Catriona Pollard, Author at CP Communications

5 PR tactics you should be using right now

It’s always a good idea to every so often take a deep look into your business and think about what steps can be taken in order to improve it. If you’ve set a goal to improve your PR, then we’ve got 5 great suggestions that you can use.

1. Increase your social media activity

Do you have a social media profile you don’t use often? Then how about you change that by becoming more active on social media and increase the benefits for your business.

Social media is a great communication tool which can help to build your reputation, gain valuable customer feedback, attract new customers and position yourself or your business as an expert in your industry.

Get active on social media by commenting on other people’s posts, sharing engaging content and creating a social media strategy. You should also dedicate enough time to create a strong presence online and gain more followers.

Building an online profile can be time consuming but there are some time saving tricks to help you. You may also want to consider hiring a social media agency to take care of your social media and to help you get even more results.

2. Come up with a PR strategy

Do you want to see your business appearing in a number of media outlets? If so, you can achieve this by developing a PR strategy for your business.

A PR strategy will help you target your communication to the right audience and the right publications at the right time. A strategy can also help you to define your target audience and allow you to develop the right key messages to communicate to them.

Without a strategy, you won’t have a clear goal for your PR activities, which will make it difficult to measure your success. If this sounds too difficult then you can always employ a PR agency to help you raise your profile in the media.

3. Follow the news

To find media opportunities for your business you need to read the news and media publications to stay up to date on current events and industry news. This will help you to find current newsworthy angles to help promote your business.

Start by regularly reading the publications you want to be featured in and the publications related to your industry. This will help you get to know the topics these publications cover, the names of key journalists and what each journalist specialises in. This knowledge will help you to tailor your media pitches, which will give you a better chance of gaining a media interview or getting an article published.

4. Get comfortable with public speaking

If you’re truly interested in raising your business’ profile, you should consider doing so through public speaking.

Speaking at conferences and events is a great way to position yourself and your business as an expert and a thought leader in your industry. It can also lead to a range of new opportunities for your business and generate an increase in customers or clients.

You don’t need to be a professional speaker, you just need to have an expert knowledge in a particular field, be able to speak clearly and have an engaging presence on stage.

Your first steps to becoming a public speaker should involve choosing an area of expertise you want to build your profile in. This is usually related to your profession and enables you to promote your business. Next you can start volunteering to speak at events in your industry or join networking groups which offer speaking opportunities.

5. Pitch yourself to the media

Sometimes, while you’re browsing through the latest news articles you’ll find a key competitor of yours is being featured. The sight of this might be frustrating, but understand that you could be in the same place if you were to start contacting and pitching interesting story ideas to journalists.

To do so successfully, you must consider many aspects. Firstly, you need to critically examine what you have to offer in order to determine if it’s a newsworthy piece that a journalist would be interested in.

Furthermore, when pitching to a journalist you should serve up the most compelling content in a short, summarized format so that they can see the most crucial information immediately. Finally, you should also take advantage of breaking news stories and putting your own spin on them. This might be by providing an expert quote or an interesting point of view that’s relevant to the topic.

Want to start building your own PR strategy? Download this FREE Public Relations Strategy Checklist:

Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more PR tips see www.PublicRelationsSydney.com.au

by Catriona Pollard

3 tips for using Snapchat to improve customer loyalty

Snapchat has become one of the most popular must-have social media platforms for individuals as well as businesses.

According to Hootsuite, the platform had an immense increase in its daily users from 5 million in December 2013 to 100 million in December 2016. It also has with over 10 billion videos watched per day, nearing those on Facebook.

The primary users of Snapchat are aged between 18 and 24 years, with more than two-thirds comprising of females. This creates a huge opportunity for businesses to foster customer loyalty, particularly among a younger female demographic.

Here are some simple tips to help you use Snapchat to enhance customer loyalty and improve the reputation for your business.

1.Create intimacy through content

Snapchat allows viewers to see your brand from a closer perspective and have inside knowledge of your business which can build trust and loyalty with followers.

Think about the quirky individual aspects of your business, and visually show your audience how you are different, for instance convey your business’ unique personality with emotions your audience can relate to and engage with. Basic selfies and mundane daily activities won’t be received as well as engaging content. Add a sense of intimacy so your audience can relate to your business.

2. Add value and benefits

Give your audience a good reason to add your business on Snapchat. Along with sharing personal content, offer something that your customers haven’t already seen on Instagram or Facebook. Keep Snapchat’s content separate from other social media channels, and consider uploading exclusive behind the scene photos and videos, running competitions, or pushing out vouchers that add value to your customers’ experience

3. Consistency is key

Aim for consistent content that reflects your brand and the perception you want to create. As Snapchat only captures users’ attention for 10 seconds or less at a time, focus on conveying your message clearly when sharing content. Avoid delivering too many photos or videos to each user’s account as it can be considered as spamming. Instead, utilise the ‘My Story’ mode by posting photos and videos that create a creative and interesting narrative. Consider creating a content calendar, and plan (especially during special events or launches) to consistently release your exclusive content.

Continuing to develop your content on Snapchat can greatly benefit your business’ reputation. The personal insights that Snapchat can give you will allow you to understand your customers better, and can become a valuable social media tool to grow your business.
For more social media tips download this free ebook:

by Catriona Pollard

What you can learn from ancient storytelling

As an entrepreneur and thought leader it’s critical you know how tell your story. It’s through storytelling that we connect with others and how we can share information with others in a way that is powerful and memorable.

Everyone has stories to tell. They can be the stories of who you are, what you stand for and why others should get to know you.

Storytelling is not new. It is embedded in our human history. For instance, Indigenous Australians have a rich history of storytelling and it plays a very important role in their culture.

Their stories are handed down from generation to generation and are about the air, the land, the universe, people, culture and history.

One of my favourite storytellers is Auntie Julie Freeman who I was lucky enough to sit and listen to her stories a few years ago as part of an Indigenous festival. She is an elder and a Traditional Owner from Wreck Bay in the Booderee region of NSW. Auntie Julie holds the sacred role of storyteller.

Take a look at this video where Auntie Julie tells of the Waratah Creation Story, a story of proper behaviour in her ancestral region.

For me this is storytelling at its finest: powerful, honest, emotional and moving.

Auntie Julie says that once you start seeing the stories in the landscape around you, you being to see things differently. “Everything is connected – the ocean, the wind, the trees, the landscape and the people.”

We are all connected through our shared experiences and the stories we tell. Isn’t it time you started telling you?

To learn how to tell your entrepreneur story, read this great post with tips on how to get started.

In my book, 'From Unknown To Expert', I explain in detail how you can be sharing your stories. Get your copy HERE.

by Catriona Pollard

Expanding your business using social media

Would you like to find ways to engage with online audiences and expand your business horizons? Social media can help secure your business’ long term survival, by connecting you with potential customers.

Starting a new business can be daunting and finding ways to promote growth equally challenging. Social media has the ability to connect entrepreneurs with audiences, helping grow their contacts. It has the ability to increase visibility, facilitate networking with followers and allow your content to reach its target audience with ease.

Social networking defined

Social networking involves developing relationships by leveraging your online presence. How you conduct yourself online and the impact of this presence has a strong and lasting impact on your personal brand and business.

It is important not to focus too strongly on using social networking to gain new business, rather see it as an opportunity to build a support system for your business. Developing strong social networks online can help create a referral system for your business, which can ultimately help to stimulate new business.

Getting started with social networking

Leveraging your Facebook connections

Facebook is a particularly powerful social media platform. Use it to build your profile, engage with consumers and promote your business. Facebook relationships act as gateway to a wider audience and potential customers.

By keeping your posts concise, upbeat and relevant, your content has a greater chance of catching your audience’s attention, while simultaneously increasing the shareability factor.

Make use of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is another effective means for developing online connections. LinkedIn is a networking tool that can connect you with your peers and influencers within your field. It can help generate a great support system for your business as well as possible new opportunities.

On LinkedIn, entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to display their expertise, experience and thought leadership. In order to make the most out of LinkedIn be sure to set up a detailed profile, and regularly post interesting content that will appeal to your connections.

Use Twitter to engage with audiences

Twitter is a fantastic platform as it is content heavy and suitably fast paced, however this pace can be overwhelming. Yet it is an advantageous platform for those able to harness its power. It allows an interactive relationship to develop between your business, consumers and peers, solidifying relationships between the two.

It can offer a human element to your organisation by allowing real time conversations and dialogue to take place.

The final thing to remember is that your network can never be too big. Networking platforms, such as those mentioned above, are a wonderful means for connecting with peers, consumers and ultimately like-minded audiences. By entering into a dialogue with audiences online, you are able to gain insightful advice and inspiration that can help you develop professionally throughout your career.

For more social media tips download this free ebook:

by Catriona Pollard

5 ways to use PR to get more listeners for your podcast

Podcasts are one of the fastest growing media platforms. In 2015 Apple announced it had reached 1 billion podcast subscriptions, spread across 250,000 unique podcasts in more than 100 languages, with more than 8 million episodes published in the iTunes store. Imagine what this number is today!

But with so much competition for listeners and such a noisy online landscape, it can be difficult to attract new listeners to your podcast. This is where PR tactics can help you reach a larger audience.

Here are five PR tips to promote your podcast:

Understand your audience

Your audience is very important to you and your brand. Share and talk about something that is of value to the target audience that also matters to you. By creating content that is interesting and tailored to them, it is more likely to resonate with them and have a higher chance of your podcast being shared on other media platforms.

Stick to your niche

Don’t talk about anything and everything under the sun – ever heard of that saying, “less is more”? By sticking to your niche, you are able to reach a more specific target market that may benefit you and your industry. For instance, if you’re in the PR and social media industry, then focus on producing and sharing content that is specific to PR and social media. Don’t try to be everything to everyone.

Guest interviews

When thinking about inviting guests to your podcast, think about the potential reach it can have. By having featured guests you are able to not only gain insight on what they have to say but you may also be able to reach and form a relationship with their audience. Through your guests, you may be able to grow your following.

Use the media

The media is busting with new opportunities. Look for opportunities to send your podcast content to. When your podcast is specific to an industry, like PR and social media, look for publications that share the same topic or issue. Having your podcast content shared on other media publications would open you up to new and more audiences.

Social media

If there’s one sure fire way to have your podcast reach your audience, it is through social media – tweet it, link it on a Facebook post, share it on LinkedIn or write a blog post about it. This will definitely make your podcast content more shareable and can reach new audiences on multiple social media platforms.

So start podcasting today. If you already have a podcast, use these PR tips to help promote your brand and start letting your voice be heard.

Want more PR and social media tips? Download our FREE ebook.

Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.PublicRelationsSydney.com.au.

by Catriona Pollard

Three quick tips for a stand out elevator statement

Ever get stuck when asked what you do? As an entrepreneur or expert leader in your industry, be it during an interview or while networking, you need to be able to clearly and articulately describe who you are and what you do.

This is what we call an ‘elevator statement’. A quick summary you can use in a situation where you need to explain your role and profession in a clear and concise way.

Whether you’re trying to gain the interest of a potential customer, trying to get the attention of a journalist or simply explaining what you do, having a strong elevator statement is essential.

It’s perfect to use when you need to explain to someone with limited knowledge of your industry what you do, how you do it and who you do it for. It should be simple, short, concise and easy to understand.

Here are three quick tips for rocking your elevator statement:

Write down what you do

Get a pen and paper out and write what you do in different ways. Don’t be too particular at this stage as this first step is for generating ideas and getting a feel for descriptive words.

When writing down what you do, be sure to include what you or your organisation does. Identify what makes you, your organisation or your business idea unique.

Keep in mind your elevator statement should be exciting and memorable. Think about using visual language to describe your role and organisation.

Get another opinion

Once you have made necessary edits and perfected your statement to fit into a 30-60 second time frame, run it by as many people as you can. It helps to do this practice with people you trust that already have some understanding of what you do so they can best provide feedback.

Practice, practice, practice

Now you have your final statement. Write it down and memorise it so you are comfortable delivering it in any situation.

Being able to confidently and clearly articulate your elevator statement is an important skill that can be learned by consistently practicing.

Having a well thought out and practiced statement will help you be seen as more confident and increase your chance of making a good first impression.

In my book, 'From Unknown To Expert', I have a whole section dedicated to writing the perfect elevator statement. Get your copy HERE.

by Catriona Pollard

5 compelling reasons why you need to get media training

Journalists are constantly on the lookout for interesting and engaging stories they can write for their audience. When you make yourself available for commentary, you are positioning yourself and your business as an industry expert.

Media training can be highly effective in assisting you develop the skills to get your message across succinctly and with impact. And when you are an effective spokesperson, the media will return to you again and again for expert commentary on your area of expertise.

Here are our five compelling reasons to consider media training:

1. Learn to boost your public speaking confidence

Media training can teach you how to use your words, tone, and body language to deliver your message in a powerful way. When you are speaking on TV, people are not only listening to you; they are also looking at your body language and facial expressions.

One of the biggest benefits of media training is you can develop your confidence in speaking with the media. Interviews, like live radio or television, can be very daunting and terrifying for many people. However, when you develop your interview skills you will find speaking in the media is one of the most powerful forms of marketing and PR for your business.

2. Learn to clearly and concisely define your key messages

Defining your key messages is essential so you know exactly what you want to convey when you are being interviewed by the media. Your key messages should be original, short, focused on your audience, focused on the benefits of your product or service and use the language that suits your audience.

3. Be prepared for difficult questions

Sometimes journalists can ask you questions that are difficult to answer or put you on the spot. Media training can prepare you for challenging questions so you’re prepared for any unexpected twists or turns in the interview. By preparing yourself for difficult questions you can feel more confident as you step into the interview.

4. Learn to take control of the interview

You are in control of the interview, even though the journalist is the one asking questions. With media training you can learn how to maintain your composure throughout the interview and create the outcome you want.

When you are clear about your answers, you can steer the interview in the direction you want. This is a subtle and important skill that can be learned through media training and practice.

5. Learn how not to be taken out of context

If you go into the interview without having clarity around your key messages or feeling unprepared for difficult questions, the likelihood of being misquoted will be much higher. Media training can help you avoid the possibility of being misquoted through learning the specific skills of clear, concise and effective communication.

Want more PR Tips? Download this free PR Strategy Checklist:

by Catriona Pollard

Sharing your expertise story can transform your business

Your personal brand is crucial to your success and your business’ success and one way to build your personal brand is by telling your expertise story.

We all have stories to share, both personal and professional. Your stories can help others and can also let others know who you are, what you stand for and why they should do business with you.

Once you start telling your stories, you’ll find that your story or what you have to say can change other people’s perception of how they see you. This has the power to transform your business, help you get more customers, build relationships with interesting people and elevate your profile.

What is your story?

Stories are powerful because they package data, logic and analysis into a memorable form – easy to tell, easy to remember and easy to share.

Stories can be anecdotes, commentary and opinions. Good stories build emotion and motivate and inspire people to feel and draw their own conclusions.

How to build your expertise story

In today’s competitive business and media landscape you need to know how to tell your story and share it widely.

To help you build your expertise story, answer these questions:

What are you great at doing? List them.
List the things you do in your day (relating to your work and expertise) that other people would find valuable or interesting.
Are there interesting things happening in your business such as innovations?
Are there things happening in the news or in your industry that you can comment on?
Are there trends happening in your industry or area of expertise that you have an opinion on?

When you have answered these questions, start brainstorming which media you can use to tell your story.

When you start telling your stories you will be amazed with the emotional connection that you start building with them and the relationships you start developing.

It’s time to start telling your Expertise Stories. The media and the world want to hear them.

Want more PR Tips? Download this free PR Strategy Checklist:

by Catriona Pollard

What's your PR personality?

Mastering the art public relations (or PR) can be very satisfying, especially when you start to get noticed in the media.

However, it’s easy to develop bad PR habits when you’re trying getting your message to your audiences.

Here are some PR personality traits you may already recognise and will give you some insight into effective PR.

The non-existent

It’s frustrating to see your competitors in the media but the old adage applies, “You’ve got to be in it to win it”.

If you’re not proactively pitching your stories to the media you are missing opportunities to reach your target audience and position yourself as the expert in your industry.

So don’t be hesitant and wait for attention to come your way, put a PR strategy in place to ensure you get into the spotlight as much as possible.

The scatter-gun

There’s a common misconception that to get maximum exposure you need to saturate the media and send your release to as many journalists as possible –even if they’re not relevant!

In actual fact, this tactic should be avoided. Journalists often receive hundreds of pitches a day, and many of them go straight in the trash due to the content not being relevant to what they write about.

If you fear missing out on getting decent media coverage, the best way to strategise is to create a targeted media list and only pick the journalists who write material relevant to your area and audience.

The promoter

When talking to the media some business people tend to focus too much on selling their clients or products, rather than pitching news-worthy stories. Journalists are not interested in marketing your products and this is a sure fire way to develop bad relationships with them.

Instead, they want engaging stories that will interest their readers. Rather than pushing your products, consider offering your expert opinion about a trend in your industry or share your advice on a problem area your customers commonly come across.

The absent-minded

One of the biggest no-nos when dealing with journalists is getting their name wrong. It is one of the fastest ways to have your email deleted. One of the most important aspects of pitching to journalists is building relationships. So pay attention to detail and get the name right!

The perfect pitcher

These people know the importance of strategy, and have spent time developing their key messages and what they would like to achieve professionally. PR all-stars naturally build on relationships and know there are many different components to effective public relations.

Realising your target audience, putting yourself in other people’s shoes and building relationships with your audience is the all-star personality that will help you be successful and gain the right type of media coverage.

If you recognise any of these personality traits don’t despair! You just need to strategise and do some research when preparing ways to gain media coverage. Consider angles and package them in a way that’s interesting to the journalist your pitching to, and remember the all-star personality traits.

Want more PR Tips? Download this free PR Strategy Checklist:

by Catriona Pollard

How to write a stand out social media bio

Social media is essential to growing your personal and professional brand. As such, your social media bio is a vital part in creating and establishing your reputation online. It can give you the opportunity to introduce yourself and share your success as an expert in your industry.

Developing a bio that promotes your personal brand is an important element of your professional development, and will serve you well for years to come.

Here are a few tips on how to write a bio that will promote your brand, showcase your skills, and get you noticed.

Adapt to your platform
What people need to know about you and how you can influence their opinion is the key to an effective bio. So, you need to be aware of who your audience is and who will be reading it.

If you’re on Twitter or Instagram, be concise and authentic. Create a short snapshot of your personal brand and achievements that will showcase who you are and why you’re an expert. Or on LinkedIn, you can write a longer and more detailed statement of your professional achievements and what you offer others.

Your social media bio should be memorable and original. Think of key words people use to describe you, or would use to find you. Use them to shape a narrative about who you are, and why you’re the expert they’re looking for.

Engage readers
An “inverted pyramid” is one way to catch your audience’s attention – put the most interesting and important information first. If you follow this method, you don’t need to worry about your readers missing out on valuable information about you.

All the essential information such as full name, job title, how to contact you, and what makes you so valuable should always be included in your bio.

By focusing on every word that you use, this can make your bio stronger and provide visibility and engagement to make users interested.

Promote yourself
Look at your social media bio like your business card. Thinking of yourself as a brand may be difficult, but doing so is critical to making your bio work for you.

Think about your achievements. Don’t just say “expert”, but articulate why, and emphasise what’s unique about you. Talking about your success in your field is not bragging, but provides vital information as to why your target audience would want to know more about you. Try writing about yourself in the third person, and outline how your career has developed and what you’ve offered in the past, this is the key to what you can offer those who find you in the future.

As you continue to develop, revisit your work, and keep refining how you present yourself on social media. A great bio will open doors for you and create new opportunities, and will become one of the most important tools on your professional journey.

For more Social Media tips, download the FREE ebook now:

Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.

by Catriona Pollard

5 tips to get the most out of a ho hum event

I’ve been to many events, workshops and conferences, and I must say some were pretty ho hum when it came to content. It is so disappointing when this happens – and let’s not even mention when the speaker turns up late or is disorganised.

So how can you get your money’s – and time – worth when this happens?

Think about it. You’re probably in a room full of people that are similar to you, or you can do business with, or you can build connections with.

Yes, it’s a networking opportunity. This has happened to me countless times, but often I leave with new clients and new friends!

1. Use the breaks to network
Sure the breaks are great to check emails but they are perfect opportunity to chat with other attendees.

2. Swap seats
Rather than sit at the same seat, if possible, move around so you can meet other people.

3. Introduce yourself
The best way to start a conversation while networking is simply saying, “Hello, I’m [name]. What’s your business (or what do you do)?” Don’t forget if you see someone on their own, think of it as the perfect opportunity to say “hi”, ask them how they are and introduce yourself. It can be as easy as that.

4. Meet new people
A big event like a conference can be overwhelming, but an easy way to meet new people is to chat about the program or a speaker you like. A good way to get this conversation started is to ask, “My head is overloaded with great information from today; what gem has resonated with you?”

5. Follow up after the event
If you’ve connected with interesting people, contact them to have coffee or a catch up after the event. Also, you should just stay in contact by connecting with everyone you’ve met on LinkedIn.

Not all is lost when you turn up to an event that isn’t great. Use it to your advantage and you never know what opportunities could come your way.

Want more PR tips? Download this FREE ebook:

by Catriona Pollard

5 ways to make the most of social media

While social media adoption has grown exponentially in Australia, surprisingly some businesses continue to lag behind.

Many Australian businesses have been quick to join their audiences on social media where they are most captive, engaged and active. They are taking advantage of the many opportunities social media presents by tapping into a number of key business areas including customer engagement, lead generation, customer service, employee engagement and corporate branding.

Is your business taking full advantage of the benefits of social media? Here are the steps your business should take to adopt and make the most of social media.

1. Don’t let the risks lead to inaction
Is your company risk averse when it comes to social media? Assessing risk is an essential component of any social media strategy, but it shouldn’t become paralysing. After all, not participating on social media presents the much greater risk of your business falling behind.

By creating a robust social media strategy, good governance arrangements and effective monitoring processes, you will ensure the risks are mitigated and your social media strategy can be executed effectively.

2. Create a social media strategy
Through creating a social media strategy, you can ensure your social media activities are proactive, strategic and planned. A good social media strategy with detailed timeframes will help you to organise your workload, ensure accountability and manage time effectively.

A social media strategy should outline your goals and objectives, identify your target audience, outline your key messages, detail your tactics and timeframe and identify KPIs. It should also outline who will be responsible for social media management and how you will monitor and evaluate social media activity.

Your social media strategy should be a dynamic document which is continually updated and adapted according to what is working and what requires improvement.

3. Share great content
Social media users expect content which is valuable, educational and engaging. In turn, by posting this type of content users are more likely to share content; helping to grow your brand engagement.

Content marketing is a key industry trend on the rise. Think of your business as a content publisher.

Create new content which will resonate with your audience including articles, videos, audio or white papers, and unearth and repurpose your company’s old content. Through sharing great content, your business is given the opportunity to build your thought leadership, carve out your niche area of expertise and drive brand engagement.

4. Encourage engagement
Social media is a fantastic way to create conversations and drive brand engagement. However, often many companies make the mistake of broadcasting information rather than creating a two way dialogue.

Through asking and answering questions, responding to mentions and comments, and joining existing debates and discussions, your business can build a community around your brand. The payoff is an engaged and interested follower base that is more likely to trust you and remain loyal.

5. Measure success
It’s important to measure the success of your social media activities against your goals, objectives and KPIs. By monitoring and evaluating your success you can determine whether your social media activities are working and whether you are getting a return on investment.

A good place to start is by looking at your social media statistics. There are many social media monitoring tools available which can track social media reach, influence and engagement. By analysing these statistics you will get a good handle on whether your strategy is successful.

The social media landscape is constantly changing and it is easy to fall behind. Only by adopting social media, staying abreast of change and making the most out of social media channels, can your business keep up and thrive.

Want more social media tips? Download this FREE ebook:

by Catriona Pollard

Catriona Pollard

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