Starting out with no more than a laptop, a little black book and a fire in my belly, I established Chalmers News PR five years ago after stepping away from a career in journalism spanning three decades.
Today, I am proud to be able to reflect on the growth of my business and am thankful for the opportunities it’s afforded me – not least working with so many inspirational entrepreneurs.
As a PR, I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside SME owners in and beyond the Warwickshire area and across a broad range of sectors, from retail, leisure and hospitality through to charities. Playing even a small part of their journeys to growth – and championing their achievements – feels extremely rewarding.
In my approach to PR, I work hard to bring forward the human story behind every business – the all-too-familiar tale of sacrifice, resilience and vision that drives their success. More recently as well, their tenacity in overcoming the challenges of a global pandemic and a prolonged period of economic uncertainty. Raising awareness has never been a more important part of a long-term business strategy.
It’s in helping businesses navigate choppy waters that public relations and marketing expertise can play an even more integral role in them going on to not only survive, but thrive.
My background as a journalist – including five years as a newspaper editor – affords me a unique insight into the workings of a busy newsdesk and arms me with the skills to write – and pitch – an impactful press release that will hit the mark every time.
And then my contacts in local and national media help ensure your story sees the light of day. Clients walk away at the end of their campaigns contented with the results – and hungry for more!
But, at the heart of it all is my passion for independent businesses. I’m proud too, that as a small business owner myself, I’m able to keep prices affordable, so for the first time making professional PR accessible to all.
It’s accepted by most that a good PR is a wise investment for any business – and SMEs are no different. Sad then that many assume it’s out of their financial reach and don’t budget for it.
For the duration of our time together, all clients will work directly with me as I gently guide them through the process, providing an honest appraisal. If I don’t believe in a campaign idea I will tell you so – and then find a better alternative. Time and money are precious.
Most of all, PR is a partnership. Combining your business passion and know-how with your PR professional’s vision and expertise, will see the results follow! You’ll be amazed at what we can achieve – together!
Whether you just need a helping hand with your press release, one-to-one PR training or want to turn all the PR over to a professional, I can help elevate your brand.
Visit www.chalmersnewspr.co.uk or contact me at amanda@chalmersnewspr.co.uk to set up a no-obligation chat.
To celebrate my fifth anniversary I am offering an exclusive 15% discount on all PR packages for new clients who sign up by the end of March 2024. Just email: amanda@chalmersnewspr.co.uk and quote ST15 to trigger a no-obligation conversation and get the ball rolling.
Top tips for effective PR
Be prepared
Do you have a website you’re happy with? Are your social media profiles kept up to date? Do you have access to a bank of professional print-quality photographs?
Set PR Targets
Decide what it is that you’re trying to achieve, such as appearing in a specific publication, generating more web traffic, or appearing in more Google search results?
Know your audience
Try to create content that relates to your target audience and research where best to reach that audience.
Think like a journalist – or at least the reader
Be honest in your appraisal of the most newsworthy angles for your business/organisation. Would this interest you if it wasn’t your business?
Humanise where possible
People are interested in people. If the story of your business or brand can feasibly have a person or persons at the centre of it – go down this route.
Proofread
Learn the art of press release writing or pay a professional to do that bit for you. Writing is not everyone’s forte and no matter how strong the angle, if it’s poorly conveyed it can be missed.
Think outside the box
The more original your angle or idea, the more the media will buy into it and the less likely anyone else has done it before.
A picture paints a thousand words
The importance of a good accompanying photo(s) cannot be overstated. An impactful or interesting image can have a big influence on story selection as well as make it memorable to readers. No headshots, cheesy thumbs up poses or logos.
Get your timing right
The backdrop of a big breaking national news story, can offer beneficial timing if it can relate in some way to your press release (eg. Your charity is helping with mercy missions during a war or your restaurant is feeding frontline workers while they’re closed during the pandemic!) If, however, a big story has broken that morning that has no relevance to your brand, postpone issuing your own press release, where possible, until that noise has died down. The journalistic resources will all be focusing their attention elsewhere and will be stretched.
Be pitch perfect
Gone are the days of sending out mass-pitching emails, crossing your fingers and hoping that a couple hit the mark. Newsdesk resources are scarce and reporters have less time to trawl through numerous emails. However it also means they are more reliant than ever on user-generated content, so follow all the basic rules of press release writing – and you’re in with a fighting chance. And be sure to include the local angle high up if it’s regional press.
The whys and wherefores
Who, What, Why, Where and When? Make sure it’s all covered in the press release. No unanswered questions.
Customer engagement strategies
Consider hosting a competition or poll to engage with potential customers.
Exercise persistence but patience
Building trust and relationships with the media is key to your success but don’t pester. Give them time to go through what you’ve sent and only follow up once.
Resist ‘sales language’
If your press release has even the slightest whiff of anything commercial about it, it will go one of two ways – on the ‘spike’ or forwarded to the Sales Manager who will try and tap you up for a paid advert!
Strategic partnerships
These can help raise brand awareness by working with an influencer or earning celebrity endorsement.
Charity collaboration
Aligning your brand to a charity in some way massively dilutes any commercial feel to the press release and helps amplify the message to a wider audience thanks to the charity’s network of supporters. Not forgetting the feel-good factor of such positive PR!
Know your competition
Researching and following your competition will help identify gaps in the market or any other opportunity to gain a competitive advantage.
Amplify the results
Capitalise on digital coverage by sharing it via your own social media platforms and tag all relevant businesses and groups so they can help amplify it too!
Enter awards
Research the best awards for your brand and enter! You’ve got to be in it to win it – and a win is PR gold.
Review and evaluate
Be reflective on the previous year and the one before that too. What worked for your company? What didn’t work?
Don’t be afraid to fail
The path to success is littered with failures. It’s no different with PR. Trial and error will lead you down the right path for your own business success story. Identify the techniques that work best for your business and throw all your efforts behind those going forward.