Most common presentation mistakes

How to become a more successful presenter? Take a look at our list of the most common presentation mistakes to avoid.

1. Inappropriate structure

Each presentation should be divided into three parts, that is, the introduction, body, and conclusion. However, we don’t always remember to follow this structure. Sometimes, we get straight to the point, without filling the audience in. We also often forget about the conclusion and providing key takeaways. Structuring your presentation is then the first thing you should do to make sure that the recipient will understand what you are trying to convey.

2. Low-quality slides

What can you do to shrink the audience’s attention span? Prepare a presentation that has more text than visuals, contains a lot of language errors, uses contrasting colors, and includes everything you are going to say. Poor-quality slides are often one of the biggest mistakes when making school and business presentations. Therefore, make sure that your slides are visually appealing and aesthetic. For example, you can create professional slide layouts with the Designer feature in PowerPoint.

3. Ignoring your audience

When a participant comes to a meeting or a training session, and the material turns out to be too easy or too difficult for them, they quickly lose interest and feel like their time is being wasted, which is not surprising. One of the typical presentation mistakes is not doing enough research to know your audience. If you haven’t done it, you can’t expect to achieve your goal and avoid disappointment.

4. Being too wordy

You’ve prepared 50 interesting slides, full of data and examples, and you are convinced that your audience will be thrilled. They won’t be if you present the material for an hour. Research shows that the average human attention span is between 20 and 45 minutes. Therefore, shorter presentations are more effective. Focus on the most important information, and rehearse what you want to say so you know how much time you’ll need. Don’t extend your speech if you don’t have to.

5. Not preparing enough

Undoubtedly, there are some people who can stand in front of the audience and just start talking. However, if you don’t have such remarkable skills, don’t forget to practice. Practice makes perfect! Rehearsing the prepared material is a way to minimize nervousness, which can manifest itself in stuttering, confusion, or blankness. Do this a few times to feel completely at ease. Simply talk to yourself in front of a mirror or record your presentation.

6. Avoiding eye contact

Avoiding eye contact, and speaking too quickly or monotonously- these presentation mistakes are enough to make your audience lose interest in a meeting or training session. A lecture, although it may have been appreciated at school or college, isn’t necessarily a successful tactic in business meetings. So how do you make sure your meeting or training is interactive? Ask your audience for comments and encourage them to take part in a discussion.

Presentation mistakes – summary

What can you do to improve your public speaking skills? Just like in the case of other competencies, the answer is one – practice. The more often you speak in front of an audience, the better you’ll become. However, avoiding the most common presentation mistakes described above will undoubtedly bring your presentations to the next level and help you deliver an effective message.

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How to conduct brand image research? – table of contents:

1. Why does brand image matter?
2. Brand image research – what do you gain?
3. Brand image research – what does it look like?
4. Brand image research – summary

Why does brand image matter?

Not so long ago, it was enough to have a good product and a price that matched customers’ financial possibilities – but today it isn’t. In times of dynamic competition in the market, easy possibility to compare available offers, and checking all the information about a given brand on the Internet, we have moved on from looking for a product or service that with its characteristics best meets our needs.

Today’s consumers, especially those of the Z and Alpha generations, become attached to brands with which they can identify, such as in terms of supporting the same values (among others, ecological). When pricing becomes less important, the marketing efforts undertaken and how they communicate with their audiences as part of branding gains.

Brand image research – what do you gain?

Conducting a brand image study will allow you to see how consumers perceive your brand and compare it to the identity you have established (i.e., the so-called brand identity including, among other things, the archetype, personality, vision and mission of the brand). At the same time, you will learn how you compare with your competitors, as well as discover the strengths and weaknesses of your communications. Thus, the main purpose of the brand image study considers checking the effectiveness of marketing, PR or employer branding activities carried out so far.

Based on the results obtained, the internal marketing department or external PR agency with which the company cooperates works to analyze past activities (evaluate the effects and make conclusions for the future), and then develop a communication strategy that will help build a competitive advantage, better communicate the brand values and develop the right image of the brand.

Brand image research – what does it look like?

The best way to find out what consumers think about your brand is to ask them. Image research can be conducted with both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative research usually takes the form of a telephone or email survey (sent, for example, to everyone who has purchased from the store in the past year) and inquiries the consumer about matters related to the brand. You can construct the questions in two ways:

• using a Likert scale – to do this, create brand-related statements and ask the consumer how much he or she agrees with them (a scale, for example, from absolutely disagree to completely agree),
• using semantic differential – this method of surveying opinions is based on the use of oppositional adjectives and the need to mark an expression in line with what the consumer thinks about the brand (e.g., the brand is environmentally friendly vs. the brand is environmentally unfriendly).

Qualitative brand image research, on the other hand, usually takes the form of in-depth interviews that ask open-ended questions related to the brand (e.g., about what kind of person the brand is, what values the consumer thinks are behind it, etc.).

Conducting this type of brand image research is a relatively difficult task, as it requires the questions to be properly constructed – in a way that allows us to later draw measurable results and construct conclusions based on them. For this reason, it is worth considering outsourcing the research to specialized entities in this area.

Brand image research – summary

When commissioning a brand image study, you need prepared for the fact that some results will make you very happy, while others may turn out to be painful and evoke negative emotions (e.g., opinions about your company as an employer). Unfortunately, external brand image is that area over which a company will never have full control – but it can take a variety of measures to strengthen (in the case of positive reviews) and improve (in the case of negative reviews).

The image in the eyes of consumers is likely to change all the time – because consumers change, too – but without a doubt, it should always strive to be as consistent as possible with the brand identity and in line with reality. Drawing conclusions and taking appropriate steps based on the results of the survey described above will help to achieve this goal.

Read also: External PR – top tips for brand image in the environment

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Effective Event PR Strategy – table of contents:

1. What is PR?
2. What is an EVENT?
3. What should I prepare before the event? – Event PR Strategy
4. What role does an event play in PR and communication?
5. Types of events
6. Key Questions

What is PR?

There are many definitions of Public Relations and each of them brings a new version of the concept. In short, PR aims at shaping the social relations of an operating entity with its environment. It is a set of conscious, planned and long-term actions and activities to showcase the brand at its best by taking care of the good image of an organization or a person.

What is an EVENT?

In English, an event denotes an occasion. From the theoretical point of view, event marketing is dealt with by, among others, communication and media sciences, economics and management, tourism and psychological sciences concerning human behavior during mass events. In practice, event marketing functions as one of the tools for PR marketing strategies. It involves a constant organization of various types of events whose purpose is to have a direct impact on the implementation of the set objectives by enterprises.

What should I prepare before the event? – Event PR Strategy

When planning an event it is worth taking into account several important points that will support our work and enable us to control various situations during the meeting. These include:

1. Formulating an emergency list – checklist expanded to include procedures related to dealing with an emergency.
2. Preparing a holding statement – a model statement or press release, written in advance and presenting the most crucial information and response to a crisis.
3. Creating contact and media list – this list should include all information to contact media representatives (e.g. name, phone number, email address).
4. Appropriate designation of media representatives.
5. Provision of communication – in addition to the marking of rescue and fire-fighting equipment and a separate room for the services responsible for securing the event, etc.
6. Designation of a zone for the media – a different entry time and a separate zone from the other participants.
7. Prepare copies of any necessary documents.

REMEMBER!

To prepare and organize a successful event you require, first and foremost, common sense, a detailed agenda, security on all levels from cyberspace to insurance policies, a lot of patience andconstant effort daily.

What role does an event play in PR and communication?

Events can focus on various specific facets of strengthening a company like image, charity or sales. They may promote particular products, brands, services or even ideas. For an event manager, the “5W” rule will be helpful, which in the case of organizing an event may take the form of the following questions:

• What – what are we organizing?
• Who – who is the event for?
• Where – where do we organize it?
• When – what is the time and date of the event?
• Why – for what purpose do we organize an event?

By asking ourselves these 5 basic questions we significantly support the idea and realistic assumptions about the organized event.

When organizing an event don’t forget to determine what scope of marketing activities to take and how to channel the message:

• ATL (Above the line) – a strategy of marketing activities that are carried out in traditional media (radio, television, press, posters, outdoor advertising),
• BTL (Below the line) – marketing activities aimed at consumers, not being advertising in mass media.

Types of events

Events can also be divided into different types depending on the purpose and nature:

• Corporate and business events
• Trade fairs and exhibitions
• Recreational and entertainment events
• Civic and governmental events
• Marketing events
• Conferences and meetings
• Social events
• Sports events

An event is a perfect add-on to a multi-level PR or marketing campaign, e.g. aimed at online sales of a product. It is also a perfect opportunity for interaction and direct conversation with the customer and the media. Events are focused on communication and meeting a specific recipient. They build relations, as well as support partner and employee contacts, integrate and connect.

Check out The best PR campaigns of 2021.

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Digital PR – table of contents:

1. What is Digital PR?
2. What are digital PR tools used for?
3. 5 platforms you should know while running digital PR activities
4. Summary
5. Key Questions

What is Digital PR?

Digital PR, as the name suggests, is a strategy aimed at developing online activities, creating one’s image and brand awareness through digital tools, in a way contrary to the traditional PR approach. Digital PR companies establish numerous collaborations and relationships with influential social media personalities. This, in turn, helps in getting positive reviews and backlinks or mentions on social media, which are a kind of “trust currency” for the audience.

What are digital PR tools used for?

A well-run digital PR effort enhances:

• The brand image on the Internet and social media,
• Its online reach and visibility on blogs, vlogs, online press releases, all possible and effective means of digitized communications,
• Online networking community – the audience the message is reaching,
• Performance of crisis management – by analyzing actions aimed at improving customer satisfaction, we can react faster in case of a crisis, which may occur at any time.

When creating a plan of action using digital PR tools, consider the brand’s vision, its mission, the main tenets of public relations, and the use of the marketing mix and promotion mix.

5 platforms you should know while running digital PR activities

Nowadays, we can find many tools and platforms that significantly facilitate reach and strengthen brand image online. Below are the ones, in our opinion, that provide the best services for various digital activities.

Similar Web

Performs analytical data, conducts popularity rankings. It presents web and mobile application statistics. Allows you to compare websites with similar themes.

Prowly

A comprehensive tool for managing all your public relations activities. It enables you to send information to the media, run a press office and a brand journal. You can do it all in one tool.

Snappa

A program that enables you to create quick and easy graphics mainly for social media. It is available online, just create a free account and you can confidently create and download graphics in PNG or JPG form.

InVideo

A very intuitive web-based platform that allows you to edit video in the cloud. It makes editing easy and fun and the results look professional.

Socioboard

A suite of tools for generating social media leads and doing content marketing. It offers a free basic plan and precise analyses of social media users’ activities, thanks to which it is easier to reach them with your message.

Summary

Digital PR is a natural evolution of the capabilities that traditional PR utilized. It has a positive impact on a brand’s online visibility. A significant portion of users trying to get information about the company will be using search engines at this point. Thus, to keep high-quality content visible to users, SEO specialists and digital marketers should be involved. If we put all the elements together we will be able to enhance the brand image on social media.

Read our article to find out what is the difference between public relations and marketing.

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PR in a crisis situation – table of contents:

1. What can PR do in a crisis situation?
2. How do you prepare for a crisis situation?
3. Example of company saving their image
4. Summary
5. Key questions

What can PR do in a crisis situation?

As the name suggests, it is the most difficult element and a test of skills that a PR specialist can face in case of image crisis. When a company or a brand encounters an image “flaw”, which may occur e.g. in the case of launching a faulty product, faulty communication or fraud, it is a series of actions prepared in advance that can help alleviate the situation or even save the brand’s good name.

How do you prepare for a crisis situation?

There are a few ironclad rules to follow to prevent a relative crisis.

1. Can we avoid the crisis

This question should be asked by every entrepreneur who struggles with its coming. Therefore, it is worth not asking yourself the question “will the crisis come”, but preparing yourself for how to deal with it.

2. Identify the communicators and keep the message consistent

Consider selecting the right spokesperson to communicate the actual message the company intends to communicate in a given situation.

3. Build the right team

When a crisis hits, it’s a good idea to have a strategy of sorts and assign tasks that are tailored to the right employees. So that when it comes, you can react immediately.

4. Monitor the media

It is important to be systematic in analyzing the flow of information. You need to be prepared for the unexpected.

5. Notification system

When analyzing the system, it is a good idea to have alerts and notifications enabled that will let you know what to expect in case of a sudden spike in interest.

6. Prepare for the worst

The most significant issue concern good plan and prevention. When we are prepared for the worst, we largely avoid panic and move directly to act.

Example of company saving their image

Many companies and manufacturers have been confronted with the crisis. Some managed to overcome it some didn’t. California-based Theranos – which is a start-up for the medical market amendment – was the one that didn’t.

The brand was developing a device to perform at least 200 tests based on a small sample of blood. The beginning of the end came when the first article questioning the credibility and authority of the alleged tests and the irregularity of the test results surfaced. Through attacking communication and aggressive way of responding to the alleged facts, the brand was not able to defend itself from the crisis. The brand turned out to be a massive fraud and, in addition to its downfall, the prospect of jail time for its founder.

PR in a crisis situation – Summary

This is why to avoid later consequences and bankruptcy in the industry, it is so important to create a proper communication plan to relatively prevent and, above all, be prepared for a possible outbreak of a crisis.

Read also: The best PR campaigns of 2021!

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The best PR campaigns of 2021 – table of contents:

1. PR campaign – current trends
2. PR Campaign – examples

PR campaign – current trends

A PR campaign is a set of activities aimed at building positive relations with recipients. It is a successive, ordered and well-thought-out creation of a friendly image of the company. The entity, in the eyes of the recipients, must be considered reliable, safe and useful. The campaign itself refers to a certain action that has its beginning and end. It is therefore defined by a time frame. A PR campaign is a part of a public relations strategy, so it can be applied e.g. seasonally or in response to specific events. Moreover, it consists of six indispensable elements, which must be defined at the level of project creation. These are:

• main campaign objectives;
• a distinguished target group;
• methods of campaign implementation and presentation;
• duration of the campaign;
• campaign motto, main slogan;
• analysis of effects, conclusions.

But that’s not all. There is also a seventh element defined as a certain intuition or the ability to recognize a given phenomenon. The campaign must work effectively in practice and in a way “hit” the expectations of recipients. It is not enough to rigidly adhere to theoretical frameworks and build messages on known patterns. The key to success lies in great market intuition, innovativeness and openness to changing trends, to get the picture we may coin it “PR Spider-Sense”.

PR Campaign – examples

• Football WACA Home

Specsavers, an English optical company, presented a very interesting PR campaign referring to the Euro 2020 championships, which were postponed to 2021 due to a pandemic. The company used in its advertisement a Snellen board, known in ophthalmologists’ surgeries, i.e. a board with printed letters and numbers of various sizes, used for checking visual acuity.

The board contained grouped letters forming the inscription “IT’S COMING HOME”, a slogan, football chant lyric eagerly used by English football fans for whom football was finally to “return to the place where it came from”. The company, therefore, took advantage of the great popularity of the Euros, thus building a stronger bond with English fans. The campaign was carried out using billboards.


• Wimbledon flavors of Doritos

A well-known American brand of salty snacks decided to announce its new product in 2021, which shocked the public. The campaign was linked to Wimbledon, which was taking place at that time, and its indispensable elements have always been strawberries and cream. It is an English delicacy sold in huge quantities on the occasion of this tournament. It is estimated that every year the spectators consume over 25 tons of strawberries poured over about 8 thousand liters of sweet cream.

Doritos presented, using its Twitter profile, strawberry and cream flavored chips. Unsurprisingly, the idea was met with extreme opinions from consumers.Yet eventually, most of them got interested in the new proposal, which – most likely – will never be sold to the general public. The company managed to break through to the consumers’ awareness and intrigue them with its unusual message.



• Indonesian laureate

The winner of the prestigious Marketing Interactive PR Awards 2021 in the Best Campaign Pivot category was Indonesian electronics company Tokopedia. The company engaged in a campaign focused on increasing its ability to meet consumer needs. The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on Asian countries, including Indonesia. Many people have lost their jobs and countless businesses have collapsed.

Given these circumstances, Tokopedia launched a campaign using the hashtag . It was meant to encourage people to convert their businesses online to keep their businesses viable during the pandemic. Tokopedia achieved great sales and PR success. Indeed, it attracted several million new businesses that decided to partner with an Indonesian company.

Sources

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PR campaign and a PR plan – table of contents:

1. PR campaign and PR plan – similarities and differences
2. What makes a PR plan different?
3. Public relations – a model
4. What makes a public relations campaign different?
5. PR campaign – a case study
6. FAQ. Questions and answers

A PR campaign and a PR plan – similarities and differences

The term “campaign” refers to a series of activities aimed at achieving a given objective. It is nothing else but a set of planned activities of continuous character, fulfilling the assumptions of the above-mentioned plan. A PR campaign must therefore refer to something “higher”, as it is in itself a practical way of achieving the set objectives. This means that the campaign is something transient and short-lived (even if it lasts for several years).

The PR plan, on the other hand, covers more aspects. It is a more general phenomenon and in many cases is connected with public relations campaigns. At the same time, it is an overarching value in the context of a PR campaign. The differences can be represented most simply as follows:

• PR plan may include in its structure even several different PR campaigns,
• PR plan also covers other elements of public relations, such as how to respond, how to present opportunities or how to function on social media,
• PR plan refers to a certain communication strategy, i.e. a separate and overarching idea to which all PR activities are aligned,
• PR strategy is therefore the most general approach, which is the basis for creating plans and campaigns,
• PR campaign is an “executive document,” taking a precise and blunt form.

What makes a PR plan different?

A PR plan is a useful document that contains several elements( including but not limited to): action strategies, PR campaigns and ways of leveraging advantages, strengths and weaknesses. This plan is the document that allows you to develop an effective public relations campaign. The creators then know what results to expect from the approval and implementation of the PR campaign. The plan is also a set of ways to achieve a specific goal set for the company. It is therefore a theoretical document, largely referring to the communication strategy. In its structure, it contains a large amount of information about the target groups, the actions are undertaken or the characteristics of the competition.

Public relations plan – a model

The PR plan will include in its content, among others, the description of target groups, current market situation and objectives. An indispensable element of the plan is also identifying the problem that should be solved. A separate aspect of the document must be a detailed method of executing the plan, which in its structure may refer to future PR campaigns. The plan is only the beginning of the realization of the goals. It is a certain base, a blueprint, and a map – subject to modifications and corrections at each stage of the fulfillment.

What makes a public relations campaign different?

A PR campaign can also take the form of a document. However, it will be a much more condensed and less general form than a plan. These are concrete, specified actions that are intended to lead to the achievement of a goal. A campaign is firmly grounded in time: it may last for example a few days, a month or a year. Several different public relations campaigns may be part of a single, previously adopted, PR plan. They include ways of making analyses that help answer the question: Have the objectives been achieved?

PR campaign – a case study

There are many examples of PR campaigns. We see them every day using television or browsing social media. It is a form that directly affects us, as internet users. One of the outstanding PR campaigns was conducted by an American chain Burger King. In messages distributed through various channels, they encouraged their recipients to use the services of McDonald’s. It was an expression of support in difficult pandemic times, which affected the revenues of both chains. This surprising move by Burger King was warmly received and can certainly be seen as a non-obvious and unique example of a public relations campaign.

Now when the difference between a campaign and a plan is clearer, you can start planning your internal and external actions in a PR field.

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Event marketing – table of contents:

1. What is event marketing?
2. Event marketing – examples of goals
3. Event marketing – benefits
4. FAQ. Questions and answers

What is event marketing?

The term event marketing covers various activities and types of events that funcion as tools for achieving company objectives. These include promotion, communication, raising brand awareness and constructing its positive image. Thus, most often the events oriented around a given product or service are not a goal in themselves but constitute a broader strategy. Event marketing can be oriented at various groups of recipients – clients, employees or business partners.

The advantage of this form of marketing communication lies in the possibility of direct contact with target groups, which can in this way get to know the company’s “human” side. Events also have positive emotions inscribed in their essence, which are naturally translated into a brand image. In the era of messages overwhelming the recipient, often badly tailored, it is a way to make the message attractive and appealing.

Event marketing – examples of goals

Each organizations has its sets of goals that their event marketing is supposed to achieve. However, among the most popular ones are:

• building brand awareness – a properly publicized event focuses the attention of the surroundings. In this way, the brand creates itself as open to establishing relations with others, as “up to date”, as oriented also to other than strictly business areas, and becomes associated with positive experiences;
• increasing sales – building positive interest around a brand translates into increased sales results. However, events are also an opportunity to establish valuable contacts and present yourself as a host or an expert, which has a measurable value in business;
• employer branding – employee events are a way to build your positive image as an employer, and at the same time a way to integrate your team and motivate them to work for the company with which they are connected;
• recruitment – job fairs and open days are a great opportunity for employers to undertake image-building activities, and thus to encourage the best specialists to become interested in their company’s offer;
• acquiring business partners – conferences and networking meetings are opportunities to present your innovative ideas, and thus to interest investors and partners in them. It is also a chance to notice other people’s solutions and invest in the promising ones.

Event marketing – benefits

The benefits of event marketing are multi-level. Among them one can indicate:

• image benefits,
• making your brand appear as an expert in your industry,
• building your brand as a good employer,
• reaching selected target groups,
• direct contact with the recipients and getting immediate feedback from them,
• a chance to build a network of contacts,
• an opportunity to increase sales levels,
• increase the loyalty of customers, employees and business partners,
• increase the visibility of your brand.

However, to achieve these benefits, you need to take care of the details which will allow you to make a general, positive impression on the event’s participants. An effective event marketing always concerns specified, real and measurable goals. Effective communication solutions like a clear, fast-loading, positioned website or subsite dedicated to the event and the event itself, planned in such a way as to evoke positive emotions and to be remembered by the participants. The whisper marketing they implement is the best form of brand promotion.

Read also: what’s the difference between PR and marketing?

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External PR – table of contents:

1. External PR – what is it?
2. Why is external PR important?
3. External PR – tools
4. FAQ. Questions and answers

External PR – what is it?

External PR encapsulates communication activities of the brand directed outside its structures, the purpose of which is to build its positive image on the part of third parties – customers, potential customers, investors and contractors. It is the external PR that comes to mind when talking about Public Relations in general.

This positive image is achieved by attempts to create transparency of the company, building trust towards it and perceiving it as not only an integral element of the business environment, but also a social one. Nowadays, companies are more than just a form of activity aimed at making a profit. It is also a way to use the available instruments to support entire communities, to care for the respect of other people’s rights and freedoms, and to take action for the benefit of the natural environment.

Directions of these activities, properly communicated, can completely change the perception of the recipient, for whom the brand becomes much friendlier entity; someone who can be counted on and who is worth supporting through his own consumer choices.

At the same time, external PR operates quietly, which distinguishes it from strictly promotional activities. As a rule, PR campaigns are discreet, based on analytical tools, consulting strategic planning, and their objective is long-term – it is the building of a lasting reputation, and not the engagement around particular actions, that are most important for PR specialists.

Why is external PR important?

External PR should also be perceived as a form promoting by an organization. At the same time, it is relatively cheap and effective – it is not yet another slogan or advertisement which the recipient is used to and often ignores; the discretion of PR activities allows to build one’s image of a given brand based on observation, which also makes this area of activity more credible.

Among the benefits that come with implementing external PR we can find:

• building brand reputation; its positive image,
• inciting interest around the brand and its products,
• bringing the brand closer to the audience,
• shaping brand image,
• building and influencing consumer decisions,
• mitigating the negative effects of possible image crises before they escalate,
• raising consumer awareness of the brand and its offer,
• increasing trust in the brand,
• beating competition on the market with original forms of communication,
• retenting existing customers or business partners and attracting new ones.

External PR – tools

PR departments have at their disposal a multitude of tools of varied nature. The following should deserve a great deal of attention:

• media relations – which comes down to communicating about a brand with the use of instruments offered by the media with a specific range of activity. Popular tools used by PR specialists in this scope include interviews, press releases and press conferences,
• physical evidence – we are talking about all sorts of gadgets and gifts that increase brand recognition among groups of recipients, being at the same time a positive accent that translates into the attitude towards the brand,
• events – conferences, charity gatherings and other events allow you to focus attention also on you. They can be educational, sales-related or image-building, but whatever their form, it’s an opportunity to meet face-to-face and give your business a human touch,
• open days – they deserve a separate mention among all the events organized by the company. This is because they allow you to open up to people; to let them in to some secrets of your business;
• social media – it is another way for the company to reach out to the environment in which it functions and at the same time it is a chance to build considerable reach and gather entire communities oriented around the brand. Presence in social media should be obvious for every entrepreneur nowadays – because there is a huge potential in them when it comes to communication activities and they can be harnessed at modetately low cost.

Read also: Internal PR – motivation and integration

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Press release – table of contents:

1. The classic press release is the king, is it?
2. How to write a press release to effectively interact in social media?
3. Press release an example of three features that are inherent to it
4. How to write a press release? Press release template
5. FAQ. Question and answers

The classic press release is the king, is it?

A press release is an official statement that will assist a company in its public relations efforts. This type of “luring” has been used in advertising for several decades and is the primary tool for marketing activities. The modern press release is gaining importance nowadays. The published message makes it possible to arouse the interest of the recipients and also makes the news content widely available on social media. This is an opportunity to popularize e.g. a company’s services, using the desired domino effect.

A PR press release is therefore a news item, news and information related to the company’s activity, which may concern many business issues. It may be news about the implementation of new technology, the release of an innovative product or informing the public about an upcoming event. In the era of simple and short advertising messages, the press release is back in favor.

How to write a press release to effectively interact in social media?

The press release should be drafted in such a way that the recipient can understand it after a short while. It cannot be too long and boring: usually, a few or more than ten-sentence messages are preferred. A common mistake is to include too many references to the company or the services provided by the entity.

A press release should not be too pushy, either – it is more like a valuable news item that brings concrete information that is interesting and useful for the reader. An absolute must is the linguistic and content correctness of the news. If the receiver notices grammatical or syntactical mistakes – he will treat such a message as something worthless.

Press release an example of three features that are inherent to it

A press release should be characterized by stylistic correctness, informative language and concretized content. In addition to these aspects, three additional features can be listed, which very often appear in the context of defining PR press releases:

1. The uniqueness of content. The message cannot be a duplicate of content already included, e.g. on competing for social media profiles. The press release must be original and refer to something unique. It must, to some extent, shed new light on a specific area.
2. Objectivity in content. Information, according to the encyclopedic definition, is a property of certain objects, i.e. a certain clear message describing reality. A press release must therefore be unbiased and refer to real events and facts. It is a mistake to include in the content phrases that slightly “bend reality” and put the company in a position that it does not even aspire to have.
3. Clarity of the message. The message should be easy to read, written in plain language, preferably in the third person singular. It should not contain too general conclusions or refer to facts unrelated to the described phenomenon. The information must be relatively short, but at the same time have some value so that the message is not one big cliché.

How to write a press release? Press release template

A media release consists of several elements that should always be included in a message of this type. The most important element is the headline, which should be visible and separated from the rest of the text. It should be placed in the upper part of the message, i.e. in the case of social media posts – in the first line so that it attracts the attention of the recipients.

Another thing is a summary containing specific information about the content we want to convey. In this bit, apply the 5xW+H rule. The third aspect of this form is the development or a broader explanation of the information contained in the summary. The press release should be closed with a few sentences at the most, providing the company’s contact details in the last line (or a note encouraging them to watch the profile or take part in the event).

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Public relations vs marketing – table of contents:

1. Marketing is advertising, right?
2. 7P and 8P models, and the place of PR in marketing
3. What are public relations?
4. FAQ. Questions and answers

Marketing is advertising, right?

Well, no. Marketing is a very complex issue, which consists of many areas of activity. However, before we move on to the characteristics of each of them, let’s define the very concept. According to Kotler and Keller, marketing can be reduced to a process aimed at satisfying needs, while at the same time obtaining profits from it (“Marketing”, p. 5). This is a very abbreviated, but to the point, formulation of marketing. This is because it constitutes its essence – delivering value to others in their interest.

Doing it requires the implementation of many actions on various levels of enterprise functioning. The most popular, basic model, showing these spheres of activity is the so-called “4P model”, by McCarthy, who presented marketing as the sum of four components:

• product,
• prices,
• places,
• promotion.

According to this model, marketing boils down to producing a given product (goods or services), making it available in a specific location (a specific market, stationery store, Internet, online auction, etc.), at a specific price (in the implementation of the strategy of “skimming the cream”, positioning the product in the eyes of consumers as the premium, according to the strategy of penetration, so low prices, with the help of which it will be possible to master the market or according to the strategy of average prices, in which the remaining elements concerning the price are those with which the brand competes with the rest)

Marketing also includes promotion (so taking action to provide information about the product to potential customers and encourage them to buy).

7P and 8P models, and the place of PR in marketing

As you can see, marketing is not just a synonym for the word “promotion”, but a much broader paradigm. Take, 7P and 8P models, and the place of PR in marketing. The aforementioned 4P model was later developed, which resulted in two improved versions of it, much more adequate to the current market realities. The first of them – the 7P model, by Booms and Bitner, assumed that marketing is not only the product, price, place, and promotion, but also:

• people,
• process,
• physical evidence.

In the end, the 8P model was created to complement its previous versions with a partnership element. It is within the framework of “human” and “partnership” elements that we can find the presence of public relations in the marketing strategy of the company. Moreover, these elements do differ.

Marketing and its components form a vague concept. The human part, however, includes more tangible issues such as shaping the image of the brand and its products to anchor them in the minds of consumers. At the same time, it is intertwined with the already mentioned partnership which transfers marketing, and PR with it, into the contemporary reality.

A world in which it is not one-way communication or concluding single transactions that determine the success of a company, but building relations with the environment that provide the brand with a group of loyal and returning clients, contractors and employees.

What are public relations?

Public relations should be understood as a consciously shaped and controlled flow of information about the company. Carried out in such a way that allows for deliberate shaping of its image, both in the minds of the brand’s customers and its business partners and employees. And that in turn, makes it possible not only to manage information appropriately but also to establish the already mentioned relationships, crucial from the point of view of modern business.

When we talk about the differences between marketing and PR, the most important are the main objectives which these areas of activity set for themselves. While marketing is to deliver value while achieving benefits for its own sake, PR aims at building and strengthening the image, creating bonds and trust, conducting a dialogue with the internal and external environment, and engaging others in this dialogue.

Nowadays it is difficult to imagine effective marketing without PR. This is because the direct objectives of the latter indirectly contribute to effective marketing.

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Employer branding – table of contents:

1. Employer branding – what is it?
2. Why is employer branding important?
3. Employer branding activities – examples of value propositions
4. FAQ. Questions and answers

Employer branding – what is it?

Employer branding should be understood as building the employer’s image as one in which work appears to be attractive. The employer branding strategy is a long-term process, which consists of many elements, starting with remuneration, through stable employment conditions and benefits, up to the right mission and vision of the company.

Employer branding is not a uniform category – it can be divided into internal and external. The former boils down to communication activities and those carried out as a consequence of formulated messages whose recipients are the employees. The intended goal of employer branding campaigns carried out in this manner is the retention of existing employees who, thanks to appropriate pay, motivation and integration policies, are satisfied with their employment conditions and do not consider leaving the organization.

External employer branding, on the other hand, is oriented towards entities outside the organization which meet the requirements related to a job that have not been filled so far, so that they start to aspire to take recruitment steps. At the same time, bearing in mind that it is a form of communication targeted at a wide group of third parties, it is also a way to build up the image of a brand among customers and business partners.

It is worth remembering, that employer branding is more effective with PR’s help. Read here how to approach it!

Why is employer branding important?

Employer branding is particularly important in circumstances of the so-called employee market when the employer must make a lot of effort to stand out from the competition and encourage potential employees to apply for a position. It is also extremely useful in industries where it is difficult to find a qualified specialist in a given field. Even if such circumstances do not occur, a brand’s image, also as an employer, has a considerable impact on its situation – in the era of social media news can spread with unprecedented speed, able to destroy in one moment its previous market position and efforts undertaken previously.

Moreover, employer branding is a way to:

• reducing staff turnover,
• forming a motivated team that is committed to the organization,
• increase the efficiency of employees, and thus profits,
• minimize recruitment time and associated costs,
• building competitive advantages – both on the internal and external level.

Employer branding activities – examples of value propositions

The key to building an effective employer branding campaign is to propose the so-called Employer Value Proposition – the value delivered by the employer to its employees. It may take into account many aspects of the organization’s functioning – from the most prosaic ones, such as salary levels, to ethical and philosophical issues, which, if coherent in the perception of both the employees and the organization itself, may contribute to the latter’s impressive business success. So what are some examples of employer branding in a company?

These are:

• formulating the company’s mission, vision and objectives in an attractive way, as transparent and trust-inspiring as possible,
• concern for coherence between the theses formulated in this way and the actions taken,
• undertaking activities in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR),
• ensuring that staff are paid a salary commensurate with their responsibilities,
• use of incentive systems such as bonuses, promotions, benefits, training, trips, gym passes, free health care, company car, company phone, meal subsidies, the possibility of remote or hybrid work, etc,
• adjusting the way you communicate so that it provides clarity on your job responsibilities while also contributing to the team atmosphere,
• ensuring the stability of employment – both formally and in the form of the atmosphere prevailing in the organization,
• showing concern for the so-called work-life balance of employees,
• adapting the scope of responsibilities to the individual abilities, interests and capabilities of employees.

How does the activity on the internet influence online recruitment?

All activities led by the company on the internet influence its overall image. Depending on the direction in which we are going to develop our online branding, it can positively or negatively affect the perception of the brand. The presence of the organization also in the virtual world comes in handy in many areas, including remote recruitment.

The process is based on the usage of the internet and the newest technologies. Even finding the advert with the job offer is made online. The very first meeting with the brand is on the internet and most of the candidates don’t want the next steps to change this communicative channel.

The most natural consequence of reading an interesting job offer is gaining as much information as possible about the recruiting company. The power of the internet comes in handy, it enables you to search for really interesting facts. That is why it is so important to take care of building an online image.

All the information that candidates come across online can affect the form of further cooperation. A positive image based on high activity in social media or other digital channels strengthens the credibility of a given brand. As a result, a potential employee is even more interested in a job offer from such a place, and the company itself is often identified as more prestigious.

On the other hand, the real threat to the organization’s good name and the success of the remote recruitment process is any negative feedback about the company or information revealing unfavorable aspects of its operation. There is a high risk that a bad reputation will scare away candidates regardless of the perks highlighted even in the best-worded job advertisement.

The development of technology and the moving of many processes to the virtual world have undoubtedly improved the functioning of companies and allowed them to reach an even wider audience. However, brands must not forget that such a rapid flow of information also involves bad information, which can ruin an image.

Summary

Carefully planned online branding has become one of the most effective marketing strategies today, which at the same time does not require much money. Positive effects can also be seen in the remote recruitment process. A recognizable brand on the Internet attracts the most talented candidates, who, starting the whole process online, easily search for information about the future employer.