7 Steps to Effective PR Strategies

7 Steps to Effective PR Strategies

1. In the top left in the box called ‘Desired Outcome’ write down one desired outcome from public relations activity that is achievable within the next 90 days. It must be realistic, specific, and measurable.

2. In the top right of the canvas marked ‘Assumptions’ write down the names or job titles and organizations of the 6-10 people you need to have relationships with in order to achieve the desired outcome in the box titled key relationships.

PR Assumptions

3. Staying in the top right corner of the canvas, think about the mutual benefit for both parties (yours and the person you’re trying to build a relationship with). Write it down – this will become the topic of conversation in order to get your desired outcome.

4. In the timing box, in the top right of the canvas, write down any events that have a significant bearing on your ability to achieve the outcome. These can be things you have control over, as well as things you don’t. They can be opportunities or risks to successfully achieving the desired outcome. An example could be a trade show, a regulatory shift or a competitor’s product launch.

5. In the box marked delivery mechanism write down how you think the conversations will take place. Will an email, telephone call, introduction from a mutual acquaintance or via social media [for example]?

6. You now have all the elements needed to write your hypothesis. Write this in the box marked hypothesis. It combines the information contained in the assumption cells. An example of a hypothesis is:

“if I were to call Mary to explain how my online advertising platform can help her overcome ad fraud then she’s likely to be interested.  If I cann her before Ad:tech then there’s a chance she’ll want to meet for a demo’.

7. Riskiest assumption is the final cell. It is the one thing that we don’t know that could mean we don’t achieve the desired outcome. For example, if Mary isn’t attending Ad:tech then there is no chance of meeting with her at the event.

Run experiments

You are now ready to run your first PR experiment.