewer likes 30-second sound bites. To bring your best game, you may want to consider a media coach.
Share Expertise
When Prince recently died without a will, it was a huge opportunity for estate tax experts to speculate about what would happen. When the latest celebrity is caught owing big taxes to the IRS, it’s a perfect chance for a tax expert to make a comment about what went wrong. Pay attention locally to what’s happening so you can offer to give your expertise on a recent news event.
Be Available
Reporters have extremely tight deadlines. They appreciate an expert who can call them back immediately and produce a good sound bite. You may need to give up your cell phone number in order to capitalize on these opportunities.
Try these tips when you’re ready to venture into public relations to build your brand and thought leadership.
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Tags: Firm Management
