Tools to help you create your own PR
Two trends in PR are shifting some responsibilities from PR agencies to their customers, so every company now has to become more directly involved in their PR.Firstly, communications are shifting from a small number of releases sent out occasionally to a wide audience, to a large number of specialized communications sent frequently to specialized groups. These tailored communications use formats such as emailers, vlogs, blogs and so on, and a slightly updated form of the traditional news release. These work best where companies have as much involvement as possible in content, but under expert guidance.
Secondly, RSS, alerts and SEO all reward companies that directly engage with other commentators on the web, including journalists and bloggers. That involves excellent web monitoring and assessment of opportunities, followed by friendly, expert participation in a dialogue. Again, expert guidance is helpful.
So the role of the PR company is moving away from content creation and dissemination to direct assistance in these activities, and indirect help through devising PR plans and tools to aid monitoring and participation. We are keen to give you our direct expertise in this, but we'd also like to provide you a few tools and tips for free. They're not a substitute for our services, more a helpful introduction to them.