How to Create a PR Campaign in 2024: Tips + Examples

Let’s give them something to talk about.

That’s what you think as a public relations professional—no matter if you work for a thriving, struggling, or stagnant brand. PR is all about starting the conversation—a positive, interesting conversation. Chatter around the brand will work to make the general public more interested in and aware of it, which is the goal.

If your brand hasn’t been in the media lately, it’s time to start a PR campaign.

Technology like press release distribution software can help you automated distribution and you schedule your campaign releases for maximum impact. Plus, you get valuable analytics to see how your campaign is performing, helping you fine-tune your strategy for even better results.

But before diving into any metrics or analytics, you must understand how to create a PR campaign for your brand that's successful and gets the message across to the audience. 

How to create a PR campaign

PR campaigns go beyond daily PR activities and tactics. Campaigns are more than responding to current events, media outreach based on editorial calendars, and tracking social media interactions. Make sure to have a solid PR plan in place before you start working on your campaign.

If you’re ready to build a PR campaign that will boost your brand’s reputation and name recognition, let’s get started!

1. Decide on a campaign goal

What do you hope to accomplish? Don’t let it be too ambiguous or expansive. “Building brand awareness” is a hard thing to accomplish and measure, but “Increasing sales by 15 percent” isn’t.

The goal should be measurable and realistic. Decide on a time frame early on. The budget should also be a consideration at this stage. Don’t dig yourself a hole by setting objectives that are fiscally unattainable. You want to set you and your team up for success, not frustration.

These kinds of goals are referred to as SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. 

2. Focus on your audience

It’s incredibly important that you never lose sight of the audience you’re trying to reach. It’s more than likely that you’ve already built out customer profiles for the different demographics interested in your brand. Choosing one customer profile to focus on will make your job a lot easier – and more effective.

This will also provide insight into future strategy. What media does your audience consume? That’s where you should ensure you place your news.

For example, if you’re building a campaign around your new luxury product, it probably won’t be effective in an impoverished area.

3. Tell your story

The easiest way to spread news to the public is through the right type of press release. If you use press release distribution software to send out news, Google will show your press release on that newswire. However, that only appears if someone searches specific keywords. If you want your press release to reach more eyes, you need media outlets to pick it up and publish it in their publications.

Luckily, journalists are always in need of stories and looking for pre-prepared news like this. But they do receive hundreds, if not thousands, of press releases a week. For yours to stick out, you need to make sure it’s interesting, newsworthy, and timely. For more, check out this article on how to write a press release.

Make sure this specific press release is targeted toward your goal and audience.

4. Pitch the media

Because of the influx of press releases, journalists might miss yours in the slush pile. This is when the relationships you’ve been building throughout your PR career come in handy.

Reach out to your contacts, asking if they saw your press release. If they haven’t, give them a quick conversational pitch about it. The journalist will know right away if it’s a story they are interested in. Sometimes, that’s all it takes!

Another way to reach both your contacts and journalists you’ve never worked with before is to create pitches surrounding the press release. You could focus on one specific aspect of the story, offering more insight than the press release did. Suggest setting up an interview with a subject matter expert for a deeper dive. That might be enough to get journalists to perk their ears up.

While getting the story in the press is time-consuming and, at times, frustrating, it’s the most valuable publicity you can get. Third-party validation makes audiences more likely to trust you than if you were to publish a story or ad yourself.

5. Engage the public

While going through the media is the most powerful form of publicity, you can always tell your story yourself.

One easy way to do so is to post the news release on your company website. That way, visitors can easily find it.

Another way is to talk about the news on social media. This avenue offers you the chance to use your brand’s personality and voice. Have a little fun with it! Social media can not only drive traffic to your website, but it could also attract reporters. You can always tweet at reporters’ personal handles to try to start conversations as well.

Make sure you set aside time every day to interact with any engagement you receive on your posts. You don’t want to leave anyone hanging.

6. Follow-up

Once news outlets pick up your story, there are a few ways you can follow up to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

For one, you could contact the media outlets you’re featured in and ask that they post the story to their social media pages (if they haven’t already). While it may feel a little awkward to ask such a favor, don’t let that stop you. Let’s say you were featured in Wired. Wired’s Twitter account has 10.4 million followers—definitely worthwhile to ask.

Link building is another way to ensure more people see your news, learn about your brand, and improve your website domain authority – which is always a great thing. Link building is when you hunt for opportunities on other websites to include the link to your company’s website.

In order to find these opportunities, set up Google alerts or use media monitoring software that lets you know when someone mentions your campaign or company. Then, reach out to that publication, kindly asking them to include your link if they haven’t already. Suggests that by including the link, the journalist is arming his or her readers with all the information they might want or need. That appeals to a journalist’s sense of purpose and commitment to being as transparent with readers as possible.

7. Measure

A campaign can last a month, or it can last several. It’s up to you to decide the time frame. I suggest stopping at least once a month if not more often, to assess how well things are going. If you aren’t on a trajectory to meet your goal by your deadline, then rethink the strategy at that juncture. It’s okay to do some experimenting along the way. Test out various pitches and social media tactics until you figure out what will make journalists bite.

Other things to consider

As with any external outreach, it’s imperative you ensure none of the language in your PR campaign messaging can be misinterpreted or offensive to anyone. Do some testing internally so as many eyes as possible see the campaign before it’s released. Based on your background, you might not notice something that is incredibly questionable to a person of a different background. Testing it will help catch these potholes in your campaign before you end up with a flat tire.

Speaking of your colleagues, I highly suggest getting them involved in the campaign. Even if it’s just giving them the tools they need to share on their personal social media channels (if they choose to), that in itself will help enormously. You never know; one of your colleagues might have thousands of followers. Your job is to spread the word about the company’s news, and social media certainly counts as doing just that.

PR campaign examples

The key to a successful PR campaign is having a clear message, a well-defined target audience, and creative tactics to communicate it.

1. ALS ice bucket challenge 

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went viral on social media in 2014, encouraging participants to dump a bucket of ice water over their heads and donate to the ALS Association. It raised awareness and over $115 million for ALS research.

2. Dove real beauty campaign 

Dove's real beauty campaign started in 2004 and focuses on celebrating natural beauty and challenging traditional beauty standards. The campaign includes powerful imagery and videos featuring women of diverse shapes, sizes, and ages. It significantly boosted Dove's brand image and sales.

3. Always #LikeAGirl campaign 

Always launched the #LikeAGirl campaign in 2014, which aimed to empower young girls and tackle gender stereotypes. The campaign featured a viral video showing how the phrase "like a girl" is often used negatively and encouraged people to rethink its meaning. It received widespread acclaim and significantly boosted brand perception.

4. Coca-Cola's share a coke campaign 

In 2011, Coca-Cola replaced its logo with popular names on bottles and cans, encouraging consumers to find and "share a Coke" with friends and family. This personalized approach boosted sales and created a significant social media presence, with consumers sharing their experiences and pictures online.

5. Spotify wrapped 

Spotify Wrapped is an annual campaign that provides users with personalized statistics on their listening habits over the past year. This campaign generates extensive social media sharing as users post their unique stats, driving engagement and reinforcing Spotify’s presence in the music streaming industry.

Best practices to create a PR campaign

Follow the best practices below to increase your chances of running a PR campaign that generates positive publicity and achieves your desired outcomes.

• Speak to your audience: It is crucial to ensure that your message is appropriate to your target audience's demographics, interests, and media consumption habits. Tailor your message and outreach strategy to resonate with them.
  
• Craft a compelling story: People connect with stories. Develop a clear, newsworthy narrative that positions your brand in a positive light. Highlight how your product, service, or cause benefits the audience.
  
• Target the right channels: Don't blast your message everywhere. Identify the media outlets, social media platforms, and influencers your target audience frequents.
  
• Embrace multichannel communication: To maximize your reach, utilize a mix of traditional media relations, social media engagement, influencer marketing, and content marketing.
  
• Be transparent and authentic: Consumers value honesty. Build trust by being transparent in your communications and staying true to your brand's values.
  
• Be ready to adapt: The media landscape is constantly evolving. Be prepared to adjust your tactics based on real-time results and changing media trends.
  

Take your brand awareness to the next level

A well-crafted PR campaign can be a powerful tool for shaping public perception and achieving your organizational goals. By strategically targeting your audience, delivering a compelling message, and utilizing the right channels, you can build brand awareness, cultivate trust, and, ultimately, influence positive action.

Remember, PR is an ongoing process, so be prepared to adapt and measure your results to ensure long-term success. With dedication and a focus on open communication, your PR efforts can pave the way for a thriving relationship between your organization and the public.

Ready to launch your PR campaign? Learn the best ways to practice PR measurement for your brand.

This article was originally published in 2020. It has been updated with new information.