The Art of Telling Your Agency's Story. This session will walk through the building blocks of creating a performance-based public relations plan for your agency. It also will explain how the strategic use of PR can enhance awareness and credibility; distinguish your agency from competitors; and make it easier for decision makers to find you.

1. How to Craft an Agency PR
Plan that Will Drive New
Business
Don Beehler

2. What PR can do for your agency
that no other marketing tool can replicate:
Ø Give your agency credibility

3. PR gives your agency a stronger
presence in the marketplace

4. PR helps make you “discoverable”

5. If properly targeted, your PR activities
will get the attention of decision makers

7. Consistency
is vital to an effective PR program

8. The public relations landscape
is changing . . .

9. Trend #1:
Fewer news media outlets

10. Trend #2:
News holes are shrinking

11. Trend #3:
Newsrooms are turning to
automation to reduce
workloads

12. Trend #4:
Citizen grassroots journalism
is on the rise

13. Trend #5:
Social media use by reporters
is increasing dramatically

14. Trend #6:
PR outreaches are going
directly to consumers via
social media

15. Trend #7:
Bloggers are growing in
influence

16. What’s the quickest path to increasing
awareness and gaining credibility?
Ø Become a trusted source for the news
media and bloggers

17. “Billions & Billions of Stars”
Astronomer Carl Sagan

18. How one start-up hedge fund
gained national media attention

19. Achieving expert status in a niche:
The Sonnhalter Agency

20. Strategic use of PR can help small
and mid-sized agencies compete
with larger agencies

21. Know how
news media
operate
and what
reporters want
The key to getting publicity:

22. 10 suggestions for working with reporters
#1: Define your media focus
#2: Get to the right person
#3: Research a reporter’s stories

23. #4: Don’t waste their time
#5: Get to the point
#6: Respect their deadlines
#7: Think and pitch like a reporter

24. #8: Make their jobs easier
#9: Know what makes a good news story
#10: Customize your pitch

25. Make the right story pitch to the
right reporter at the right time

26. Keep your agency in the news

27. Create a PR plan that drives new
business

28. Step 1:
Ask yourself some important
questions

29. Step 2:
Identify specific outlets and
influencers that reach your
target audience

30. Step 3:
List your current relationships
and opportunities

31. Step 4:
Identify the PR tools and
vehicles available to you

32. PR tools:
Social media
Surveys
Events

33. More PR tools:
Help A Reporter Out (HARO)
RadioGuestList.com
BloggerLinkUp.com

34. Still more PR tools:
Google Alerts
Free release distribution services
Paid release distribution services

35. Step 5:
Create a plan of action with a
timeline
Ø A written PR plan gives your agency
focus by creating a road map.

36. An effective agency PR plan
compliments new business
development initiatives
with a clear focus, target and
purpose.

37. Three strategies for using PR to
boost new business development

38. Strategy #1:
Identify ways to expand the
reach of your news media
coverage

39. Strategy #2:
Utilize your agency’s blog as
a newsmaker

40. Strategy #3:
Write a niche book

41. Not having PR capabilities may
cause your agency to miss out on
new business opportunities

42. Public relations can:
l Enhance your agency’s credibility
l Build your presence in the marketplace
l Make you easy to find
l Get the attention of decision makers

43. Ø Consistency is vital for successful
agency PR
Ø Becoming a trusted source is the
quickest way to increase awareness
and gain credibility
Ø A successful PR plan is strategic with
a clear focus, target and purpose

44. Summing it up
PR can help you:
l Drive sales
l Get discovered by prospects
l Retain existing clients