Business Fit Magazine October 2019 Issue 1 | Page 34

Business Many businesses wonder how they can land media opportunities, feeling as though they are not worthy of “feel-good” stories that can be shared with others. There is always an opportunity to share valuable content that activates the audience- through clever, strategic PR Stunts…but what, exactly, are PR Stunts? PR Stunts are either events or initiatives which connect two or more organisations (typically a local business to a nonprofit) with a clear intention to benefit both. The receiving organisation (i.e. nonprofit) gets the financial support or goods for their constituency and the giving business gets the positive “feel-good” exposure with their client base and local community through media placements (i.e. radio and TV public service announcements or newspaper articles). Selection of a nonprofit: The selection of a nonprofit is critical. Some things to consider: a) It should align with your vision or personal connection (are you recommending they use a personal connection or establish one?). b) It should have a substantial constituency which can expand the reach of your brand. c) It should be proactive to collaborate on the initiative. d) Be grateful for this new relationship so you can infuse other ideas for partnership opportunities in the future. Award-winning serial entrepreneur, Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz, gives Business Fit readers some tips on what should be considered when using PR stunts to ensure maximum benefit. Identifiers when considering a PR Stunt: Strategic- Every PR stunt should be carefully planned and executed to ensure maximum benefits and exposure. Collaborative- PR stunts are founded on collaboration with nonprofits or other groups in need - communication and ongoing support is very important. Resourceful- Due to the nature of PR stunts, they are typically done with limited resources (either time, money or support) and the person coordinating them should be very resourceful in order to connect opportunities which are not easily found. Creative- Creativity plays an imperative role 34 Important items to know when conducting a PR Stunt: Photos- It is important to capture photos or video which depict the story in every one of these initiatives in order to get the full benefit of this promotion. Sharing- Use the photos and videos to share on social media vehicles, send them on an eblast or newsletter to your contacts, add to your blog or email signature, but most importantly, send to local media with compelling captions for possible inclusion in their publication offline and online. Follow up- Media outlets receive hundreds of emails every day. Follow up with media outlets a few days after you have sent the photos, especially because they contain attachments. Ideally, you want to give the media outlets heads up that the large high resolution image(s) are coming. Releases- Make sure to have a public release announcement or individual model release if you plan on taking photos during one of these PR stunts, especially when children are involved. If you don’t have their permission, you may still take photos, but make sure their faces don’t show (i.e. if you have a presenter, you take photos of the speaker from behind the audience). Tracking- Make sure each PR stunt is properly documented and shared, if not, it might be a waste of effort. It is important for each business to be strategic about these initiatives in order to get the maximum ROI and ROO. Here are 19 ideas to consider: Idea 1: Buy books from a local author and donate them to a local school - put in a note inside of each book that says: “Book courtesy of ” Idea 2: Choose a local family to give gifts to through a local nonprofit organisation Idea 3: Buy food or coats/gifts to deliver to the local homeless shelter Idea 4: Provide free coffee from a local coffee shop to bring joy to the local community, totally unexpected. Put up a sign outside that says “free coffee today courtesy of ________.” 35