What Everyone Says After They Try Small Business PR

Small business PR is amazing. Of course, I'm biased. I'm a publicist who loves helping small businesses get the attention they deserve. 

What stuns me is that so many small business owners have no idea what to expect when it comes to PR. They don't know why they should have a PR strategy. And they don't know how it will help their business grow. 

Some other forms of communication are easier to grasp. For example, most people are already on social media, so it's only a few familiar clicks to put their business on social media too. Few people have worked a PR strategy into their personal lives, so it's not second nature to just start a PR strategy. 

If this sounds like you, if you are wondering how a PR strategy can help your small business, here are the three things I hear from small business owners after they try PR. 

"Small business PR is a great way to get the word out there"

When you land your product in a gift guide or are mentioned in a big news story, more people are going to be exposed to your brand. 

I got this email from Ashley Pinchev, founder of Worthington Corners, a luxury scarf brand. Here's what she had to say about getting the word out there! 

“Hi Rebekah! I wanted to reach out and say thank you for your expertise in the Holiday Gift Guide webinar. After taking your webinar, I was able to land my products in both Traditional Home and Southern Living magazines for Nov/Dec! For a small business like mine, this is huge and I would not have known where to even start without your course.”

"Small business PR helps build credibility"

Think about all the times you've flipped open a magazine and read an article that quoted experts. When that expert is you, it cements your credibility in the field. 

In one case, I helped a local doctor secure media placements that earned him national attention. Even though he was only seeing patients in his local area, brands started reaching out to him for his expertise which helped him grow his small business far outside the bounds of his local community. 

The reason is because that writer is choosing and vouching for you when they publish about your brand. They're basically saying, this company is worth writing about! 

"Small business PR is inexpensive (compared to advertising)"

If you pay for an advertisement, you have to keep paying to continue getting that exposure. In PR, you’re after earned media and earned media is just that: earned. That means that you earn it rather than pay for it. In effect, each placement is free. 

But I do need to explain this a little more. If you're trying to hire a PR firm, PR can be really expensive. HOWEVER, you can totally DIY your small business PR strategy and not pay a PR firm at all.

And if you're not sure how to be your own publicist, I have plenty of resources in my online shop to get you started. 

Sandra Foreman, the founder of The Spa in Me, LLC took this route. 

"Without Fifteen Media, my small company's budget would not have allowed me to contract with a traditional public relations firm. I'm thankful Rebekah has created an alternative that is greatly needed for a small business."

As you can see, there are lots of good things to say about small business PR, you just need to have a small business PR strategy!