It’s time for another entry into the Hugoversity library and this month Prefect Natalie has been enjoying learning valuable lessons from Natalie Trice’s book PR School: Your Time To Shine.
If you’re like us and keen to discover something new every day, refine your PR skills, or even simply refresh your memory of the key reasons why what we do as PR pros is so important, then this is the book for you.
What’s it all about?
All things PR of course! What I love about this book is that it truly takes you right back to the basics of PR – it reminds you why we do what we do, and the immense impact it can have on a brand and its relationship with its target market.
From insightful tips and advice from industry leaders to homework tasks, which help the information you’ve just read really sink in, and guidance for dealing with the challenges many face in public relations, this book is a great guide to have to hand.
There are 12 vital lessons that any PR professional starting their career, or business owner who is looking to dip their toe into the PR ocean, need to learn.
I can’t cover all the lessons in this review of course, but I’ll give you an overview. This book delves into all kinds of PR, including social media.
But before you start posting away, you need to think about your brand’s story (and if you’re not sure where to start, there’s a great homework exercise to help you in lesson three). From deciding what your story is to who you want to hear your story and where you want it to be shared, there’s quite a big brainstorming process to go through before you start PR-ing, but I promise you it’s worth it.
Throughout this book, Trice reminds the reader to reflect on their brand’s ‘why’ and story as it’s incredibly important to a successful PR journey. When it comes to looking at which media to target, many believe that quantity is best, but this couldn’t be further from the truth, especially when it comes to building relationships with your ‘media tribe’, as Trice describes them. Quality is much better than quantity – if you bear in mind your aim and your vision for your business, then specifically target a small number of media outlets to create strong relationships with, you’ll be well on your way to winning the PR game. You may only have a list of five to 10 publications and journalists, but if you can build a trusted relationship with them (Trice has some great top tips on how to do this!), you’ll find that in time they’ll come to you for quotes, or help with articles, rather than you having to chase them.
Another important lesson I want to highlight is number five – making the most of the world of bloggers, vloggers and influencers, which have soared in popularity since the pandemic. This type of PR activity has never been more crucial and these social media superstars are going to continue to be vital for helping brands to build relationships in 2022, and beyond. Trice has some great tips on where to find the perfect brand ambassador and I love her advice on this – remember your ‘why’ and work with someone who shares the same values as you.
Homework
If you’re the type of person who learns best by practising or writing notes down, you’ll love the homework sections!
In each chapter (aka lesson) you are presented with a variety of tasks to complete to put into practice what you’ve learned. It really helps you to get the creative juices flowing and it’s the perfect way to ensure the information you’ve read has truly sunk in.
What did we learn?
I think the question we should be asking here is what didn’t we learn? This book offers pages of incredible top tips and expert advice to help you, and your brand, on your PR journey.
The most important lesson I learned is to simply get started with PR and not be afraid of it. There may be lots of different types of PR activities to master, but if you can get started on just one, and do it to the best of your ability, your brand will start to shine.
And in terms of specifics, I loved this fantastic top tip from Tamara Stringer of Incredibly Social, who suggests that brands post three to 10 Instagram Stories a day to remain at the front of their customers’ minds – certainly something we try to bear in mind when planning social activities for our clients.
However, the key lesson that informs a lot of the book is to remember that ultimately people buy from people. If you can tell your story powerfully enough and take your target market on the journey with you, you’ll build a loyal fan base, who will become your key brand ambassadors.
If you don’t fancy reading this book, or you simply don’t have time and would prefer us to do the hard work for you, email us study@hugoversity.com or call 01325 486666.
