Free PR usually comes at cost, even if it didn’t cost any money up front. There are a number of ways to get free PR that both won’t cost your business any money or its hard earned integrity. Too many free publicity stunts end up doing more harm than good. Even though you aren’t spending a significant amount of money, you could damage your business’ reputation, which could cost your company future sales and customers. Many of the tools for free PR are already at your disposal – you just need to know where to look. Here are 5 tips to help you get free PR for your business.
- Get the local news to do a story about you. If you are a local sporting goods shop or bakery there might not be anything too unique about your product, but what if there could be, even for a limited time? If you come up with an idea that will get people’s attention your business could be all over the local newspaper or news. You could offer a new product that breaks social mores or perhaps you can have a contest that is completely out of the ordinary. Whatever you do, make it sensational and you’ve got some free PR.
- Create a funny viral video. Some of the most watched videos online are of people making a fool of themselves or a cat doing something both hilarious and adorable. One of the best ways for a business to get free PR is to create a video that could have the capacity to go viral. If it is funny enough it could receive millions of views. Make sure to provide your website URL and address at the end of the video and you might see revenue skyrocket.
- Have a contest and make the prize something that gets people’s attention. The prize doesn’t need to be anything too valuable, but you do want it to get people’s undivided attention. You could give out a year supply of your product or offer your services for free to the winner. People love contests and it is a great way for new brands to get exposure.
- Send out an electronic press kit. A digital press kit will contain photographs, text, a company bio, notes and anything else that could get the attention of an editor of a magazine or a newspaper. Getting a write up in a major newspaper or magazine can be huge for a business, because you would have to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars in advertising to achieve the same amount of exposure.
- Lastly, start an underground marketing campaign. There are plenty of ways to get organic, free publicity using the power of public curiosity. If your business has a particularly distinct logo or name, you can put various items around the city that start to pique people’s interest. Soon enough they will search what some of these items might mean and they will find your website. This little bit of ingenious marketing could increase your business’ revenue tenfold and can offer unprecedented brand exposure.