How To Make Your PR Campaign Smart

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-based

If you’ve been working on creating a PR plan, then this clever method could really help you.

Instead of setting vague goals, the SMART method ensures that you’re laser-focused, which means you’re more likely to reach your goals and get the success you deserve.

Here we go…

Specific: As goals go, ‘get media coverage’ is ok, but think how much more focussed your efforts will be if you have a more specific goal. How about ‘Get at least one article published in my local paper, and an interview slot on the local radio’? Set a specific intention and it’ll be far easier to achieve.

Measurable: You need your goals to be measurable, so that you know when you’ve achieved them. How many press releases are you going to send out? How many journalists will you contact? How many pieces of coverage are you going to try and secure? Think about your numbers and it will give you the focus and accountability you need to succeed.

Attainable: Yes, it’s good to think big, but you’ve got to be realistic. ‘Front cover of Vogue’ may be pushing it, but ‘get a mention in my favourite specialist publication’ is ambitious, yet doable. Think about what you’re likely to be able to achieve when you start out with your PR campaign and remember, you can always aim for bigger and better things as you become more experienced with your PR activities.

Relevant: Your goals have got to be relevant to you and your business. So don’t aim to get coverage in a well known publication just for the sake of it, if it’s not actually going to benefit your business. Think about what you hope to achieve with your PR campaign – raise your profile, get more exposure, gain kudos with prospective customers, etc – then think of how you can do it.

Time-Based: Adding a time-frame to your goals makes them easier to accomplish. So, if your goal is to secure coverage in a particular publication, give yourself a time-frame to achieve this. Remember that different publications have different deadlines – some of them work months in advance – so don’t set your goal as ‘appear in magazine by such-and-such date.’ Instead, aim to secure some coverage or get a positive response from a journalist by a certain date.

Did you find this post useful or do you have any questions? Leave a comment below and let me know. And if you’ve set SMART goals for your PR campaign then tell me! And don’t forget to share this post with your networks.