As a freelance press officer, I represent brands, individuals, and companies to the press and handle public relations. This includes a PR strategy that is aligned with the objectives and the brand story.
Starting Point: The Brand
First, I get to know the brand and the people behind it. Based on this, I develop a PR strategy and we discuss the target media, or the “Relevant Media Set”. Part of the PR strategy also involves identifying the content we want to communicate—content that is genuinely relevant to both the press and the customer.
From Strategy to Publication
The next step is to build a distribution list. I have an extensive network of journalists and press contacts, which I am happy to bring into my work. PR is still very much a “people business”. Depending on the industry and subject area, the media landscape varies and is often divided into trade and consumer publications. In the B2B sector, trade titles tend to be the only ones that matter, while in B2C, both types of magazines are relevant. Once we have identified topics based on the brand concept, these need to be put into words and scheduled in a plan indicating when each topic will be “played”. For each topic, I prepare press materials, usually consisting of a press release and accompanying images. It is essential to ensure that the images in particular meet the required press standards. Distribution is handled via digital solutions, but telephone contact and follow-up with selected press partners remain crucial. Timing also plays a significant role—lead times, seasonality, and similar factors must be taken into account depending on the topic.
PR versus Advertising
I see traditional PR, both online and offline, as a means of distributing information and communication. As a freelance press officer, I ensure that the key and important information reaches the right magazine and the appropriate journalist, who should also have a genuine interest in the information. What the editorial team ultimately does with the information is up to them. Good journalists and editors use the information to craft a story that contains a healthy degree of objectivity and their own opinion. This often includes a critical, journalistic perspective on the subject. Examples include corporate news or personality PR, as well as product tests or comparisons. This is distinct from product PR, which is mainly focused on the straightforward presentation and depiction of products, including core information such as price, short descriptions, and availability. This is typically found in home, tabloid, or lifestyle magazines.
PR must also be distinguished from so-called “advertorials”. Clear advertising must be labelled as such. In advertorials, information is presented exactly as it was booked, without any editorial influence. This is nothing more than an advert written in the style of an article, and its value corresponds to the advertising budget spent. In contrast, articles resulting from traditional PR work are considered to be of much higher value in terms of both price and credibility due to the additional editorial input.
Integrated Communication Means Offline and Online
A press release should always be offered across all available channels. Magazines and journals often publish news items across all their available channels, and I recommend brands and companies do the same. All available communication channels should be used simultaneously—but be careful! Each channel requires different formats. To secure an article in a magazine, you need a factually written, informative press release with genuinely relevant aspects, and, if necessary, additional material in the form of images, audio, or video. Supplementary material should also be made available on a website. The same information is presented in very different ways on other channels, such as social media—Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn.
Social Media Needs Performance Marketing
The same information must be delivered in different content formats. On Twitter, you have a maximum of 140 characters. The image size is 1024×512 px. Facebook, on the other hand, offers various formats. A classic “post” can contain more text and is expandable. But does that help with reach? Around 2,000 factors are relevant in the algorithms’ assessment of whether my news is distributed within the network. Even text within images is read—here, for example, a maximum of 20% text is allowed, otherwise reach is penalised. The original picture book “Instagram”, for example, now allows more text in posts again, which increases the relevant dwell time and thus the relevance of a feed post. Instagram Stories, on the other hand, work according to completely different factors. For me, it’s always important to stay up to date with how and when algorithms change. But as part of a holistic communication strategy, social media is essential. And to ensure that someone actually notices my activities, an online marketing budget is absolutely necessary. Content is still king, but to achieve reach, a monetary investment is crucial.
