The PR Rabbit Hole

PR – something that every small business owner needs to embrace with open arms and become good at it.  And it’s something that we never stop learning about, that’s for sure, and the whole “raison d’etre” behind Small Business Big Marketing.

So what are we referring to when we talk about the PR rabbit hole?

Well, picture a rabbit hole, if you will.  But it’s not just a hole, is it – it’s a single entrance to a whole host of interconnecting burrows.  And that’s how you should view your PR efforts.  Not as single entities, but as a whole bunch of different angles, ideas, publicity and coverage that all lead to a single aim – the rabbit hole.  Or in this case – your business.

Confused?  Okay, let’s explain some more.

When is a Press Release not a Press Release?

Say you’ve got a new product, topic, idea, feature or whatever for your business.  And you want to announce it to the world.  So your write a press release and submit it to the various sources, yes?

Actually, perhaps not in every case.  Because press releases have their place and value – but they’re also a little, erm, how shall we put it – old hat?

What you need to be doing is creating opportunity for your small business that steps away from the tried and tested.  Get out there and edgy – create different burrows for your own personal PR rabbit hole that are different from what all the others are doing.

Get Personal

Say you’re an editor, or perhaps a journalist.  You’re looking for that story with a difference – that niche product or quirky angle that you can write about.  How much nicer would it be to receive a well written, personal email or phone call from a small business owner (that’s you, in case you hadn’t caught on), rather than trolling through endless dirge of press releases that are published on virtually an hourly basis.

Your email (or letter – never underestimate the power of a little retro marketing) needs to offer something that is going to make that person think “hey – that’s different.”  And that they think it’s worth featuring.  And that equals free advertising and the best possible type of PR your business can gain.

D’you see what you’ve managed to do?  You’ve written a successful press release – simply in another guise.

Be Extraordinary

Because who wants to be ordinary.  Take advantage of every single piece of coverage your business gets – and see how you can get a new angle from it.  This again adds those extra burrows and tunnels to your personal PR rabbit hole.  And also means that you gain every bit of mileage possible from everything you do.  Let your personality shine through; have fun with your marketing in a way that a large corporation simply isn’t able to.  After all, that’s what makes small businesses stand out from the crowd.

The size of your PR rabbit hole is simply down to the extent of your imagination.  And we’ll bet you can imagine allsorts – if you just let your mind run wild.