Public Relations is a great way to get brand awareness. It is especially powerful because consumers see editorial as third-party endorsement and there is cache to being mentioned in the newspaper (versus advertising which is paid for). If you have the funds to hire a public relations agency, that is usually a great way to go, but in the event you want to do it in-house, here are some general guidelines to get you started.
Developing a Media List
With the access of the internet, developing your media list is easiest to do by researching media sources online. You will want to make sure you cover both regional and local media for newspaper, magazine, radio and television. Here are the steps:
1) Google type of media and your market area, including city and country; for example, your search for local newspapers might be “Newspaper Dubai UAE.”
2) When the publication or station appears, go to the website and search for the appropriate contact information, including phone, email, address and contact person. For print publications, the contact person will usually be “Editor”, for radio, it will usually be “Program Director” and for TV, your contact should generally be “Assignments Desk”.
3) Build a list in excel using the following table as a template:
Pitching a Story or Idea for Coverage
1) Update your list - Before spending time sending out information to your media list, it is a good idea to make sure your list is current. If it is more than six months old, it is probably wise to have someone in your restaurant call each organization and confirm that you have the correct recipient on your list.
2) Write your press release - Once your list is updated, write your release and include a digital logo on the top of the page, along with your contact information and a date with headline. See Asset Manager for the logo and Tools and Resources for sample press releases.
3) Distribute the release – Email the release to all of the people on your media list...