If you want to get yourself out there in the press, you need to set some goals. And not only that – you need to write them down.
According to a Harvard Business School study, people who write their goals down earn ten times more than those who don’t.
Moral of the story. Write your goals down…
And when it comes to thinking about what you want to achieve with publicity this year, it definitely pays to set goals and write ’em down.
Here are 4 steps to setting powerful PR goals:
1. Write down what you want to achieve with publicity
Grab a planner, workbook or notepad and make a list of what you want to achieve by getting featured in the press. For example:
- Raise your profile
- Build your brand
- Become the ‘go to’ person for X
- Share your message
2. Brainstorm which publications you’d like to appear in
Think about which blogs you’d love to write for, which magazines you’re dying to be featured in, which papers you want to appear as an expert in…
3. Go SMART
Then write down SMART goals:
Specific: Instead of setting your goal as ‘get publicity’, think how much more focussed you’ll be if you have a specific goal. ‘Have at least one article published on Huffington post’ works much better.
Measurable: Again, thinking about your numbers will make you faaaaaar more focused than just trying loads of different things. For example, how many guest blog posts will you submit? How many press releases will you send out? How many journalists will you connect with?
Attainable: I know you want to have a starring role on Oprah and your own column in Vogue – and you will, but for now, if you set yourself some realistic targets think how great you’ll feel when you accomplish them.
Relevant: Make your goals relevant to your biz. So you don’t want to aim to get coverage in a publication just for the sake of it. Think about what this goal is going to achieve for you – e.g. help you to get in front of more of your ideal customers or gain kudos with prospective clients
Time-Based: If you add a time-frame to your goals it will make them easier to achieve. Set a deadline for getting in touch with a journalist or submitting a blog post.