5 Effective Ways to Generate Leads with PR

Influencing audiences to take action has always been at the core of what public relations is all about. That’s what makes PR such a great tool to improve lead generation.  Here are five surefire PR tactics that can help your business generate more qualified leads. 

1) Editorial Outreach

Editorial outreach is the most common and fundamental PR technique to help generate leads. When your company, products, services, management team, etc are featured in a magazine or newspaper or showcased on a television or radio news program—people (a.k.a. prospects) take notice! Editorial coverage can directly lead to more calls and increased website traffic immediately following a hit.  In addition to improving lead generation, editorial placements can also help to increase conversion rates^[1], since earned media provides your business with credible, third party endorsements.  If somebody is choosing between your company and another company to do business, and they see your company featured in Forbes magazine, that can be the push they need to choose your company over the other.

2) Extending the Shelf Life of Earned Media

When you earn a great media hit with a noteworthy outlet, most companies simply post it to the “news” section of their website. However, your company can get more lead-generating mileage out of its editorial coverage by taking the following actions:

• Sharing the media placement through relevant social media channels.  Be sure to link back to the media outlet on Facebook or use their Twitter handle. By doing so, you may be able to get even more love (i.e. capitalize on their fans and followers) from your postings. In addition to recycling your news on social media, don’t forget to reach out to your contacts to see if they’ve seen the news about your business—they could share your placement too! ^[2]

• Repurposing significant news coverage in various marketing collateral, sales materials and customer newsletters.

• Creatively displaying major media placements at trade shows and conferences to add impact to your company’s booth and visually showcase reputable endorsements for your products and/or services.

3) Press Releases