How to Create a Successful PR Plan in 7 Steps (+Template)

There's one person who consistently kills it at the public relations (PR) game: Santa Claus.

Every December, without fail, the world is hit with an influx of Santa Claus branding and paraphernalia. Even though Christmas is an annual event, how is it that the holiday season manages to create a frenzy like no other?

It's simple. 

Like any successful PR activity, it's backed by a well-thought-out PR plan that leaves a lasting impression on its audience.

Let's look at how to make a PR plan, how press release distribution software can help with a distribution plan, and what makes a good PR plan great.

It’s obvious that news itself isn’t going anywhere. In a world that consumes more than any other generation, we have to ask, where is this all coming from?

The latest stories getting blasted to you in an email newsletter or being littered across your social media feed just may start from something as simple as a press release.

You read that correctly — press releases remain an invaluable part of a company’s integrated marketing communication strategy. As straightforward or formulaic as they may seem, when written thoughtfully, they are ripe with opportunity.

But a press release is only one part of the entire equation. Just like how gifts are only one aspect of Christmas. Public relations as a whole is the culmination of several activities -  all of which are planned in advance. An effective PR plan keeps brand awareness, engagement, and impact at its core. 

While a marketing strategy and a PR plan seem very similar, a PR plan focuses more on the relationship between a business and journalists. PR plans do more than simply increase exposure to new audiences. An effective PR strategy can make all the difference when it comes to adding a layer of legitimacy to your brand and increasing credibility in the eyes of your potential customers.

How to create a PR plan

The amount of time and effort required in each stage of the plan differs depending on the occasion, objectives of an organization, resources available, and industry the business operates in.

Here's what a PR plan for Santa might look like:

• Finish making the products for kids by the end of November.
• Release announcements marking his arrival by the beginning of December.
• Distribute embargoed communications to different department stores that detail when holiday deals should be announced and when the shipment of new items will be available to the public.
• Publish stories and statements across different media channels signaling the commencement of the holiday season.
• Distribute news and gifts to different households on Christmas Eve.
• Conduct activities for D-Day on December 25th.
• End all Christmas activities on Boxing Day, December 26th.

This entire PR plan spans several months and is a lengthy ordeal. Most PR plans might not be as extensive as this one. However, every PR plan consists of a few crucial elements. 

These elements generally include conducting research, contemplating timelines, overseeing press distribution, and tracking the performance of PR activities.

1. Establishing goals

Goals, without a plan in place, are just ideas hanging in the air.

Before embarking on any PR activity, it's vital to set goals in place. This helps teams craft the written content for public consumption and guarantees everyone is on the same page. It's critical to ensure that everyone shares the same vision to avoid future conflict.

Establishing goals is a broad term that needs to be broken down into smaller segments. By doing so, businesses can prioritize what needs to be taken care of and how to achieve the desired results.

Define the audience

When someone thinks about public relations, they might naturally assume that PR activities deal with the entire public. While it's true that any public-facing endeavor may face widespread scrutiny, PR activities should be conducted with a defined audience in mind. 

So who's the target audience? Your entire customer base may seem like the obvious choice, but that's still not the right answer.

The correct answer is: anyone that plays a direct role in impacting the business.

You can't make everyone like you, so conserve that energy for the people whose opinions matter the most. This is why identifying the right set of people is crucial. Not only does this keep a business' focus razor-sharp, but it also reduces the amount of effort required to reach a broad audience.

Take a page out of Santa's book: Every holiday season, Santa compiles an extensive list of names of children who will be getting presents that year. Without a list in place, he'd have difficulty figuring out which houses to hit and which to miss, all in one night.

Let's look at each factor a little more closely.

Demographics

Basic details like age, designation, job titles, and industry can help establish an initial level of understanding. Segmenting the audience base on these demographics can help marketers and PR specialists prioritize the right message to be sent out.

Geographics

News can mean different things in different regions. A tax reform change in Vietnam might not be of significance to someone in Italy, and vice versa. Additionally, tone and language widely vary from region to region.

For instance, what might be perceived as a common term or word in one country could be slang or considered offensive in another. By keeping geographical location in mind, businesses can set the tone of the message and craft the right story for their target audience.

Psychographics

Intent can differ from person to person. Creating a story that's well-received by the masses requires striking a balance between being newsworthy and likeability. Business teams need to understand what makes their audience tick and what appeals to them.

Once these three factors are taken into account, companies can identify the section of the public they must cater to with their story and message.

Define the goal

After the target audience has been identified, it's time to move on to the goals.

Every company's PR plan will be different. One business might be focused on brand-building, while another may be looking at ways to mitigate a crisis. The strategy for one cannot be replaced with the other.

While companies might have many targets that they wish to accomplish, a good rule of thumb for any PR plan is to keep the goal singular and straightforward. Focusing on too many goals at the same time dilutes the effectiveness of the strategy. Working on one goal at a time improves the chances of success.

Create an outline

There's a reason outlines are business staples. Listing out what needs to be covered within the scope of a goal helps businesses understand how to reach it. Outlines also define the boundaries of a problem statement. A problem statement is an overview of the issue at hand. By identifying the gap that needs to be filled, businesses can understand the boundaries they have to work within and how best to meet their objectives.

For instance, if the overall goal is to spread awareness about an event, then the budget, date and time of the event, and schedules of featured speakers are considered constraints or limitations. Thus, a press release cannot be sent after the event has concluded, and featured speakers cannot be asked to devote more of their time before or after the event. An outline indicates these constraints well before the execution of any PR activity.

Conduct a situation analysis

A golden rule in business is to assess the situation before jumping into anything. The current scenario should dictate your PR goals. While it's great to think ahead, it's ludicrous to set up a plan for a hypothetical future. Analyzing and evaluating the industry's climate in real-time can help organizations discern what needs to be done and how best to get there.

For instance, if a company is known for manufacturing family-friendly cars and wants to launch a new range of sports cars, it needs to work on a public relations strategy that changes people's mindsets. Closing this perception gap requires understanding which section of the population is actively looking for sports cars but wouldn't immediately consider your brand for one. Then, a PR program needs to be launched that specifically targets this section.

In any situation analysis, describe your anticipated plan and make it straightforward so that the actual performance can easily be measured against your initial expectations. An evaluation of the existing situation or the context of the plan can give clarity on what the strategy will achieve and the kind of obstacles you will encounter.

Identify objectives

Goals are broad statements. For example, increasing the number of attendees to an event may be the overarching goal, but there are many ways to achieve it. 

For instance, a well-timed press release that highlights the keynote speakers at the event could be one way to get more attendees. A post about the event from an industry influencer is another way to garner attention. Both these activities are smart objectives that can help a business meet its goal.

In general, a PR plan should have two to five objectives in place. These objectives should align with the overall business goal and address critical points that could impact the results of an activity. In other words, the objectives need to be S.M.A.R.T.

2. Conducting research

Put yourself into Santa's boots for a second. He needs to deliver the right presents to each house and do it all before the sun comes up. Can you imagine how chaotic that entire exercise could be? Yet, Santa manages to execute his operation seamlessly and effectively. 

He knows the quickest routes to all the houses, has a trusty form of transportation (his reindeers and sleigh), and knows how much time to spend at each house without missing a beat. 

What's his secret? Sure, he's a magical all-knowing being, but some research must be involved to help him out. 

A comprehensive research exercise can help PR specialists identify the proper channels, the right people, and the right message. 

Let's look at each segment of the research process in detail.

Identify media channels

One of the most critical components of a PR plan is identifying the right media channels. Whether your strategy includes press releases, organic content (blogs, videos, and podcasts), or affiliate marketing, knowing which channel provides the best results is vital.

Audience 

In step one, we identified the right audience. Investigating which channels the target audience prefers to consume content can dictate the content and media outlets to focus on. If the target audience favors social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok, it makes sense to concentrate efforts on those channels. Businesses should align their PR strategies accordingly if the consumer base gets most of its information from printed media and news outlets.

Algorithms

With media and communication becoming increasingly digital, PR specialists must know about the algorithms that govern online channels. Algorithms constantly get updated, so staying abreast of the developments can help businesses figure out the best course of action.

For instance, when Instagram launched Reels, a new content format that utilizes 15-30 second video clips, the platform's algorithm began aggressively pushing content that made use of Reels on its Explore page. Content creators who only posted static images started to have less visibility and refocused their efforts on understanding and implementing the new format.

Similarly, Google's algorithm updates are closely followed by content creators. These updates could be anything like classifying the kind of keywords that can be included in search engine optimization (SEO) efforts to interlinking practices that can be followed. Creators have to publish content that respects the algorithm to have any chance at ranking high on search engine result pages (SERP).

Researching these algorithm updates can help you craft a PR strategy that performs better.

Content format

Knowing what kinds of content works best with the target audience can also point out the appropriate channel that should be used. If the target base consumes video content, channels like YouTube would be the best bet for companies looking to reach more people. If people obtain most of their information from podcasts, platforms like Spotify would be better.

Community development

 If the goal is to reach a larger audience, finding out which channel offers the most opportunities for community building and scaling might help. What might be the watering hole today could get dethroned tomorrow. It's essential to see where the community grows and goes.

Also, it's crucial to see if there's space for your business to grow within a platform. If a competitor has a thriving community on LinkedIn, you'd need to put in a lot more effort to capture that community's attention. Instead of battling for the same space, find another channel that the audience visits regularly and start building a community there.

Identify journalists

Media bridges the gap between an organization and the public by carrying a narrative forward and spreading it to the masses. 

Naturally, people begin to trust certain members of the press who provide their unbiased point of view for their opinions on a particular matter. Building a solid connection with these media outlets strengthens an organization's chances of controlling the story. Every PR plan should include media relations. 

That being said, companies need to approach the right journalists to achieve their goals. Journalists have different areas of expertise, so contacting every journalist in the field wastes everyone's time.

Look at it this way. Santa could approach the brand Peeps and ask them to start manufacturing reindeer-shaped marshmallows. But Peeps are generally associated with Easter, so a Christmas-themed Peep, while possible, may seem out of place. Santa could, however, ask the brand to make his Christmas Peeps peppermint-flavored to stay on brand and market to an audience looking for that flavor around the holidays.

But while Peeps can change their modus operandi to cater to Santa's needs, it might be harder for you to convince a journalist to shift away from their area of expertise to accommodate your story.

After identifying the journalists you want to engage with, the next step is to create a master sheet with all the relevant information. This sheet is your wish list and includes the contact details of each journalist.

Your wish list should contain the journalists’ information in priority order. That way, whenever you decide to launch a PR campaign, you can start conversations with media outlets or journalists as quickly as possible.

Identify trends

The best PR campaigns go viral.

While you cannot engineer virality, businesses can still use trends to their advantage. The key is to identify trends within the industry before other competitors get a chance to do so. The earlier you observe these trends, the better.

By identifying potential trends, businesses can craft topical stories that are bound to gain traction during this period. This also helps companies plan their editorial calendar and PR content better.

Now that you've chosen the channels to use as part of your PR strategy, it’s time to choose the content types to help you achieve your PR goals.

3. Writing press releases

Once the groundwork is done, it's time to conceptualize and write a press release. Press statements, like most PR efforts, are time-sensitive. Deciding when and how a press release should go live requires careful planning.

A PR plan should take into account what the press release should say. In other words, figuring out the key message that needs to be communicated to the target audience must be carefully planned. While it's impractical to have press release templates ready for any possible situation, it's a good practice to create general templates for a few critical occasions.

Planning the content for a press statement or news release also requires some creative thinking. After all, your message needs to be well-received by your audience and make a positive impact. 

While the format of a press release differs based on the occasion, this general rule applies to all: deliver key messages in priority order and don’t let them get buried in a flurry of words.

Here's what a standard press release format looks like:

4. Maintaining an editorial calendar

Editorial calendars are another thing to keep in mind as you plan the timeline for your PR campaign. Most publications put their editorial calendars online where anyone can find them. Editorial calendars lift the veil on the kinds of stories media outlets are looking for. Getting your hands on this inside information is like cracking the code to a puzzle.

Find topics your company could speak about or be featured on and write them in your calendar. Trade publications, which cover particular industries, will be the easiest to match up with on content and interest.

You will discover what the journalist or media outlet plans to cover and what the readership might look like from the editorial calendar. Use this information to create stories ahead of the publishing dates. Be sure to take note of the submission deadline as it may be months in advance of the publication date.

5. Pitching to media outlets

Journalists have packed days that involve reading and receiving countless requests for media coverage. While journalists are always on the lookout for the next big story, a news request from a business doesn't always translate into breaking news. Reporters and media outlets do, however, appreciate pitch letters that detail what the story entails. If they see a match with what they're planning to cover, they'll bite.

A one-page letter accompanying your press release that aims at attracting and persuading journalists to cover your story is called a pitch letter. Pitch letters can be extremely to the point or creative and funny to help it stand out from the piles of pitch letters reporters receive daily.

Some pitches are created with the intent to make news, like company-specific events that haven't been covered yet. Other pitches respond to current events and have to be written on the spot. For example, if the government passes a new regulation on banking and you have a reactionary spin on how that will impact your industry, the media will eat that up. Staying abreast of the news is a must.

6. Create a PR distribution plan

A killer press release is nothing without visibility. Strategic distribution will increase your exposure dramatically. 

Some companies handle distribution on their own while others hire PR agencies. You can target journalists through an individual outreach program, send emails (avoid sending batch and blast mass emails), shortlist journalists most likely to give you favorable coverage, or use a press release distribution software.

Create and stick to a schedule 

Even jolly ol' Saint Nick has to plan his distribution strategy well before snow touches the ground. Can you imagine if he started sending out his gifts on New Year's Day instead of Christmas? Blasphemous!

Keeping a schedule in place and committing to it will help you stay on track with your PR plan and execute it flawlessly. To avoid last-minute hiccups and blunders, try to keep any final reviews or edits done and dusted before a deadline.

Pick the right day and time

Timing can make or break the success of a press release or a PR campaign. The key to press release distribution is to pick unconventional timing. Avoid sending anything out on the hour or the half-hour. These are the times people usually send out press releases, so yours might get lost in a sea of news announcements.

Instead, try pushing press statements or launch announcements at a time when others most likely wouldn't do so, like 12:17 p.m. or 9:51 a.m. These unconventional time slots are ideal since there are bound to be fewer releases.

Similarly, a day can impact the visibility of a press release as well. People are likely to miss your announcement on Mondays, Fridays, and the weekend. You might wonder why companies send anything out on those days if people won't catch it. 

Two words: Negative news.

If you're stuck in a PR crisis, slipping bad news on a Monday or Friday might help reduce the number of eyes that see it.

Consider distributing a press release between Tuesday and Thursday for announcements that need to grab as many eyeballs as possible.

Use press release distribution software

Press release distribution services get your press releases in front of journalists, reporters, and other influential media members such as bloggers and thought leaders. Instead of targeting specific people, you simply post your press release once and it becomes available to everyone with access to the service.

Using these services is the easiest way for a company to distribute press releases broadly. The sheer size of the services lets you connect with media pros you've never heard of in locations all over the world. While the approach may not be super targeted, the math works in your favor based on the number of eyes on your release since a few will inevitably bite.

7. Tracking and measuring the performance of PR activities

The hallmark of a good plan is the results obtained from its execution. At the end of every PR campaign, assess the overall performance and understand what could've been improved.

PR plan template

While a PR template might look different to every organization, some standard elements are associated with any planning process. Everything that's been covered here so far forms the basis of a PR plan template. Here's a downloadable free PR plan template that compiles all these points to help you get started.

If you're planning to target multiple segments at a time, list the target audience in the order of priority. Segment the target audience list into three buckets: high, medium, and low priority. By doing so, you can plan which activities to pursue in a particular category and determine the amount of time and effort required for each group.

While planning the key messages that need to be pushed across the PR campaign, ensure that you use one to three messages. Fitting more than three messages can dilute the effectiveness of the communication.

PR best practices

The best practice to follow in any PR planning process is to stay consistent with your efforts. Aside from that, here are a few tips to keep in mind before embarking on your PR journey:

• Leverage social media for amplification.
• Play around with different content formats, like podcasts, videos, blogs, or interviews, to see what works.
• Create content around your company regularly to get the attention of people and the media.
• Have the C-Suite or senior management contribute thought leadership or op-ed pieces to build a following and establish a working relationship with media outlets and editors.
• Release stories or important news on weekdays and send pitch emails to journalists between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., which is when they usually check their inboxes.
• Release negative news (if you must) on Mondays or Fridays after peak hours so that it gets buried in other news.

Christmas came early this year

All because Santa had a plan in place.

PR plans are the backbone of public relations. Done right, you have a sturdy body in place. Done wrong, you end up with a broken system. PR and communications specialists work hard to ensure that PR objectives align with business objectives. Having a PR plan in place helps them achieve this balance.

We wish you merry results as you explore the insights and PR plan example shared in this article!

Every PR plan needs a solid press release. If you don't know where to start, check out this guide on how to write a press release.