A good PR agency will be able to plan and deliver successful public relations campaigns. At Radioactive PR, delivering creative campaigns and achieving great results is our bread and butter.
Although PR coverage is never guaranteed (take a look at this blog we wrote specifically about why agencies shouldn’t guarantee media coverage) we’ve found that there are a few key elements that make a successful campaign. It always useful to consider these when planning a campaign.
So, what are the must-have ingredients of successful PR campaigns? We would say:
- It should be attention-grabbing or really, really interesting: a lot of of our campaign ideas are definitely attention-grabbing. In that sense it could be something that is really creative and shows off your brand’s personality, something controversial that will cause a stir, something funny or something just really interesting. With this in mind, always make sure that it will appeal to your target audience.
- It includes a grain of truth: we know that this is a key factor in a successful campaigns. Essentially the grain of truth might relate to some science or a fact that people can can relate to. For our ‘Beard Stroking’ campaign, for the male grooming brand Mo Bro’s, we used the science that when people stroke a pet it helps us to produce a hormone that relieves stress. We set up ‘Beard Stroking’ booths to relieve the stress of Christmas shoppers. Similarly, for our client Childcare.co.uk, we used some research that revealed parents are most worried about their kids being bullied – a fact most parents can relate to. We worked with Childcare.co.uk and The Jiu Jitsu Foundation to launch self-defence classes for children at the same time as Anti-Bullying Week. Both of these campaigns were huge – as have many others that start with a grain of truth.
- It needs to be relevant to the client: often a PR agency, like ours, will think outside of the box and come up with some really quirky campaign ideas for a client but we will always make sure it’s relevant. Otherwise we’re at risk of alienating the target audience. Even if the idea doesn’t directly relate to the product or service of the brand its for, a clear, relevant premise – that other people will understand – is important.
- It should work to achieve set objectives: an objective or objectives should always be set before campaigns are planned. An objective might be to generate brand awareness among a specific audience or PR for SEO (driving traffic to a site and generating a wide amount of links from high-ranking sites). The tactics and delivery of your campaign should work towards achieving the objectives – otherwise, what’s the point of doing it at all?
- It should be simple to explain what the campaign is about: by being able to explain it simply in a few sentences will ensure that it’s straightforward and your target audience will understand it quickly. It will also help when the team is pitching the story to journalists. If it takes a bit of explaining for people to understand, it can take the magic out of a creative idea.
Need a PR campaign for your business or brand? Then please drop our PR agency a line.