The Power of Public Relations for Small Businesses: Building Visibility, Trust & Growth

What do you do after launching your business? You may have your website, social media, email marketing, and other elements of your marketing strategy in place—if you’ve done your homework, that is! But how do you get a large audience to recognize and validate your brand? 

This is where small business public relations plays a pivotal role!

You already have countless challenges as an entrepreneur, including limited budgets, fierce competition, and the daunting task of standing out in a crowded market. Media coverage is essential to generate awareness and interest in your business so you can rise above the noise.

Yep, you read that right! PR can work its magic for solopreneurs and small businesses as much as it does for big corporations. Keep reading to learn why it’s crucial for growing your brand, common misconceptions, and guidelines for effective small business PR.

What Does Public Relations Entail?

So, what is public relations, exactly? 

At its core, PR encompasses the strategic communication management between a brand and its audience. This means more than just promoting products or services! PR cultivates your brand’s reputation, shapes its narrative, and establishes a compelling presence in the market. PR tactics can include:

• Media coverage: Pitching to digital, print, TV, podcasts, and radio outlets for pieces like articles, interviews, and features

• Influencer marketing: Partnering with relevant influencers to expand your reach

• Events: Hosting networking, experiential, and community/charitable events

• Speaking: Seeking speaking opportunities at conferences and networking events

…and many other creative and cost-effective methods to increase your exposure and build your credibility in your field. 

True or False: PR is…

Too expensive for solopreneurs and small business owners

Actually, PR is one of the fastest and most affordable ways to build your brand reputation and position you as an authority in your industry. Media coverage is often free or low-cost, yet one piece can create visibility in front of potentially massive audiences. Not to mention, you can use it for years to come!

PR is much cheaper than paid online ads via Meta or Google—after all, media isn’t paid for, it’s earned! In fact, Meltwater found that 42% of PR professionals expect the most significant revenue growth from earned media, while only 10% anticipate growth from paid media. 

Your biggest investment when it comes to PR will be your time. But vital tasks like researching outlets and journalists, personalizing your pitches, and creating a media kit are worth the effort!

Solely effective for big, well-known companies

Nope! You don’t have to be a huge corporation. You don’t have to appear on major networks like ABC or CNN or in famous publications like The New York Times! It’s about finding what works well for your brand and setting realistic goals. Every small business's PR strategy and success look different.

Only to garner local coverage

Another myth! PR doesn’t only include local coverage but also online publications with existing nationwide and even global audiences—the sky is the limit! So why not leverage those outlets and their existing audiences to grow your own? 

Why is PR Important for Small Businesses?

There are many PR benefits for solopreneurs and small businesses. 

Build Credibility & Trust 

Third-party endorsements, media coverage, and positive narratives help validate your business. Being featured in a well-known publication, event, or show demonstrates that they’ve researched you and believe you’re legit!

Sharing your story connects you to your audience and stakeholders and gives them a reason to believe in you. People trust third parties more than they’ll trust your direct content—at least until you become better known!

Set Your Brand Apart 

Small business PR is critical to standing out from competitors and capturing the attention of your target audience! Focusing on media coverage can help cement you as a thought leader in your industry since you can share your unique ideas, approach, business model, or anything else you do differently.

Foster a Positive Brand Reputation

When you take the reins of your PR strategy early in your business, you’ll control the narrative and ensure your brand is positioned positively. You can establish meaningful connections and foster the brand image you want. Plus, you can tell your story your way—which means it will come off as authentic to journalists and the general public!

Gain More Leads Faster

Media outlets are a much faster way to reach your ideal customers and build your pipeline. They’re already recognized and have loyal audiences, so it will be quicker and more effective than strictly using your social media and other marketing platforms alone.

Not to mention, small business PR can help you discover more than just customer leads! Small business PR can lead to exciting opportunities, from partnerships and collaborations to sponsorships to funding.

Generate Buzz & Boost SEO with Share-worthy Content

Imagine spotlighting your brand’s media features on your website and social media—it’s a sure way to catch your audience’s eyes! After all, people find it impressive to see a person or business they know in the news or being recognized. Showing you’re participating in the conversation and giving your audience something to share will ramp up engagement.

Are you looking for funding? Whether you’re seeking traditional investors or crowdfunding, media coverage can help! Investors will be more likely to trust opportunities that have been publicly recognized and recommended by people within their networks.

The cherry on top? Media coverage means super shareable positive content, like articles and interviews. Between backlinks and shares on various outlets, it can also boost your search engine optimization (SEO), which means you’ll be found more easily online.

Prepare to Navigate Crises 

If a crisis or negative situation arises, your PR strategy will prepare you to handle it quickly and effectively by managing communications and preserving your brand reputation. You’ll be equipped to deal with the problem and share your statements immediately, avoiding miscommunications and preventing permanent damage to your brand. And when a business handles a crisis well, it often ends up stronger than ever!

7 Guidelines for Effective Small Business PR

So, how can you land high-quality media coverage and make the most of it? Follow these seven tips!

1. Know Your Audience

Understanding your target audience is fundamental to your branding and marketing strategy. Tailor your PR efforts to resonate with their interests and preferences. Consider:

• Where and how do they consume content? 

• What other brands and thought leaders do they follow? 

• What publications, channels, and outlets do they trust? 

• What do they need or what to learn about NOW?

This should guide you on where to focus your PR efforts. 

2. Build Meaningful Relationships

Nurture your relationships with local, national, and global media as applicable. Establish solid relationships with reporters who cover industry-related topics by having substantive conversations and sharing fresh perspectives and ideas.

Don’t forget about connecting with industry influencers and your community! You’ll also want to amplify your brand’s visibility through relationships with those who believe in and align with your business’s values and mission.

3. Customize Your Pitches

Don’t take a shotgun approach to your pitching! Take a strategic approach and build relationships with media professionals (e.g., journalists, podcast hosts, influencers, etc.). You’ll get in front of your ideal audience when you target the most relevant outlets.

Just be sure to keep them short! About 67% of journalists prefer pitches less than 200 words long. And use those words wisely and keep it genuine—57% of journalists said they’d skip pitches that sound like marketing brochures and clickbaity. 

4. Create an Eye-catching Media Kit

Speaking of media kits, if you want to hit the media, you’ll need this essential packet. Yes, even small businesses need media kits! This ensures you have something ready to go at all times that tells reporters all they need to know about your brand, including:

• Your business background and story

• A fact sheet with relevant statistics

• Leadership team bios

• Your company logo

• Headshots

• Product (product-based) or behind-the-scenes (service-based) photos

And yes, send a press release when you do have a story! Prowly found that 78% of journalists still want to receive press releases, announcements, and newsworthy stories. So, include it with your media kit.

5. Respond & Engage Promptly

When you receive media inquiries, interview requests, and requests for information, don’t delay! Respond to reporters promptly. Then, track your media coverage (there are tools for this!) and engage in the comments and discussions. From answering questions to fostering conversations to simply thanking the journalist and outlet that featured you, this is another chance for you to shine and show you care about your audience.

6. Make Media Coverage Part of Your Marketing Strategy

Pitching to journalists shouldn’t be a one-off task! PR should be part of your overall marketing efforts, which means sharing any media coverage via: 

• Content marketing, like your blog posts, email newsletters, and videos

• Social media by engaging with your audience, sharing stories, and building a community around your brand (plus, you can tag the journalists or media outlets for a wider reach!)

• Influencer marketing by leveraging those partnerships to spread brand awareness

7. Pitch Your Business as Much as Possible

So, when is the best time to start pitching your small business to the press and media? How about: 

• Just before a brand launch or relaunch

• Any time you have something new coming up, like an offering or program

• When you simply want to show off how your service or product can solve a specific problem

The possibilities are endless! It really comes down to creating timely pitches. In other words, what do people want and need NOW? That’s what journalists want to cover—so if you tailor your media outreach to current trends, your pitch is more likely to get picked up!

Incorporate PR into Your Small Business Marketing

Hopefully, you can see the value of incorporating small business PR into your marketing strategy. Media coverage can help your brand skyrocket. 

However, it takes time and effort! While it’s a cost-effective, accessible way to grow your business, successful PR requires significant work when it comes to researching, building relationships, developing a media kit, and sending pitches. Planning a PR campaign can seem overwhelming when you’re busy launching and running your own business!

So, solopreneur, if you’re ready to launch your brand the right way, my Brand Amplifier package will take it all off your plate! With this offering, Boss Diplomat will pitch your business during a rolling six-month PR campaign. This even includes connecting you with influencers to give you an extra boost on your social media and get those testimonials flowing in. 

And yes, it can work for you even if you have yet to launch your product or service! Book a free mini brand session with me to find out if the Brand Amplifier fits your needs today.