There's one good thing I can think of about our current eco-crisis. It is prompting some really great creative ideas and inventions. From solar roads that charge cars as they drive to camping tents that collect rainwater and compostable cutlery you can eat.
But every great idea needs the oxygen of publicity to help it become a winner. Social media is an incredible tool but it's just one approach. Keep the following tips in mind and you will reap the rewards. Remember, trends (and platforms) come and go, but these principles never change:
1 It's not about you - it's about the story: Okay well sometimes it's about you - if you are Elon Musk - but for normal mortals, getting publicity for a product or service relies on the wider story it tells or taps into. When Greggs launched its vegan sausage roll, it rocket-fuelled its exposure by hooking onto a hot trend. Vegan food has become a thing and those savvy marketers at Greggs knew it. The product was part of a wider story that journalists already wanted to write about.
2 Great images are PR gold: Anyone who uses social media already knows this - good pictures are human catnip, we just can't resist them. Weirdly though when it comes to publicising new products, businesses don't always invest in great photography. If you don't believe me, just hop over to your favourite social media stream and notice which posts you pause on. The ones with the great pictures right? Not for nothing does Instagram, the photo-sharing platform, have 1 billion active users.
3 Persistence and patience pays: If you remember just one thing about PR, remember this - PR is all about the long game. Yes you might get a quick result - fantastic! But ultimately you are in the business of winning over hearts and minds and this usually takes time. Exposure in print and even online media also needs forward planning. When asked by a client to get a feature in The Grocer, the leading grocery industry trade magazine, I knew it would take time to find the right slot and the right story. Patience paid off in the end with a great feature that delivered on both counts.
Does your green business need help to get noticed? Get in touch and let's talk.
