John Sternal, a seasoned PR specialist, wrote an e-book that will certainly be of interest to many of you: the PR Toolkit, a public relations guide for small businesses.
At his Web site UnderstandingMarketing.com you will find several articles about marketing and PR .
In this interview, John talks about the importance of PR for a business, the role played by the Internet and PR mistakes that a small business owner must avoid.
- Why did you write this e-book?
A couple of things inspired me to write the e-book.
First, there are millions of small businesses out there that simply don’t (and may never) have the budget to hire a PR or marketing firm to get their name out there. We’re talking a good $5,000 a month to hire a good PR firm. In this economy especially, small business isn’t writing that check. That being said, I’m a very large believer in small business since my father owned one and my wife currently is starting one. Small business deserves to have a level playing field.
Second, we’ve seen six-plus million people join the unemployment ranks since January 2008. A good majority of these people are going to be the ones to pull us out of this recession since they’ll be starting up their own small business with new goods and services (especially since corporate America won’t be hiring them back any time soon). So I wanted the e-book to help these start-ups as well. For $29.99 you can get basically many of the same results that a PR firm will get for you because it shows you how to get more media exposure.
- How did you condense your nearly 20 years of professional experience in the e-book’s 30 pages?
Well, naturally there are still some secrets I wasn’t able to fit into this edition. And I’ll be planning more toolkits in the future that focus on specific areas of PR and promotions. But it’s amazing how much PR you truly can get for your business just by focusing on the fundamentals—with a few really good secrets sprinkled in as well.
I could have easily had this e-book span 100 pages, but I didn’t want any fluff in this e-book. I can’t stand it when I read a book that says it will show you how to do something, and all it does is talk in circles chapter after chapter. I wanted to get down to business and make it an easy read so that any small business can put it down after 30-45 minutes and be ready to do some really great PR.
- What’s the actual importance of PR for a small business?
PR accomplishes several things. It gets people talking about you, which ultimately increases your sales, revenues and profits. It keeps customers interested so that you can sustain that level of increased profits. It makes you look like a bigger company, especially if The New York Times is talking about you, for example. And it establishes much-needed credibility since other people are talking about how great you are instead of you talking about how great you are. When you take all of this, combined with the fact that you can get it for $29.99 instead of the thousands you’d have to spend on a PR firm or placing an advertisement, it makes great business sense.
- From a PR standpoint, what’s the worst mistake a small business owner can make?
The worst thing a small business owner can do is either not give PR a chance or give up too easily. I want every small business owner to know that they are capable of doing great PR, but that doesn’t mean it comes easy or that it happens over night. You have to work at PR just like you have to work at a marriage because there are many similarities.
PR is about building trust and solid relationships with the media, and that just doesn’t happen over night. Plus, there is an element of sales involved, since you’re basically selling a story idea to a reporter. Plus, since you can’t really control the timing of a story, you have to have patience with reporters. But persistence is as big a part of this game as skill is, and this e-book talks about how to be persistent in all the right ways. Yes, there is a difference between good persistence and bad persistence.
- Which role does the Internet play in a small business’ overall PR strategy?
Like in many other facets of business, the Internet is playing a much larger role today in PR. But that’s a good thing because it’s bringing more opportunity to more people.
From free press release publishing Web sites to reporter resources like HelpAReporterOut.com, the Internet is enabling everyone to be their own PR person. What’s more, social media sites like Facebook.com and Twitter.com are going to change the world of PR and journalism forever. I promise you this. Every small business owner MUST be getting familiar with these Web sites because it’s less the future and more the now.
- How would you feel if you found out that a reader got so excited over the ebook’s content, that he/she decided to start a career in the PR industry?
I’d like to think it wouldn’t surprise me. I wrote this e-book with all the passion I have for PR. If it inspires someone to actually pursue a career in PR then that means that passion came through in those 30 pages. I’d be honored to have that person as a colleague for life.
John, thank you for your answers!
