How To Help Your Client's PR Campaign Move With The Times - 10 Yetis Insight Blog

I’ve worked in the exciting world of PR - if you take into account my four year degree and placements/internships - for almost 8 years now (omg, how am I that old though?).

Whilst I’d like to think that the number of clients I’ve been lucky enough to work with during this time has given me enough experience to be able to know the complete ins and outs of the industry, there are ALWAYS new tactics and approaches to take when it comes to generating the best possible level of coverage and exposure for our clients.

Bearing that point in mind, here are just a selection of the methods used by myself and my fellow PR Yetis in order to help clients utilise the unpredictable ways of modern life and the moving times.

Calendar Dates + Awareness Days

Toast, jumble sales, the times table; the list goes on. All you need to do in Google ‘national XXXX week’ and chances are there is an entire day, week or month dedicated to even the most obscure of topics. This can be a PRs dream for clients that are happy for you to intertwine a national day with anything that directly correlates with their service or product.

For example, we work with a chocolate company here at 10 Yetis, so as well as ensuring we schedule activity for the client to coincide with the obvious (e.g. Easter weekend/National Chocolate Week) we also like to think outside the box and create angles and stories for the client that can tie in with Diabetes Awareness Week (as the company produces diabetic-friendly chocolate) and European SME Week (as the client is a small business.)

Piggybacking on the News Agenda

This couldn’t be more relevant, particularly with the current political climate both here and across the pond. By keeping a close eye on the developments taking places in the news, you can ensure that new campaign ideas for clients are fresh, engaging and likely to entice journalists into running them within relevant features.

Keeping on top of news sectors relevant to your client’s industry is key for piggybacking. For example, for our clients that operate within the betting sector, we make sure we keep an eye on large jackpots across the world that are yet to be won, in order to target our outreach to the publications and journalists that are already writing up stories on these subjects.

Breaking News Reactives

Similar to piggybacking on the general news agenda, it’s also vital for some PRs to keep abreast with breaking news as it happens, in order to utilise any media-trained spokespeople that their clients have who might be able to appear on live TV/Radio and discuss news events whilst promoting their brand.

You don’t want your client to have to come to you with the opportunity before you see it yourself, so it’s always a good idea to keep the Sky or BBC news channels on in the background of your office so you can contact them immediately if any breaking news occurs that could be commented on. If this isn’t possible, then listening to the radio in your office or ensuring you keep news websites open on your devices to regularly check throughout the day is a good idea.

Celebrity + Entertainment News

You will be surprised exactly how much Beyonce announcing her pregnancy, or Brad and Angelina going public with the news of their impending divorce, will have a huge effect on the news agenda and the kinds of journalist requests us PRs get through, from even the most unlikely of industry press. If a news story breaking in the showbiz world is impactful enough, there is no end to the potential coverage your clients could be generating as a result. For example, if an A-list couple decides to invest in property or travels abroad to a fairly unusual country, we ensure that we outreach to travel press offering features on ‘The top 10 beaches/restaurants/hotels etc’ to visit within the destination.

Social Media Monitoring

As avid Twitter users, it’s almost second nature for us Yetis to check our timelines for updates on breaking or ongoing news stories, and it should be considered an invaluable resource for any PR looking to keep up to date with the ever-changing media agenda.

Be sure to monitor hashtags relevant to each of your clients in order for whoever looks in charge of the social platforms to create content that aligns with the brand and can encourage increased engagement levels and follower numbers. We work with a well-known sauce brand and often share posts and content on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram that piggyback on trending topics and news.

Hopefully these few ideas will have given you a little more inspiration when it comes to injecting some creative ideas into your client’s campaigns, but remember there are always new ways we are discovering how best to approach outreach, so be sure to keep visiting our blog for updates and new discoveries!