PR - Free Publicity for Crafters

PR - free publicity? Well not exactly. Nothing's free. It's going to cost you a little effort, though nothing more.

With free stuff the temptation is to take a punt. Not spend too much time on it. After all, it's cost nothing. That's absolutely the best way to ensure it achieves nothing too.
If you'd spent £500 on advertising, you'd spend a little time on getting that advert just right. Don't do the same with your press release and you're just squandering the opportunity.

PR should be easy for handmakers. Chances are, what you're doing is already more interesting than the local cleaning contractor's business, for example. There's a person behind your business (you!), which means there's a human story too. The media loves stories with a human interest angle.

The 'angle' is everything in PR. It's what makes a story newsworthy (ie published) or not. Typically, things that businesses do are only interesting because of the people involved or the people they affect. Not surprisingly really, because it's people who read/ watch news.

New products are interesting because of the way they are going to change people's lives. Or, because of the people behind them. Likewise companies. Journalists don't care about a new widget. They do care about helping people walk again.

OK, so dramatic stuff and, let's be realistic, your handicraft probably isn't going to heal the sick. That doesn't mean it's not interesting. And, even if it isn't, you can make it so. I mean, the bottom-line these days is that all you need is a celebrity customer or two.

Don't worry - you don't have to court celebrities. There's plenty of other routes to go. Why not spend the next few days thinking (on the back burner) what might be interesting about you, your products and your business. Then check back at the end of the week. Fingers crossed by then I'll have had a chance to compile a concise guide to using PR effectively...

See you soon.

Steve