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Project Template and Mapping Document June 25

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Project Template and Mapping Document June 25

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PRCA v1.1 Written Project Template and Mapping June 25

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Portfolio Mapping Document and Gateway June 25

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Portfolio Mapping Document and Gateway June 25

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PR and Communications Assistant v1.1 EPA Gateway Pack v2.0

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PRCA v1.1 Project Scoping Document June 25

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Bronte - The Theory of Planned Behaviour

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Bronte - The Theory of Planned Behaviour

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Transtheoretical Model behavioural change Eva Cadet 

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PR and Comms Assistant Apprentice Toolkit v2-22 May 2022

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Public Relations and Communications Assistant Apprenticeship Standard Level 4 End Point Assessment Plan

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Public Relations and Communications Assistant Apprenticeship Standard Level 4 End Point Assessment Plan

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PR & Communications Assistant Level 4 Handbook

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PR & Communications Assistant Level 4 Handbook

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PR and Communications Level 4 Programme Handbook

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Cream Pastel Cute Natural Glowing Skin Herbs Infographic

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Unit 2 Reputation Management Day 1 slide deck

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Unit 2 Reputation Management Day 1 slide deck

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Unit 2 Reputation Management Day 2 slide deck

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Unit 2 Reputation Management Day 2 slide deck

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Unit 5 Content Production Day 1 slide deck

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Unit 5 Content Production Day 1 slide deck

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Unit 5 Content Production Day 2 slide deck

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Unit 6 Campaign Management Day 1 slide deck

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Unit 6 Campaign Management Day 1 slide deck

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Unit 6 Campaign Management Day 2 slide deck

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Unit 6 Campaign Management Day 2 slide deck

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Lillie and Rosie - Planned Behaviour Theory (1)

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Pat Jackson Public Relations Model (Rebecca)

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Pat Jackson Public Relations Model (Rebecca)

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Why your business needs a Communication Strategy

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Why your business needs a Communication Strategy

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A communication strategy saves you time and money whilst accelerating brand awareness and lead generation.

It is a blueprint for how sales and marketing are going to deliver the business plan and has four main attributes:

1. It defines your value proposition - stipulating why your brand is more desirable than an alternative

2. It determines which sectors present the lowest hanging fruit; so that you can prioritise them

3. It describes your target personas in detail, so that you can understand them and engage with them, in a more meaningful way

4. And finally, it provides you with messaging for every stage of the buying cycle - indicating where objectivity is required and when more focused selling is appropriate.

The comms strategy will inform you as to what brand assets you need to develop, finetune or create.
Its specific nature will help you to decide where to invest your limited resources for greatest impact.

A comms strategy delivers cohesion - it ensures strategic goals are met quicker; your brand awareness is increased, and your competitive advantage - fortified.

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Why your business needs a communication strategy - B2B PR | EC-PR

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A communication strategy saves you time and money whilst accelerating brand awareness and lead generation. It is a blueprint for how sales and marketing are going to deliver the business plan and has four main attributes: 1. It defines your value proposition - stipulating why your brand is more desirable than an alternative 2.

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Neal Schaffer-Social Media Speaker, Author, Consultant, Educator and Influencer

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This post looks at examples of marketers creatively merging public relations (PR) and social media to achieve exposure for their brand, with a little background on the ongoing convergence of social and traditional PR as it once was.

Compared to public relations, social media is the new kid on the block. Since the early 2000s, social media has been a game changer, thanks to smartphones and the post-Myspace networks like Facebook and Twitter and, later on, Instagram and Snapchat.

PR, on the other hand, is a stalwart of the marketing communications world. It hasn't disappeared (thankfully for those of us who work in it). Instead, PR has developed to include social media as an effective communications tool.

These days, for brands' PR departments - whether they're launching their campaigns, promoting new products, or fire-fighting following bad press - social media is often the first place they go to if they want to gain coverage quickly and get their message to resonate with new audiences.

In spite of the relative infancy of digital-age PR, some companies and their agencies have grasped the medium so well that their successes are well worth knowing about. So, as a new year gets underway, start off the year by allowing this collection of the very brightest social-PR campaigns to inspire you.

World Wildlife Fund creates #LastSelfie campaign to connect with millennials (2015)

The brief

Engage with millennials on social media to raise awareness of the planet's most endangered species.

What did they do?

The campaign utilised Snapchat and jumped on the selfie trend to send users ads featuring one of five endangered animals along with the message: "Don't let this by my #lastselfie".

The idea was to ensure Snapchat users saw each image for just a few seconds before it disappeared, illustrating the plight of the animals that are at risk of being wiped off the face of the earth.

Did it work?

50% of all Twitter users (120 million users) saw this campaign from WWF, which resulted in 40,000 tweets about the topic across the globe. Its success came from being able to target a younger generation using a relatively new platform to make an impact.

It was a huge success, gained lots of attention and won plenty of prestigious awards, including a Webby Award for People's Choice: Social Media Campaign in 2015.

Like My Addiction from Addict Aide (2016)

The brief

Highlight hidden addiction amongst young people.

What did they do?

When Louise Delage racked up over 50,000 Instagram likes in just a couple of months, not many people took that much notice. After all, there are loads of fun-loving young people out there with social media accounts bursting at the seams with enviable shots of beaches and tasty dinners.

But this was different. Louise wasn't actually a real person. All of her pictures were staged by a production company for Addict Aide, who wanted to raise awareness of alcoholism amongst young people.

The account had been set up to highlight the hidden dangers of excessive drinking among young people. The giveaway? She had a drink in her hand in every post.

To make it work, each post had 20-30 hashtags to ensure the content was discoverable. Louise's account was set up to be following a certain number of key influencers who, in turn, could help drive users to her account.

The game was given away thanks to a post outlining what had been happening...

Did it work?

The campaign generated over 140 articles discussing its merits. The final video has been viewed over 317,000 times on Instagram alone at the time of writing.

The #IceBucketChallenge to help fund breakthrough ALS research (2014)
The brief
Raise awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

What did they do?

This initiative, which involved people nominating others to throw buckets of freezing cold water over their heads, started off as a small PR project in Massachusetts in 2014.

Did it work?

It's safe to say it took off - The Ice Bucket Challenge went viral with mentions peaking at over 1.3 million in 24 hours after Justin Bieber did the challenge twice over one weekend in August 2014.

Not only did The Ice Bucket Challenge help raise awareness of ALS; other charities also used it to promote their causes, with many people participating and donating to the Motor Neurone Disease Association in the UK.

The ALS Association raised $100 million thanks to The Ice Bucket Challenge. The Motor Neurone Disease Association raised $7 million.

#ThisGirlCan

The brief

Sport England wanted to get women interested in exercising and fitness after it found that fewer than 2mil 14 to 40-year-old women exercise. Despite many claiming they want to be more active.

What did they do?

They produced a number of short films to inspire women to take part in sport and developed an accompanying social media campaign with the hashtag #ThisGirlCan.

Did it work?

One 90-second ad has been viewed more than 37 million times on YouTube and Facebook. The campaign has developed an active social media community of over 500,000. There have been over 660,000 tweets about it so far.

It's proven to be a highly successful campaign. 8,000 organisations got involved, from smaller sports clubs to the English Football Association (FA). While the gender gap between women and men exercising regularly has fallen from 1.78 million to 1.73 million.

Another fantastic example of PR utilising social media to make an undoubted contribution to a great cause.

World Wildlife Fund creates #EndangeredEmoji campaign to highlight plight of endangered animals (2015)

The brief

Connect with a younger audience and highlight the plight of endangered species.

What did they do?

WWF found that 17 characters in the emoji alphabet represented endangered animals. So it sought to translate the popularity of the characters into charitable donations through an innovative campaign.

Initially, WWF tweeted to announce its plan, before asking anyone who wanted to be involved to retweet the initial post to raise awareness. Which also acted as a signal that they wanted to donate.

For every emoji of an endangered animal tweeted, WWF added 10 cents to a voluntary monthly donation. Then, at the end of each month, it provided users with a summary of their endangered animal emoji usage.

Did it work?

The campaign resulted in 559,000 mentions and 59,000 sign-ups between May and August 2015. But it really took off when key influencers and celebrities, actor Russell Crowe and Formula One driver Jenson Button got involved.

Has a social media for PR campaign blown you away? Let us know!

Now you've seen our social media for PR favorites, are there any examples of effective social media-centric campaigns that you want to share? Let me know in the comments below!

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Social Media for PR: Five Creative and Effective Examples

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This post looks at examples of marketers creatively merging public relations (PR) and social media to achieve exposure for their brand, with a little background on the ongoing convergence of social and traditional PR as it once was. Compared to public relations, social media is the new kid on the block.

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All you need to do is download the press release template that fits the story you want to tell about your business and fill in the square brackets.

To make it super easy, and effective, each press release template tells you what you MUST include in each paragraph of the press release - and in what order.

With each template, we suggest the strongest news angle, the media to target and the best image to send with your press release, including an example.

If you follow these instructions you will get the media coverage you want for your business, according to your PR plan.

What we will cover today:

The 17 press release templates for every story and occasion

How to write a press release in detail

How to pitch your press release to the media

Let's get into it:

17 Press Release Templates for Your Business

1. Award Nomination Press Release Template

2. Award Win Press Release Template

3. Book Press Template

4. Charity Event Press Release Template

5. Crisis Statement Press Release

6. Event Press Template

7. Grand Opening Press Release Template

8. Music Press Release Template

9. New Employee Press Release Template

10. New Location Press Release Template

11. New Product Template

12. New Service Template

13. Product Update Press Release Template

14. Rebranding Press Release Template

15. Record Sales Press Release Template

16. Resignation Press Release Template

17. Takeover Press Release Template

1.Award Nomination Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

News angle: Being in the running for an award is by itself newsworthy, as it shows you have done something exceptional - this is what the media loves.

Potential target media: Depending on the size of your business this will usually be a story of interest to your trade sector media or your local/regional press.

Image to go with your press release: A high-resolution photograph of your key team member(s) looking excited with their fingers crossed. Something like this:

2. Award Win Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

Image to go with your press release: A high-resolution photograph of your team with their winning award trophy. Something like this:

3. Book Press Template

Download Press Release Template

News angle: Releasing a new book will be of interest to literary critics who review new book releases each week, so that is your target here. This is not really a news story unless perhaps it is autobiographical and includes some particularly salacious revelations!

Potential target media: The book reviewers of national media outlets or perhaps specialist interest titles if they are relevant to your book.

Image to go with your press release: A high-resolution photograph of the front cover of the book and maybe one of the author. Something like this:

4. Charity Event Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

News angle: Make sure your charity event has something exceptional about it, a particularly brave or ambitious challenge and that it raises a large amount of money!

Potential target media: Usually this type of press release is most suitable for the local/regional press.

Image to go with your press release: You have two options here. Either a traditional image of someone from your company presenting the charity with a large check/cheque (a bit boring) or a member of the fundraising team competing their challenge, i.e. crossing the finishing line at a marathon wearing the charity's t-shirt. Something like this:

5. Crisis Statement Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

Potential target media: This depends on the size of your business and the nature of the crisis. You could well be issuing this to major national media outlets.

Image to go with your press release: This does not require an image.

6. Event Release Template

Download Press Release Template

Potential target media: Depending on the size of your business this can be the mainstream national media, major influencers or your local newspaper.

Image to go with your press release: If the event is for a product launch, have your CEO pictured on stage with the product you are launching, so people can see what will happen. Something like:

7. Grand Opening Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

News angle: To make your grand opening newsworthy, think images - so much news coverage is picture-led. Think about some sort of PR stunt that would give your opening the real 'wow' factor.

Image to go with your press release: Your image needs to convey that your new business is open, welcoming and ready for business. Sure you can include images of ribbon cuttings (yawn) but we prefer something a little more sophisticated. Something like this:

8. Music Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

News angle: Releasing a new single/album will be of interest to music critics who review new music releases each week, so that is your target here. This is not really a news story, unless you are a global megastar - 'hello Beyonce', if you're reading this.

Potential target media: Depending on the level of fame of the artist/band you should target music critics from the national mainstream media down to niche music genre blogs and websites.

Image to go with your press release: Include a copy of your album artwork and then also a decent high-resolution image of the band/artist. Something like this:

9. New Employee Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

News angle: Only issue one of these press releases when you are appointing a senior member of your team. This will always be of interest to your sector trade media.

Potential target media: Trade press.

Image to go with your press release: A standard profile picture of the person you are hiring. Something like this:

10. New Location Release Template

Download Press Release Template

News angle: Try and focus this press release on the fact that, yes you are moving to a new location, but the benefit you will be bringing to that location - the jobs you will be creating.

Potential target media: Local/regional media and possibly trade press.

Image to go with your press release: Include a high-resolution image of your new premises, ideally with team members outside. The media like people more than buildings. Something like this:

11. New Product Template

Download Press Release Template

Potential target media: Your trade sector media and influencers who are interested in your product/brand.

Image to go with your press release: Include a high-resolution image of your new product, whatever that is. No example is needed here as you know what your product is!

12. New Service Template

Download Press Release Template

Potential target media: Your trade sector media and influencers who are interested in your service/brand.

Image to go with your press release: If your service is tech-based then include an image of your app. If it is an offline service then include a high-resolution image of people using your service. So, for example, if you run a restaurant you could go for something like this:

13. Product Update Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

Potential target media: Your trade media and those influencers who are fans of your product.

Image to go with your press release: Include a high-resolution image of your new product update, whatever that is. No example is needed here as you know what your product is!

14. Rebranding PR Template

Download Press Release Template

Potential target media: Trade sector media and influencers who are followers of your business.

15. Record Sales Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

News angle: The key to this press release being of interest to the media is because you have broken a record, the business has done something for the very first time. The higher and more exceptional that figure is, for your sector, the more likely the journalist is to care.

Potential target media: Trade media only.

16. Resignation Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

News angle: You would only issue a resignation press release when a senior member of your company leaves - it also depends under what circumstances they leave too. If it is a celebration of their contribution then focus on thanks and appreciation.

Potential target media: Trade sector media only.

Image to go with your press release: An image of the outgoing employee. A simple profile headshot will do for this story. No example needed here.

17. Takeover Press Release Template

Download Press Release Template

News angle: The fact that one business is being taken over by another is usually always a story for the media, particularly the trade media that covers your sector. If you are in a particularly big business, the national business press may also cover the story. Focus on the monetary value of the deal in your news angle and what the deal encompasses.

Potential target media: Trade sector media and business press.

Image to go with your press release: An image of the two CEOs shaking hands on the deal. Something like this:

How To Write A Press Release - Quick Tips

Now you've seen the 17 press release templates for your business here's a quick refresher on how to write a press release.

Getting the flow of a press release right is critical if you want a journalist to read it and think that you have a story worth telling.

This is our full guide on how to write a press release but the main elements are below:

Section 1 - Sounds obvious, but write 'Press Release' at the top. You'd be surprised how many people forget to do this.

Section 2 - Always date your press release. It ensures that the journalist knows that this is a new story and it also tells them WHEN you want the story to run.

Section 3 - The headline. Keep the headline to under 10 words - this discipline will force you to focus on your news angle.

Section 4: The Intro Paragraph. You've got 25 words or less to get across your entire story. Get to the point immediately and include at least five key news points.

Section 5: In the second and third paragraphs develop your story and include more key facts so the journalist can develop their story.

The quotes for your press release

Section 6: The quotes section delivers the 'why' behind the story. Include two or three paragraphs from your spokesperson and use their full name and job title.

Section 7: Main body copy. This is where you include your key messages, such as how much your product/service costs and where people can get hold of it.

Section 8: The closing quote. Your closing quote can be from your main spokesperson or you can introduce a third party spokesperson whose endorsement gives your product/service more credibility.

Section 9: ENDS. Always finish your press release with the word 'ends' so a journalist knows it is the, er, end.

Section 10: Contact details. Include full contact information for the person handling all press and media enquiries.

How to Pitch Your Press Release Template to The Media

This is our complete guide on how to write a media pitch.

If you don't have time for the deep-dive, these are the essentials to ensure your press release gets noticed by a journalist.

Email pitch subject line - The subject line of your email pitch must contain your news hook - the one thing that makes your story stand out and demand a journalist's attention.

The journalist's name - For gawd's sake make sure you spell it correctly!

Your first sentence - Get straight to point with what makes your press release newsworthy. This is all the media cares about.

Show you care - Reference something else the journalist has written recently, show you like their work and know your story is relevant to them.

Don't be a copycat - Do NOT, under any circumstances, include a line in your pitch which basically says "I saw you wrote a story about 'X' last week. My business does the same thing, will you write about us?".

How to include your press release - Attach it to the email as a word document and also copy and paste the text into your email, below your pitch.

Images - Never embed images in the press release, this is useless for serious media. Attach them as high-resolution files, greater than 1mb.

Close your email pitch - Invite the journalist to contact you if they need any more information.

Triple check - Before you hit send make sure your email pitch is typo-free and as strong as it can be. You get one chance to impress upon the reporter that yours is a story worth telling.

So there you have it.

Download the template that is right for you - or get the entire bundle so you're always prepared.
Jump to quiz

What press release examples do you need?

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Press Release Template: 17 Expert Press Release Templates

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All you need to do is download the press release template that fits the story you want to tell about your business and fill in the square brackets. To make it super easy, and effective, each press release template tells you what you MUST include in each paragraph of the press release - and in what order.

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Journalist survey - how to pitch to the media

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Journalist survey - how to pitch to the media

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We've all heard anecdotal evidence about how journalists want to be pitched, whether it's through first-hand accounts or on social media. There is a ton of advice out there, and it's key to be aware of how publishers want to be pitched and to be familiar with pitching to the media effectively so you don't end up committing a #PRFail.

10 #PRFail tweets to help practitioners land coverage https://t.co/lHs8FGzEex pic.twitter.com/pcKkNr89kx

- PR Daily (@PRDaily) November 13, 2018

Fractl produces data-driven content marketing campaigns for our clients, which often reveal surprising insights that speak directly to their target industry as a whole.

Since we create these results for our clients daily, we wanted to follow a chapter from our own book and delve into the content marketing agency to investigate one aspect of what we do: digital PR, and specifically, pitching.

In a brand new exclusive survey, we received feedback from over 500+ journalists to learn more about how journalists prefer to receive email pitches in 2019. You will hear from writers, editors, and content creators that publish coverage from the Washington Post, Bustle, TIME, Elite Daily, the NYTimes, and more.
Content marketing is an ever-evolving industry, and with increased competition for media coverage, it's harder than ever to pitch to the media and earn press coverage for your brand or business.
Here is what we learned.

How Many Email Pitches Do Journalists Receive Per Day?

Our survey found that just over 50% of respondents receive less than 10 pitches a day, which is good news for PR professionals hoping to stand out in a writer's inbox. Over 42% of writers reported receiving 11 to 100 pitches a day, and almost 5% receive 100+ email pitches per day.

What this shows is that it really depends on who you pitch. Staff Editors are pitched the most, according to our data, receiving 53 pitches per day on average, while Freelance Contributors are pitched less often (around 24 pitches per day).

When it comes to topic and vertical, some beats are more competitive than others. Women's Interest writers are receiving around 40 pitches per day, while surprisingly, Men's Interest and Business and Career writers receive much fewer.

We also learned from the report that mid and high domain authority sites receive far more pitches than lower tier websites.

How Valuable Are Email Pitches To Journalists' Work?

Just over 40% of journalist participants in our survey reported that email pitches are "not at all valuable" to their work. 20% of people who had been working in online journalism for less than 9 years found email pitches extremely or very valuable. Only 13% of those working in the field for more than 20 years could say the same.

Judging from these findings, we could argue that the longer someone has worked in the field of online journalism, the less likely they were to find email pitches valuable.

How Long Should Your Pitch Be, and When Should You Send it?

Of the writers that read email pitches, most writers (58%) prefer to receive a pitch between 100 and 200 words, although a fair amount (22%) would like you to go even further by cutting the filler and getting straight to the point with a pitch fewer than 100 words.

Of the writers that read email pitches, 40.79% have no preference for the time of day your email pitch arrives in their inbox. As for the day of the week, our data shows that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are a writer's favorite days to receive pitches.
So don't even think about sending one on the weekend!
How Do Writers Feel About Follow Up Emails?

Finally-best practices for following up on pitches are revealed once and for all. Our data shows that journalists prefer 0 or 1 follow up emails an average of 3 to 7 days after you've sent your initial pitch.

How Do You Maintain A Professional Relationship With a Journalist After You've Worked With Them?

If you want to maintain a professional relationship with a writer after you've worked with them, you should keep in touch with them via email and continue sending the journalist relevant content. You may even want to add them on LinkedIn or Twitter after a few times of earning coverage with them. But tread carefully: 5% of writers say they prefer not to maintain a relationship.

Do Online Journalists Subscribe to Press Releases?

Over 53% of writers say they don't subscribe to press release sources. That being said, the most popular ones are PR Newswire, Newswire, Business Wire, Cision, HARO, and PR Web.

Who Makes Decisions About the Editorial Calendar?

Staff Editors and Freelancers decide what they want to cover, although Freelance Contributors commonly have to ask permission from an editor to go forth with a story idea. Staff Writers are more likely to be assigned to the content they cover for the day or have to pitch it to their editors for approval.

Around 6% of writers and editors attend a meeting in which they decide what to cover on their upcoming editorial calendar. That meeting, according to our data, either occurs every day (likely in the morning) or commonly on Monday.

Conclusion - Pitching to the Media with Ease

To recap, here are some of the strongest takeaways from our research. These findings can act as a framework when crafting your pitching checklist:

1. 50% of journalists receive less than 10 pitches a day. Just over 42% of writers reported receiving 11 to 100 pitches a day, and almost 5% receive 100+ email pitches per day.

2. Staff Editors are pitched the most, and some topic areas are more congested than others when it comes to incoming pitches.

3. 40% of writers do not consider email pitches to be valuable to their work, while another 40% believe they are somewhat valuable. Nearly 20% found email pitches to be very important to their work.

4. Most writers (58%) prefer to receive a pitch between 100 and 200 words.

5. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are the best days to send pitches.

6. Our data shows that journalists prefer 0 or 1 follow up emails an average of 3 to 7 days after you've sent your initial pitch.

7. If you want to maintain a professional relationship with a writer after you've worked with them, you should keep in touch with them via email and continue sending the journalist relevant content.

8. Over 53% of writers say they don't subscribe to press release sources.

9. When you pitch Staff Writers, they likely have to pitch the idea to their editors for approval.

There are now more than 6 PR professionals for every 1 journalist, so competition for pitching to the media is higher than ever. Use this data to optimize your pitching practices and earn more press mentions for your brand or client.

Methodology

We collected over 500 responses from online journalists, writers, and bloggers (either employed by an online publisher or working as a freelance contributor). We asked respondents a series of questions about PR pitches and their work in online publishing.

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Survey Of 500+ Journalists Reveals How To Pitch the Media for Top-Tier Press Coverage

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We've all heard anecdotal evidence about how journalists want to be pitched, whether it's through first-hand accounts or on social media. There is a ton of advice out there, and it's key to be aware of how publishers want to be pitched and to be familiar with pitching to the media effectively so you don't end up committing a #PRFail.

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Guide to AP style of writing (Associated Press)

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Guide to AP style of writing (Associated Press)

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The Associated Press Stylebook (a.k.a. AP Stylebook) is to journalists what HubSpot is to content marketers: the industry “bible.”

For more than 50 years, journalists have turned to AP Style for everything from grammar and style rules to trusted best practices. But for content writers and content marketers who aren’t formally trained in AP style, mastering the 500-page book, which is updated annually can be a herculean undertaking.

Fortunately, the nuts and bolts of AP style can be simplified into five main categories:  numbers, dates, citations, capitalization, and headlines. By following AP guidelines for these elements, writers can enforce a sense of consistency that makes content easier to write and more pleasant to read through.

Editor’s Note: Looking for a simple way to make sure you and your team of writers are using the AP Style correctly? An AI writing assistant, such as Writer’s app can ensure that your writing is consistent. Sign up for a free trial here.

What is AP style?

Associated Press (AP) style is the go-to English style and usage guide for journalism and news writing, such as magazines and newspapers. AP style dictates basic rules for grammar and punctuation, as well as specific styles for numbers, spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, acronyms, and much more.

The ins and outs of AP style can be found within the “Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law.”. While the AP Styleguide was originally sold as a handbook for reporters, it’s rapidly become the leading reference for the majority of public-facing communication, including websites, white papers, and press releases to reflect new additions to the English language or address common verbiage seen in the media. For instance, the latest edition included new or revised entries for digital wallets, smart devices, and the novel coronavirus. If you’re ever in doubt about acceptable word use or modern jargon, the styleguide is continuously refreshed to keep up with trends.

What are the benefits of using AP style?

AP style was originally developed with print media in mind. Back in the 1950s, when the guide was first published, writing space was limited, and it was extremely costly for news outlets to correct errors.

Today, the ease of online media outlets and blogs makes available space much less of an issue. However, that’s not to say that many of AP’s earliest benefits for journalists don’t still benefit the content marketers of today.

For one, the continued use of AP style means that writing style is uniform across all outlets. This helps ensure that content marketing is easy to read and concise, so it can connect with a wide audience. Plus, it creates a writing style readers can come to expect and recognize, assisting in branding efforts.

Secondly, content marketers can benefit from the “inverted pyramid” approach of AP style. The most important information is presented first, in the lead or introduction. Supporting information is presented lower in the copy, and the least important details are always included last.

Of course, this approach stems from the days where newspapers were printed with very limited space. With the “inverted pyramid” thought process, printers could simply cut off the bottom of a story if it didn’t fit in the allotted column. Today, content marketers should always present their audience with the most important information first, so if a reader leaves the page mid-way through, they’ve at least instilled the most relevant part of their message.

AP style cheat sheet

Unless you’re prepared to invest several hours into scanning hundreds of pages in the AP Styleguide, it’s easier to review the most common best practices for AP style. When it comes to content marketing, best practices typically revolve around numbers, dates, citations, capitalization, and headlines.

AP style guidelines for numbers

According to AP style, content writers should spell out numbers one through nine and use numerals for numbers 10 and higher. But readers be warned, there are exceptions to this rule.

Instances in which a writer should always use numerals instead of writing out numbers include:

However, there are also a few exceptions to AP style guidelines for numbers. Writers should always spell out numbers used at the beginning of a sentence, such as, “Forty students…” but years should always be written with numerals, such as, “1980 was…”

When making a number plural, a writer should add an s but no apostrophe. This rule applies to decades as well. So, a content marketer could write that they rolled all 7s in dice or they loved music from the 90s.

AP style guidelines for dates

When it comes to dates, writers should always use a numeral without the addition of “st, nd, rd, or th.” When a month is used with a specific date, the month should be abbreviated. In other words, a writer would refer to New Year’s Day as Jan. 1 — not January 1, January 1st, or January first.

Months that should be abbreviated when used in a full date include:

February (Feb.)

If a writer is using only a month and a year to refer to a time period, the month should be spelled out fully. There should be no comma between the month and year. For example, the second month of this year would be written as February 2020.

If a phrase refers to a month, day, and year, the year should be separated with a comma — i.e. March 10, 1990, or Oct. 14, 1995.

For days of the week, you should always capitalize the specific day but never abbreviate it.

In addition, if you are referring to a specific day that is more than one week away, you should also reference the month and year.

When it comes to time, even hours do not require a semicolon and two zeroes at the end. For instance, “eight o’clock” in AP style is simply 8, not 8:00. To distinguish between night and day, a writer should always include “a.m.” or “p.m.” after the numeral. However, it’s best to use “midnight” or “noon” instead of 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.

AP style guidelines for citations

Most writers are familiar with MLA or APA citations used in high school and college essays. Unlike these style guides, AP style doesn’t specify page formatting and citation rules quite as harshly. However, it does provide a standardized way of referencing people, dates, and things.

When referencing people, always use the person’s first and last name upon the first mention. Only use the person’s last name on the second reference. It’s unnecessary to utilize courtesy titles, such as Miss, Ms., Mrs., or Mr., unless they’re part of a direct quote or necessary to differentiate between individuals with the same last name (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. Smith).

Always be sure to use the word said to attribute a quote to an individual. Alternatively, writers can substitute ‘said’ for a more impactful verb, such as exclaimed, yelled, or asked. Punctuation for quotes should always remain within the quotation marks — “Like that?” you asked and “Like this,” I said.

When citing print and news articles on the first mention, writers must include:

1. The name of the author or writer

2. Title of work

3. Date of work

4. Where it was published

Once the writer fully identifies the source, including the name, title, and date of publication, it’s only necessary to identify the source by their last name upon second or later mentions.

For books, writers must include the author and title of the book as well as the year it was published on the first mention. Upon second or later mention, only the author’s last name is necessary.

For websites, citation varies slightly in AP style. A writer should only use a website citation when citing a study or a statistic. An article on the website would simply be cited as an article.

For instance, Statista.com is loaded with statistics. To cite this source, you would identify the name of the website and briefly describe it — such as, “According to Statista.com, which collects the results of national, state and local surveys, remote work grew by 80 percent in four years.”

In content marketing, proper attribution should also include a link back to the original website source whenever possible.

AP style guidelines for capitalization

AP style incorporates what’s known as a “downstyle” for capitalization. This means that words are all lowercase unless a specific rule says to capitalize them, such as proper nouns like specific state names in the United States.

For example, when it comes to state names, if the state is used upon first reference in the description by itself, you should spell it out.

However, if the state and city are used together, you should abbreviate the state.  For example, Tallahassee, Fla., Montgomery, Ala., Tulsa, Okla., Madison, Wis., or Little Rock, Ark.

However, there are 8 states that should always be spelled out in full and never abbreviated, which include Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.

Some additional capitalization rules to be aware of include:

Common nouns such as river or street should be capitalized only when used as part of a proper name for a person, place, or thing, such as the Colorado River or Democratic Party.

The seasons should only be capitalized when used in a proper name, such as the Winter Olympics. Similarly, directional indicators such as east or west should all be lowercase — unless they refer to specific geographic regions or popularized names for certain regions, such as the “the Midwest.”

For the most part, job descriptions should never be capitalized. For instance, police officers, teachers, or accountants do not need to be capitalized in AP style. However, formal titles, such as Doctor Evans or President Lincoln, should be capitalized when they come directly before a name.

AP style guidelines for headlines

AP style guidelines for headlines may differ from what certain content writers or marketers are used to. Generally speaking, AP style uses title case for headlines, which means all words are capitalized except for certain short words, such as articles and short prepositions.

In AP style, headlines capitalize the first word, proper names, or proper abbreviations, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs.

If that sounds like a lot to remember, think of it this way instead: as a general rule of thumb, any word that’s three letters or less should not be capitalized.

Words that should not be capitalized include:

Articles (a, an, the)

Short (fewer than 5 letters)

Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, for)

Prepositions (at, by, from, etc.)

AP style writing examples

Now that you’re more familiar with AP style for various aspects of content writing let’s combine a few style guidelines to demonstrate best practices.

Best practices for numbers

Do you have five minutes to discuss numbers? Yesterday, I spent $3 on a slice of pizza. Then, my 13-year-old niece asked me to order 11 pizza pies for her friends. So, I spent another $150 on pizza. I predict that by the time I’m 70-years-old, I’ll have spent $1 million on pizza!

→ Numbers less than 10 are spelled out fully.

→ Numbers greater than 10 expressed with numerals.

→ Ages, dollar, and millions are expressed with numerals.

→ When referring to a person’s age as an adjective, make sure to use hyphens.

Best practices for dates

Can you believe it’s Jan. 1 already? I’m planning for a party on Feb. 5, 2021. I’m hoping that by February 2021, there will be more venues available. The ideal time slot for the party is 1 p.m., but I could settle for noon.

→ Specific dates should be abbreviated, without the use of “st, nd, rd, or th.”

→ Time periods should use the full month and year with no comma.

→ Time should include a.m. or p.m., aside from noon and midnight.

Best practices for citations

→ Citing an article must include the author’s full name, article title, where it was published, and when.

→ Use the author’s full name on first mention and last name on secondary mention.

→ Use “said” to attribute a quote and keep punctuation within the quotation marks.

Best practices for capitalization

I traveled south down the Colorado River to reach the area of the Midwest I wanted to see. It’s a shame I missed the Winter Olympics this year. I heard Doctor Smith attended. My favorite athlete didn’t participate. They visited a doctor last fall for a bad injury.

→ Common nouns are only capitalized when used as part of a proper name

→ Directions and seasons are only capitalized when used in a proper name.

Best practices for headlines

How to Decorate the Perfect Christmas Tree

Top Tips for Writing an Ebook from Beginning to End

Stop by the Local Farmers’ Market this Weekend

→ The first and last word in a headline should always be capitalized.

→ Short words (less than three letters) are typically lowercase.

→ Articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions are typically lowercase.

Best practices for referring to technology and social media

It can be hard to keep up with the proper AP Style guidelines for common tech terms.

→ Use iPhone and iPad.

→ Website is one word, not two words. However, a web page is two words.

→ Hashtag is one word, along with email and smartphone. However, there should be a hyphen for the following words, such as e-book and e-reader.

→ When referring to a website in a post, reference the site’s title and not the full webpage address. For example, it is Google NOT www.Google.com

From a more concise writing style to a simplified approach to content, there are several benefits of adapting to the AP style. Fortunately, content writers and content strategists don’t need to memorize all of the ins and outs of AP style to master the basics of clearer writing. By adding the details to your style guide and using an AI writing assistant, like Writer, you can incorporate these best practices seamlessly across each content asset you produce.

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A comprehensive guide to the AP style of writing

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Review common best practices for AP style in our comprehensive guide. Save yourself scanning through hundreds of pages from the AP Stylebook.

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Examples of Internal Communication Strategies

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Examples of Internal Communication Strategies

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In this guide, we dive into internal communication examples and strategies used by companies with awesome internal communication.

Research shows 85% of employees are unengaged. And a big part of employee engagement is internal communication.

Yet internal communication is rarely front of mind. For many companies, employee communication is an afterthought, especially when it comes to frontline workers.

While it can seem the resources necessary to improve communication aren’t there, that’s never the case. In fact, implementing the most effective internal communication best practices doesn’t have to cost a fortune – or time.

When you invest in an internal communications app, you empower your teams to communicate better, collaborate quicker, and boost engagement.

Now we can tell you more about it, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, we’d rather show you, with internal communication examples from real brands that are nailing employee communication.

Below, we’ve compiled a list of companies with excellent internal communications. We hope these inspire you when creating your own internal communication strategy.

It’s a fact: organizational communication matters

Before we dive into the list of employee communication examples, let’s examine why some businesses are investing so heavily in internal communication.

Launching a new organizational communication initiative can be overwhelming. But you can’t ignore the ROI of enhancing internal comms:

Engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave an organization as compared to disengaged workers.

80% of the US employees confessed to feeling stressed because of incompetent employee communication, as found in a Dynamic Signal study.

One study found that productivity rose by 25% when employees used online tools to collaborate.

The impact of employee engagement may be tough to measure, but the real financial toll of churn isn’t. Recruiting, hiring, and training one new employee can cost as much or even more than paying an existing employee’s salary for a year.

On top of that, you may need to pay your other employees overtime to pick up the slack during the transition, and productivity can slow dramatically. In a nutshell: taking organizational communication seriously makes economic sense.

Now that you know why comms is worth investing in, let’s take a look at the best employee communication examples from companies with excellent internal communication. Then, all you need to do is create a strategy of your own.

Speak to an internal communications expert today

Best internal communication examples: companies getting comms right

Stagecoach

Stagecoach knows that employee engagement and good internal communication go hand-in-hand. That’s why they implemented a mobile employee app to reach their biggest asset: their customer-facing workforce.

To contact their 30,000 employees (including 21,000 bus drivers), they adopted Blink. It received phenomenal feedback team-wide.

84% used the app within the first week of implementation.

There was a 32% increase in employee satisfaction.

The takeaway from this internal communication example? Look for internal communication solutions that reach employees where they are. A mobile employee app like Blink empowers all your employees to stay connected and engaged.

This is especially relevant in healthcare or transportation, where critical schedules, timetables, and critical documents should be accessible from anywhere.

TED

TED is famous for its deep signature talks. But when it comes to internal communications, they are much less verbose.

Research shows the average person can pay attention to a speaker for 10 to 18 minutes. So at TED, all meetings take 18 minutes or less. Having shorter (or fewer) meetings gives employees more time to focus on the tasks they’re paid to tackle.

The takeaway from this employee communication example? Long meetings are counterproductive. So, consider setting a hard time limit for most meetings at your company. And before you schedule your next meeting, think about whether booking a conference room is necessary.

Amazon

Amazon employees dole out internal communication in targeted, snack-sized bites. No memos or long-winded email chains here! The comms team knows most people will stop reading any message after over 100 words.

The end result? Employees get the information they need and no more. This means they’re more likely to read, understand, and reply to the information that comes their way.

The takeaway from this employee communication example? Digital communication happens in real-time. It doesn’t have to be as wordy as old-school memos. Make your internal comms more like social media updates — to the point and snackable.

3M

Innovation can only happen when employees have some breathing room. That’s why 3M instituted a policy allowing workers to spend 15% of their day pursuing fresh ideas in collaboration with colleagues.

Internal comms play a massive role in the policy. Why? Because wasted time means less collaboration. And effective communication is one of the keys to idea generation.

The takeaway from this employee communication example? Make sure that your employees aren’t facing any roadblocks when it comes to comms. There are many ways to identify what’s getting in the way:

Check your communication software’s usage rate and other metrics

Conduct an internal audit or feedback survey

Take one-to-one employee interviews

When people communicate efficiently, they have more time to take a step back from the day-to-day and innovate.

Virgin Trains

Virgin Trains wanted to improve communication between leaders and employees. So they implemented a connected, trackable platform that everyone could access from anywhere.

Employees had access to several different apps filled with curated content on their personal phones. This made it easier for their entire workforce to connect, regardless of age or position.

The takeaway from this internal communication example? You don’t have to stop using the applications and programs you love. Blink integrates with the platforms you’re familiar with, so deskless employees can enjoy a delightful communications experience no matter what.

And if you’re not satisfied with the software you’re currently using? Blink lets users build their own micro apps.

These little systems do pretty much anything you want them to. You can improve payment card systems, streamline project reporting, automate timesheet management, report unplanned absences, or update a product database.

Starbucks

“Employees are the true ambassadors of our brand, the real merchants of romance and theatre, and as such the primary catalysts for delighting customers.”

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz

Over and over again, Starbucks has invested in the idea of employees as brand ambassadors. The company’s internal communication tools ensure everyone’s on the same page about the brand’s key offerings and core values.

The takeaway from this employee communication example? Supporting workers at all levels with relevant internal marketing pays off. Employees who understand and believe in your mission, vision, and product offerings are more likely to go above and beyond.

Netflix

At large companies, organizational communication can become bloated and impossible to manage. That’s why Netflix’s internal communications best practices are all about keeping comms simple.

When it comes to communication between board members and management, most discussions happen in brief online memos. That means quick-fire questions can be asked, answered, and stored for later.

The takeaway from this internal communication example? Do whatever you can to make organizational communication easier for everyone. It’s the little changes that can make all the difference.

Blink, for example, allows workers to log in, view, and contribute to their company’s internal communication even if they don’t have a digital identity, such as an email address or a social media profile.

Royal London

Royal London was looking for a better way to get and then act on feedback from customers, employees, and managers.

They completely updated the way they solicited feedback via surveys and in the process, gave every individual associated with the business a voice. Engagement increased across teams, and the company reaped the rewards.

The takeaway from this employee communication example? Giving your workforce a voice can pay off big time. Employees whose voice is heard in the office are 4.6x times likely to give their best professionally.

The problem with most workplace surveys is that they aren’t anonymous. Employees who feel disengaged may not express that for fear of being seen as less productive or disloyal.

With Blink, however, you can easily create anonymous polls and surveys that make finding and then creating solutions to employee pain points easier.

Zappos

One of Zappos’ published core values is “Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication”. It sounds simple enough, but Zappos has actually taken the notion of openness and honesty to the next level in its organizational communication.

At the company, communication is a two-way street and transparency is a big part of what makes internal (and external) comms at Zappos so effective.

The takeaway from this internal communication example? Reveal more than you conceal and make yourself available. Here are the best ways to promote transparent communication:

Update workers as soon as possible about new pieces of information

Respond to queries honestly, and promptly. And always tell why.

Walk the talk. Ensure communications and actions are aligned with the mission.

USAA

USAA’s 30,000 employees only had eight minutes a day or less to consume important company updates and news. So it made the strategic decision to update its organizational communication.

It redesigned its internal comms platform and updated its content development processes, which lead to an increase in engagement with key content.

The takeaway from this employee communication example? Use an intranet that lets you reach employees without wasting their time. A mobile employee app like Blink puts important information front and center and empowers workers to consume that info without interrupting workflows.

Hershey

The Hershey Company had staff working all around the globe and wanted a way to:

Make employees everywhere feel more connected.

Make collaboration between teams in different countries easier and more efficient.

So they decided to have all workers use a single intranet hub.

The takeaway from this internal communication example? When you take steps to help employees work together, whether in-office or in the field, they’ll be more likely to come up with innovative ideas and to accomplish more together.

With an employee app, employees can create personalized feeds that empower collaboration—both within teams, but also across departments.

What companies with great internal communications have in common

All of the internal communication examples above have one thing in common — the company identified a specific organizational comms challenge and looked for a tool or a strategy to solve it.

The first step in overhauling your internal comms should always be to analyze what is working at your company and what isn’t. You can spend top dollar building a custom branded intranet. But if it’s not meeting your company’s unique needs, it’s not going to boost your bottom line.

It’s only when you know what comms issues are getting in the way of effective collaboration and stalling productivity that you can identify the right approach.

And the tools and strategies you adopt in this approach will ultimately become the backbone of a stronger, more effective internal communications plan.

Do you need to boost engagement or inspire your employees to collaborate more? An internal communication app like Blink can do all that and more. Request a Demo.

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Internal communication examples: 11 companies who do it best - Blink

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In this guide, we dive into internal communication examples and strategies used by companies with awesome internal communication.

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Do you want to create a buyer persona for your business? Smart marketers know that clearly defining your ideal customer is the key to high conversions. In this guide, we'll share how to create a concrete buyer persona (with templates & examples).

Here's a quick overview of what we'll cover in this guide. Feel free to use the links below to skip to a particular section.

Table of Contents

Ready to get started creating your buyer persona? Let's begin with the basics...

What is a Buyer Persona?

If you've never created a buyer persona before, you may be wondering, what is a buyer persona and why is it important for your business?
Buyer Persona Definition

A buyer persona (a.k.a. "customer avatar") is a fictional person who represents a particular company's ideal customer.

The purpose of creating a buyer persona is to get crystal clear on the individuals who you are marketing to. Until you nail this down, you can't really be sure that your offerings and your marketing messages are going to be successful. That's why the buyer persona is often based on real customers, and/or extensive research.

I should also note that you may have more than one buyer persona. That's perfectly OK! Sometimes your product or service is a good fit for several different "types" of people, so you'll just need to create a buyer persona for each.

That way, when you go to write any given blog post, email or sales page, (or even create a new product), you'll know exactly which buyer persona(s) you are speaking to. And in turn, you'll enjoy much higher conversion rates.

OK, now that you know what a buyer persona is and why it is so important for your business, let's dive into how to create your own!

How to Create a Buyer Persona

The first thing you'll want to do when creating a buyer persona is to do some research on your existing customers (if you have any). These people actually bought from you, so they are the most targeted people to look at.

Ask your marketing and sales team to see what they can tell you about your existing customers' demographics and other characteristics (see the list of questions below). However, don't rely exclusively on your marketing and sales team to know all of this information. In most cases, you'll need to conduct a survey to get all the information you need.
Step 1: Customer/Prospect Survey
The best thing you can do is to actually get on the phone (or a Skype call) with your customers and have a chat with them, one-on-one. I like to do this at least once or twice per year.

If you don't have any existing customers, then speak with your email subscribers, social media followers, or any other leads you have. Simply say that you are doing some research to better serve them, and ask if they would be available for a brief 10-15 minute call.

If you don't have any leads at all, go look at your competition's customers. You can read reviews online, and even try to track these individuals down on social media to learn more about them. This brings me to our next step...
Step 2: Online Research
While getting on a phone call is the best way to research your ideal customers, there is also another way to go about it: online research.

This part may seem a bit creepy, but I like to choose a particular individual and track them down on all of their social media profiles, publications, and other websites. Facebook and LinkedIn are my favorite places to look for information that can help me fill out my buyer persona.

As you go about your research, keep a document with links to all relevant information on that person. This way, you can come back to these links later as you are creating your customer avatar.

Also, don't just look at what's on the surface. Try to read between the lines to figure out what makes that person "tick" (not just what they want the world to see).
Step 3: The Customer Avatar Exercise
Now that you've gathered your information-both on the phone and online-you are ready to start the customer avatar exercise.

This exercise is where you'll actually write down everything that you know about your ideal customer.

I personally like to use Digital Marketer's Customer Avatar Worksheet (see templates below), but you could use any of the templates or tools below.

The idea is to create a concrete character that anyone in your company can use to better understand your target customers.

Buyer Persona Templates & Tools

There are tons of buyer persona templates, tools, and generators freely available on the internet, but here is a curated list of all the best ones...

1. Xtensio's User Persona Creator

Xtensio's User Persona Creator is a neat app that allows you to enter your buyer persona's demographics, goals, frustrations, bio, motivations, preferred channels, and brands. You can even add modules to the avatar as you see fit. Register for a free account to get started with the tool.

2. Digital Marketer's Customer Avatar Worksheet

Digital Marketer's Customer Avatar Worksheet is the buyer persona template we use here at OptinMonster. It includes all of the important areas to nail down, in a simple PDF format that you can fill in on your computer.

3. Demand Metric's Buyer Persona Template

Demand Metric's Buyer Persona Template is an Excel spreadsheet that includes multiple tabs for multiple personas. It's a great way to view all of your target customers at a glance, with all relevant information. They've even included a video with helpful instructions for filling it out.

4. HubSpot's Buyer Persona Template

HubSpot's Buyer Persona Template includes 4 sections for answering the important questions: who, what, why and how. This template also includes a guide for creating buyer personas.

5. Marketo's Marketing Persona Cheat Sheet

Marketo's Marketing Persona Cheat Sheet is unique in that it includes a fill-in-the-blank map for creating your buyer persona journeys. It also includes instructions for how to create a buyer persona and journey, along with a buyer journey template.

6. Filestage's Buyer Persona Template

Filestage's Buyer Persona Template is simple and elegant. Some unique features of this template are sections for a tag cloud, archetype and product adoption group. It also comes with a PowerPoint version, as well as a PDF version.

7. "MakeMyPersona" Buyer Persona Generator

MakeMyPersona is a buyer persona generator by HubSpot. All you have to do is click on the "Start Making My Persona" button, and it will ask you a series of questions about your ideal customer. Once you're done, they will send you a PDF complete with a headshot for your customer avatar.

Did you know: OptinMonster works on any website, but it's also got the best WordPress popup plugin on the market. Learn all about the OptinMonster Effect and how we can help you get more subscribers and customers in 3 simple steps!

188 Buyer Persona Questions

While the above buyer persona templates are excellent starting points, sometimes you'll want to go more in-depth than the questions covered by any generic template.

Depending on your industry and your products, there are certain "niche" buyer persona questions which are important for your business to answer.

To help you discover these questions, we've compiled a comprehensive list of every possible question we could think of that you would want to ask about your target customer. The list is broken down into categories, so just focus on the categories and questions which are relevant to your business, and ignore the rest...

1. What is your name?

2. What is your age?

3. What is your gender?

4. Where do you live?

5. What is your racial/ethnic heritage?

6. What is your annual income?

7. What is your highest level of education?

8. What is your occupation?

Demographics

1. What is your net worth?

2. Do you have debt?

3. If so, what type?

4. Do you make purchase decisions carefully, or are you loose with your money?

5. How do you feel about your current spending habits?

6. What factors drive you to make a purchase?

7. Are you the main bread-winner in your household?

8. Are you the financial/purchase decision-maker?

Back Story Personal Life Career

1. What objections do you have for our product?

2. What factors might make you choose a competitor's product over ours?

3. How can we help you to solve your unique challenges?

4. How does our product help you become your ideal self?

5. How do you prefer to communicate?

6. How can we meet your needs through onboarding?

7. What questions would you ask yourself before buying a product?

8. What is your number one concern when deciding whether or not to make a purchase?

9. How do you prefer to make a purchase (online, over the phone, or in-person)?

10. When making a purchase online, what is your preferred payment method?

Personality Web/Purchase Behavior

1. What technical and demographic information do you have about our website visitors?

2. How are you currently marketing to our target customers?

3. What marketing campaigns have been the most successful?

4. What marketing campaigns have been the least successful?

5. Which blog posts have received the most traffic/social shares/comments/etc.?

6. What are the most frequently asked questions on the blog or from customers?

7. Which pages on our website receive the most impressions?

8. What types of customers do you typically meet?

9. Why do different types of customers typically make a purchase?

10. What reasons do customers cite for selecting us over our competitors?

11. What are the most common objections you hear?

Finances
Buyer Persona Examples

So far, we've shown you how to create a buyer persona, buyer persona templates and tools, and a comprehensive list of buyer persona questions. Now, let's take a look at some concrete examples...
Goals, Challenges & Pain Points
That's it! We've shown you what is a buyer persona, and how to create a buyer persona for your business. We also shared some buyer persona templates and tools, a comprehensive list of questions to ask about your target customer, and some examples of buyer personas.
Product Insight/Objections to the Sale
Now it's your turn. Go ahead and follow the steps above to create your own buyer persona, and get crystal clear on the individuals you are serving. You may also want to check out our Definitive Guide to Email Marketing.

If you enjoyed this guide, please consider following us on Facebook and Twitter for more practical tips to boost your site conversions.
Questions to Ask Your Marketing & Sales Teams

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How to Create a Concrete Buyer Persona (with Templates & Examples)

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Do you want to create a buyer persona for your business? Smart marketers know that clearly defining your ideal customer is the key to high conversions. In this guide, we'll share how to create a concrete buyer persona (with templates & examples). Here's a quick overview of what we'll cover in this guide.

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Despite its reputation for dry content delivery across virtual and in-person meetings alike, PowerPoint remains the go-to choice for many professionals, even as other options emerge that offer greater usability and flexibility outside of the Microsoft ecosystem.

Part of the presentation platform's popularity stems from its familiarity - many organizations still run Microsoft-first IT software environments, making PowerPoint the obvious choice for straightforward presentation design. Simplicity provides the second part of this popularity permutation since creating a basic PowerPoint presentation on a single topic requires minimal time and effort.

The problem? "Simple" doesn't always mean "effective". Staff across markets, industries, and verticals worldwide have stories about unbearably long and boring PowerPoint presentations that were long on details but short on value. The 7x7 rule offers a framework to help boost PowerPoint form and function by reducing text volume and improving information impact.

In this piece, we'll break down the 7x7 rule in PowerPoint, best practices, and offer some actionable examples of seven-by-seven solutions in-situ.

The PowerPoint Problem

To put it simply, most viewers don't like PowerPoint. While the format has the benefit of speed and convenience - and can conceivably be used to communicate information quickly and concisely - many presentations are overlong and overwrought with bonanzas of bullet points that seem relevant but are really just digital hot air.

In most cases, the disconnect between appearance and action is boring at best and irritating at worst. As noted by the BBC, however, in extreme cases - such as NASA's Challenger shuttle disaster - overlooked information in an overstuffed presentation can have significant real-world consequences.

Best bet? To avoid PowerPoint frustration and fatigue, it's time for a new framework: The 7x7 rule.

What is the 7x7 rule in PowerPoint?

The 7x7 rule is simple: For every slide, use no more than seven lines of text - or seven bullet points - and no more than seven words per line. Slide titles aren't included in the count.

There's no specific data supporting the 7x7 model as the ideal; some PointPower proselytizers consider 8x8 good enough while others say 6x6 is more streamlined. The point here isn't the hard-and-fast number but the underlying idea: Cut out extraneous information to improve presentation uptake.

Slides can still contain images - and should, wherever possible - but sticking to the 7x7 rule helps cut down on excess data that might be better-shared in follow-up emails or one-on-one discussions. In effect, the 7x7 rule is a way to reduce the amount of time staff spend pretending to care about PowerPoints and instead help them focus on slide information that's relevant, contextual, and actionable.

Best Practices for the 7x7 Rule in PowerPoint

Building a typical PowerPoint slide is straightforward. Like any business practice, however, it can be improved with a standardized set of rules designed to limit waste and improve efficiency. And when it comes to most PowerPoint presentations, almost any change makes a positive impact.

Let's break down some of the best practices for building PowerPoint slides with the 7x7 rule.

1. Single slide, single concept.

Each slide should address a single concept rather than trying to connect the dots across multiple data points, trends or ideas. While it's fine to build on previous slide data as your presentation progresses the single slide, single concept approach helps focus presentation efforts from the word go.

2. Images increase impact.

As noted above images are a welcome addition to slides, so long as they're relevant. If you find yourself adding unrelated stock photos just to add some color - don't. Keep slides, text, and images on-track.

4. Forget the funny.

Almost everyone has a story about a "funny" PowerPoint joke that was nothing of the sort. In most cases, these heavy-handed humor efforts are shoehorned in ostensibly to help viewers better remember slide data. In fact, they shift the focus away from your primary objective.

5. Plan it out.

Before creating your presentation, create a basic outline that highlights your primary concept, how you plan to get it across, and how many slides in total it should take. Then, draft your slides. Take a break, review them, and cut back wherever possible.

6. Consider the 7x7x7.

If you really want to go all-in on the 7x7 rule, consider adding another 7 and aiming for no more than 7 words in each line, no more than 7 lines on each slide, and no more than 7 slides in total. It's not easy - but offers a much better chance of getting your point across.

7x7 Rule in Powerpoint Examples

So what does the 7x7 rule look like in practice? It's one thing to talk about building a better slide, but it's easy to fall back into bad habits when it's time to put together a presentation. It makes sense; content creators are often trying to convey a significant amount of information in a short period of time, and it's easy to get sidetracked by the notion that every piece of data must be included to make the meeting a success.

Let's start with a slide that's substantially removed from the 7x7 rule:

There's a lot to unpack here. We're using too many lines and too many words per line. Lines are complex without saying much, and the attempt at humor doesn't add anything.

Let's try again:

This one is better - we've reduced the number of lines to 7 and lost the joke, but most of the lines still have more than 7 words and the text is overly convoluted.

Let's try one more time:

This slide is clear and concise, and most lines have less than 7 characters. It offers the same information as the first two versions - it's just more effective and efficient.

The 7x7 Solution

While using 7 lines of text with 7 words or less isn't a silver bullet for all PowerPoint-related problems, it's a good place to begin if you're looking to boost viewer engagement and limit fatigue.

Bottom line? PowerPoint isn't always the ideal format for getting your point across, but if you need to create a quick-hitter presentation that lands well with your audience, start with the 7x7 solution.

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Despite its reputation for dry content delivery across virtual and in-person meetings alike, PowerPoint remains the go-to choice for many professionals, even as other options emerge that offer greater usability and flexibility outside of the Microsoft ecosystem.

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How to create a better media list (Prezly)

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How to create a better media list (Prezly)

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Email Marketing
If buying media lists is evil, what's the alternative?
CONTENTS Why isn't my media list getting results? How to create a superb media list

1. Use these tools to create your own (authentic) media list for PR

2. Find the biggest names in your space

3. Organize your research (media list template)

Keeping a healthy media list doesn't stop there
What is a media list? It's the PR term for a list of contacts that you send your press release to. Those media contacts can include journalists, bloggers, reporters, editors, influencers and so on. Ideally, your media list will be targeted by topic or geography, so that you can tailor your email to that particular group of people. In the real world, media lists are often jumbled and way, way too long to allow for any sort of meaningful personalisation.

Buying media lists has become the norm for public relations, and why not? It's so simple.

Need a list of journalists who write exclusively about hot dog flavours? Cision probably has that. How about people in Calgary who specialize in formal cowboy attire? Boom, done. The world should be your oyster.

So why aren't you getting results?

If you have a solid strategy that you're executing on, the good news is it's not you - it's the system.

Because there's an ugly side to buying media lists that people rarely talk about:

Low-quality emails, high bounce rates

Frequently out of date

Overuse
​(If an email is on a list, you can bet your rolodex that 20 others have already spammed them)

Breach of privacy
​(The people on those lists didn't exactly give their consent to be contacted)

And finally,

Buying media lists ≠ buying relationships

(and it's the relationships that matter.)

Relationships beat out cold calling and first-time pitches every time because they compound value. Once you and a contact are familiar with one another, you'll both know what topics to collaborate on, you'll both trust that any email from the other is worth reading, and you'll both be excited to forward any opportunities you see come up - not to mention the time you'll save blindly pitching stories that could never be a good fit.

And it isn't just us saying this - here's what journos Kelsey and Holly said when we asked how they feel about soulless distribution services:

90% of the time, they're useless to me.
​​
​- Kelsey Ogletree on press release distribution services

So, it's no secret that we aren't big fans of it here at Prezly - we harp on about it in blog posts and landing pages that subtly advertise our product. But what we don't often do is offer a practical answer when you ask, "Ok wise guy, so what's the alternative? I've got cats to feed."

Until today.

The alternative is to build your own curated media list over many years of research and networking. (Sorry, we don't make the rules.) It's why PRs who have been around a while - or, as is the case with a surprising number of people, who used to be journalists - tend to get better results than starry-eyed newbies who've spent 90% of their time pushing paper. In fact, some of the best advice a comms intern can receive is to go out and meet as many people as possible.

But while there's no silver bullet, there are plenty of cheat codes.

Instead of hammering a bought contact database, whose inboxes are already getting flooded by well-meaning pitches from everyone else that paid up, you have the opportunity to gain an exponential amount of value by starting with a smaller media list and nurturing it over time.

This is one of those things where you look back and think, if only I'd started doing this a year ago, imagine where I'd be now! Well, here's the opportunity to make future you proud. Start your research today.

The good news is that it's way easier than it used to be.

Networking is ingrained in human society.

It might not always be pretty (only hiring from within a certain college, giving jobs/preferential treatment to people just because they once petted your uncle's dog, etc), but that's how the world works. I would even argue it's the main benefit of attending university, at least for chumps like me who decided to spend three years and £44,000 studying literature 💅

Network is everything.

And if you don't have it, steal it.

Rand Fishkin lists it as an entrepreneurship cheat code; Noah Kagan swears by it when he pitches anybody. Ask those you already know for a referral.

Your network isn't just who you know, it's who the people you know know.

Friends, family, former colleagues. For the most part, these people like you and want to help - there's no shame in asking them for an introduction. Who is already in your address book?

Just don't spam these people. Send a personal email telling them about what you're doing and the type of person you're trying to reach, and ask them if they know anyone who fits the bill. You'll be surprised at how happy people are to help.

If you're already active on LinkedIn, this can be a great place to start - particularly if you're just setting up your new CRM and want to get all your contacts in there so you can start tracking your relationships as they bloom.

They won't all come with emails and phone numbers, but downloading your LinkedIn connections list definitely worth a shot. You can try this for your own account, your CEO's and so on.

Just go to your settings and select "Get a copy of your data" →

Join online communities of people working in your space and collaborate with them. If you spot an opportunity, share it with these communities, and keep an eye out for when they do the same. Remember that you don't need to be in hostile competition with your peers; the wheels turn a lot faster if we're all pulling the same way.

Here are some wonderful comms communities and regular jams you can take part in:

I've also come across some paid groups that could be interesting, but never gave them a try because I'm not convinced you can eke out a caring community from the cold, dead heart of capitalism.

To find the biggest influencers in any space - whether these be journals, websites, YouTube channels, podcasts or actual Influencers - you need to become part of the community. That way you can get an insider's perspective on your audience's point of view, pains and interests, which can inform everything from content creation to the angle of your next pitch. The downside is, as with networking, it takes a really, really long time.

But then again, there are a few helpful shortcuts you can take.

In a subspace as vast and ineffable as the internet, it can be hard to navigate big communities and identify individual people to contact. That's where SparkToro swoops in to save the day.

You can create lists based on keywords to see where the people interested in that topic spend their time, the most engaged people in the area, "hidden gems" (smaller social accounts that punch above their weight when it comes to influencing - great for spotting high-value content collaboration opportunities) and lots, lots more. You can export your subsequent lists with all their social profiles and emails automatically factored in via hunter.io*.

Smart people try before they buy, so here's a link to SparkToro's free plan →

Perhaps more importantly, the (two) folks that run SparkToro are lovely human beings whom we don't mind plugging since their values of transparency and trying to do the right thing massively align with our own. That's why we invited SparkToro (and Moz) founder Rand Fishkin to speak at our next PR Roundtable: How not to be evil. Register free here →

*I actually have some beef with hunter.io, which boils down to this: never blindly email addresses you get through there! Technology can do a lot to save us time, but it isn't infallible, as my tortured Twitter thread will attest. Always supplement results with your own research and common sense.

Working with influencers is different from working with traditional media - for one thing, influencers want to be discovered. It's a relationship that is at once transactional and completely reliant on mutual understanding. The balance to a delicate one to strike, because in order for influencer marketing to be effective, the fit between product and audience has to be spot on; one inauthentic misstep and the influencer can lose the respect and attention of all her followers.

Needless to say, finding the right influencer fit for your story is pretty important.

Traackr is one tool that helps you do that. You can filter its database of influencers by topic, hashtag, brand mentions, geography and so on, as well as search by your audience criteria. Once you're in, you'll also get proactive notifications about any up-and-coming influencers entering your space.

It comes well recommended by an impressive client list, though I'm still waiting to try this one out for myself and will update this section as soon as I do.

Klear is another popular platform for influencer discovery, covering everything from Instagram to TikTok.

Awkwardly, neither tool lists pricing on their site, which always makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Twitter lists are extremely helpful for checking in with particular topics and audiences, but they can also take a lot of research to set up. That's why I recommend first checking if someone's already made a list that you can piggyback on.

Here's a helpful blow-by-blow guide on how to find Twitter lists →

If you find a few helpful lists but they aren't quite what you were looking for, use them to pilfer people to follow and create your own Twitter list.

On the flipside of this suggestion, you can choose to do a public service for your niche by creating an interesting list and sharing it with the world. Here's one I made for the absolute finest street food in Cambridge, UK - if you're ever in town, hit me up :)

⚠️Note: Make sure you name your list something flattering if you're going to keep it public, as anyone you add to a public list will be notified. No one likes to hear they've been added to "Luke-warm leads 2021".

Digital marketing is a vast discipline, but you don't need to be an expert in it to start using SEO tools to better understand your audience - particularly if you publish content on your own website.

By examining how people find your site using a keyword explorer tool, you will better understand a) what the people visiting your site are actually looking for, and b) whether the content you're creating aligns with the audience you want to reach.

My favorites are Moz (which has a suite of free SEO tools; try Keyword Explorer) and Ahrefs ( free trial here). Take 5 minutes to try them out and see what you can already learn. Go on, I'll wait :)

An effective media list manager doesn't need to be complicated. It can be something as simple as a Google Sheet - in fact, here's a free media list template you can use right now.

Or, you can save heaps of time by using a dedicated PR CRM to manage your contacts.

Google Sheets works well for managing a few dozen media contacts, but once you're dealing with 50 people or more, you'll likely want to invest in a purpose-built contact relationship manager (or, CRM).

Here's what that same contact info looks like in a CRM like Prezly:

Much easier on the eyes, right?

It isn't all about looks though. By choosing a CRM like Prezly for your contact relationship management, you'll get a whole heap of time-saving benefits:

Tag each contact to make effective targeting easy as pie 🥧

Create segments to store countless media lists in one place 🧘‍♀️

Get engagement intel on each contact to see who reads your email or visits your newsroom 🤓

See a history of comms across your entire team ✅

And because you also manage your campaigns, newsrooms and coverage inside Prezly, all of that information feeds together to help keep your contact lists updated and make reporting on your results that much easier.

Start building your media list now with a free Prezly trial - don't worry, you can export all your info if you decide to go your own way :)

Building your list is itself an ongoing process, but there's another big, big chunk to the equation: caring for that media list.

That means being thoughtful in how you approach people, mindful of their response (or lack thereof) and helpful in your communications. It's working to find out what that particular person is interested in and giving them only things that are relevant. It's about respect and building a mutually beneficial relationship.

Simple, huh?

For a leg up onto the first wrung of that relationship-building, utopian ladder, try our free guide to email pitching. We drew on 16million pitches sent through Prezly to outline some tactics that work, and spoke with dozens of people to give you step-by-step instructions on the best way to first reach out to a new contact. There's even a template to help you plan your pitching strategy. Get the free guide →

All of life is a work in progress. If there's a great tip missing from this post, or a tool you can't live without, please let me know :) Or, if you'd like to hear more from our Roundtable ​ livestream series, subscribe to our newsletter.

Until next time, look after yourselves!
Published 14 July 2021; updated June 2022

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How To Create a PR Media Contact List (with Template & Tools)

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Email Marketing CONTENTS Why isn't my media list getting results? How to create a superb media list Use these tools to create your own (authentic) media list for PR Find the biggest names in your space Organize your research (media list template) Keeping a healthy media list doesn't stop there What is a media list?

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Include your name, the date and page numbers

Write in the first person, using I and avoid we statements

Include citations when appropriate

Use clear headlines and subheadings

Embrace white space

Use bullet points, lists and tables

Opt for simple language and avoid jargon

Acronyms in full first time used

Apply consistent formatting, font and respect margins

Maintain short sentences

Ensure screenshots are readable and annotated

Do not put text on images or graphics

Maintain a logical flow - it can be helpful to add your headings and subheading before you start to write your report

Use hyperlinks when appropriate

Proofread, proofread and then proofread again

Ask someone to check your work before you submit it – it can be helpful to ask someone who does not fully understand what you do as they will be able to provide objective feedback based on how easy it was to go through and understand.

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Article * 8 min read

Perfecting the Call to Act

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Is persuasion a gift? Are some people born with the ability to speak well and "sell" their ideas successfully?

It sure seems that way when you're wowed by a motivational speaker, or galvanized into action by a thought-provoking presentation.

In your role, do you ever need to motivate, inspire, or persuade others? Whether you're a senior executive giving a presentation to the Board, a manager giving a morale-boosting speech to your team, or a production manager giving a presentation on safety standards, at some point, you'll probably have to move people to action.

While there are certainly those who seem to inspire and deliver memorable speeches effortlessly, the rest of us can learn how to give effective presentations, too. In this article, we'll look at the key factors you need to put together a clear and engaging call to action using a five-step process known as Monroe's Motivated Sequence.

Monroe's Motivated Sequence: The Five Steps

Alan H. Monroe, a Purdue University professor, used the psychology of persuasion to develop an outline for making speeches that will deliver results, and wrote about it in his book Monroe's Principles of Speech . It's now known as Monroe's Motivated Sequence.

This is a well-used and time-proven method to organize presentations for maximum impact. You can use it for a variety of situations to create and arrange the components of any message. The steps are explained below:

Get the attention of your audience. Use storytelling , humor, a shocking statistic, or a rhetorical question - anything that will get the audience to sit up and take notice.

This step doesn't replace your introduction - it's part of your introduction. In your opening, you should also establish your credibility (see The Rhetorical Triangle for tips), state your purpose, and let the audience know what to expect. Delivering Great Presentations provides a strong foundation for building the steps in Monroe's Motivated Sequence.

Step Two: Establish the Need

Step Three: Satisfy the Need

Step Four: Visualize the Future

1. Positive method - Describe what the situation will look like if your ideas are adopted. Emphasize the positive aspects.

2. Negative method - Describe what the situation will look like if your ideas are rejected. Focus on the dangers and difficulties caused by not acting.

3. Contrast method - Develop the negative picture first, and then reveal what could happen if your ideas are accepted.

Step Five: Action/Actualization

For some of us, persuasive arguments and motivational speaking come naturally. The rest of us may try to avoid speeches and presentations, fearing that our message won't be well received.

But Monroe's Motivated Sequence can help you to improve the quality of your message, and create a call of action that has real impact.

The model includes five key steps:

It's a straightforward formula for success that's been used time and again. Try it for your next presentation, and you'll no doubt be impressed with the results!

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Monroe's Motivated Sequence - Perfecting the Call to Act

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Article * 8 min read By the Mind Tools Content Team Is persuasion a gift? Are some people born with the ability to speak well and "sell" their ideas successfully? It sure seems that way when you're wowed by a motivational speaker, or galvanized into action by a thought-provoking presentation.

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Your audience might be wary that you're trying to change their opinions or beliefs. If you don't make it clear why you are addressing them, some people might assume that you are hiding something.

Pathos (Audience)

When you communicate, you need to understand your audience and appeal to their emotions. This is known as pathos.

Think about the emotion you want to evoke. Are you addressing a pain point, seeking their trust, or inviting their loyalty?

Logos (Context)

Finally, your audience will analyze your message by putting it into context. Here the emphasis is on logic and reason, or logos (pronounced log-oss).

Your audience will likely consider the background to your communication, and the circumstances or events that preceded it. They'll analyze the kinds of arguments you used, their relevance, and whether you delivered them in a clear, coherent and appropriate way.

Your audience must be able to follow what you are saying for it to be believable. They'll be looking for a logical, well-constructed argument, and evidence for any claims that you make. They'll also be thinking about any possible counterarguments.

Using the Rhetorical Triangle

When you prepare a written document, speech or presentation, consider the three elements of the triangle. If your communication is lacking in any of the three areas, you'll decrease the overall impact of your message.

You can use the following three steps as a guide. And Mind Tools Club members can see a bonus worked example, using the three elements of The Rhetorical Triangle, at the end of this article.

1. Establish Your Credibility (Ethos)

First, establish who you are as a person.

Reveal your biases, beliefs, values, and assumptions, as appropriate.

Explain where your expertise comes from.

Use expert testimony.

Show why you should be considered an authority.

Then, consider the purpose of your communication. Is it:

A call to action?

To provide information?

To educate?

To persuade or change a perspective?

To present ideas?

To entertain?

2. Appeal to the Audience's Emotions (Pathos)

Understanding your audience enables you to connect with them, and gives your message more impact.

Appeal to their emotions (where this is appropriate and honest) and answer their question, "Is this person trying to manipulate me?"

Ask yourself who the members of your audience are.

What are their expectations?

Why are they reading (or listening) to me?

How will they use this information?

What do I want them to take away?

Consider how you can connect with them emotionally.

What emotions do I want to evoke?

Do I use anecdotes or personal stories?

3. Consider the Context (Logos)

Think about how you'll present the information.

What type of reasoning will I use?

How will I support my position? With statistics? Evidence? Observations?

What tone will I use? Formal or informal?

What is the best way to communicate the message? Presentation? Email? Blog?

Take into account what events surround the communication.

What background information do I need to supply?

Are there important counterarguments I should bring up and deal with?

Does the method or location of my communication fit with its message?

When you take into consideration the three corners of the Rhetorical Triangle, you're better able to position your points in a way that your reader (or listener) can understand and get on board with.

By taking time to understand the art of rhetoric, you'll give your communications more credibility, power and impact.

Mind Tools Club members can see a bonus worked example of the Rhetorical Triangle below.

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Using the Rhetorical Triangle: an Example

Good morning, everyone.

I'm Helen Brooks, and I'm the new VP, Change Management. I'd like to take a moment of your time to introduce myself and talk briefly about the forthcoming reorganization that's happening within the company.

[Ethos - the Writer]

I come from a background in the telecoms industry, where I have been responsible for managing major reorganizations within several large companies. Before that, I trained as a learning and development manager, and saw first hand the effects of large-scale reorganizations on my own role - for better and for worse!

My purpose in writing this note to you is to introduce our feedback and communication strategy, which will keep you all informed and engaged with the changes that we'll be making. We hope to build your understanding of the process, and show you how you can be a part of its success.

[Pathos - the Audience]

Inevitably, in these situations, people become anxious and unsettled. Having been through company mergers earlier in my career, I understand that. I also understand that anxiety breeds rumors, which will likely be inaccurate and could be damaging. So I'm implementing a series of forums at which managers will take questions and give answers as openly and honestly as they can.

[Logos - the Context]

The benefits of the internal reorganization will be substantial. We aim to align key roles more effectively, streamline functions, and increase productivity - without anyone having to take on more work.

Our aim is that you'll all be able to do your jobs more efficiently, and enjoy them more. A key part of that is working to ensure that you all understand and support this initiative.

So please give us your honest feedback as the process develops, and together we'll make this work!

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The Rhetorical Triangle - Making Your Communications Credible and Engaging

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Give your message impact and power with the Rhetorical Triangle. See our worked example to learn how to balance the key elements of logos, ethos and pathos.

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Despite its reputation for dry content delivery across virtual and in-person meetings alike, PowerPoint remains the go-to choice for many professionals, even as other options emerge that offer greater usability and flexibility outside of the Microsoft ecosystem.

Part of the presentation platform's popularity stems from its familiarity - many organizations still run Microsoft-first IT software environments, making PowerPoint the obvious choice for straightforward presentation design. Simplicity provides the second part of this popularity permutation since creating a basic PowerPoint presentation on a single topic requires minimal time and effort.

The problem? "Simple" doesn't always mean "effective". Staff across markets, industries, and verticals worldwide have stories about unbearably long and boring PowerPoint presentations that were long on details but short on value. The 7x7 rule offers a framework to help boost PowerPoint form and function by reducing text volume and improving information impact.

In this piece, we'll break down the 7x7 rule in PowerPoint, best practices, and offer some actionable examples of seven-by-seven solutions in-situ.

The PowerPoint Problem

To put it simply, most viewers don't like PowerPoint. While the format has the benefit of speed and convenience - and can conceivably be used to communicate information quickly and concisely - many presentations are overlong and overwrought with bonanzas of bullet points that seem relevant but are really just digital hot air.

In most cases, the disconnect between appearance and action is boring at best and irritating at worst. As noted by the BBC, however, in extreme cases - such as NASA's Challenger shuttle disaster - overlooked information in an overstuffed presentation can have significant real-world consequences.

Best bet? To avoid PowerPoint frustration and fatigue, it's time for a new framework: The 7x7 rule.

What is the 7x7 rule in PowerPoint?

The 7x7 rule is simple: For every slide, use no more than seven lines of text - or seven bullet points - and no more than seven words per line. Slide titles aren't included in the count.

There's no specific data supporting the 7x7 model as the ideal; some PointPower proselytizers consider 8x8 good enough while others say 6x6 is more streamlined. The point here isn't the hard-and-fast number but the underlying idea: Cut out extraneous information to improve presentation uptake.

Slides can still contain images - and should, wherever possible - but sticking to the 7x7 rule helps cut down on excess data that might be better-shared in follow-up emails or one-on-one discussions. In effect, the 7x7 rule is a way to reduce the amount of time staff spend pretending to care about PowerPoints and instead help them focus on slide information that's relevant, contextual, and actionable.

Best Practices for the 7x7 Rule in PowerPoint

Building a typical PowerPoint slide is straightforward. Like any business practice, however, it can be improved with a standardized set of rules designed to limit waste and improve efficiency. And when it comes to most PowerPoint presentations, almost any change makes a positive impact.

Let's break down some of the best practices for building PowerPoint slides with the 7x7 rule.

1. Single slide, single concept.

Each slide should address a single concept rather than trying to connect the dots across multiple data points, trends or ideas. While it's fine to build on previous slide data as your presentation progresses the single slide, single concept approach helps focus presentation efforts from the word go.

2. Images increase impact.

As noted above images are a welcome addition to slides, so long as they're relevant. If you find yourself adding unrelated stock photos just to add some color - don't. Keep slides, text, and images on-track.

4. Forget the funny.

Almost everyone has a story about a "funny" PowerPoint joke that was nothing of the sort. In most cases, these heavy-handed humor efforts are shoehorned in ostensibly to help viewers better remember slide data. In fact, they shift the focus away from your primary objective.

5. Plan it out.

Before creating your presentation, create a basic outline that highlights your primary concept, how you plan to get it across, and how many slides in total it should take. Then, draft your slides. Take a break, review them, and cut back wherever possible.

6. Consider the 7x7x7.

If you really want to go all-in on the 7x7 rule, consider adding another 7 and aiming for no more than 7 words in each line, no more than 7 lines on each slide, and no more than 7 slides in total. It's not easy - but offers a much better chance of getting your point across.

7x7 Rule in Powerpoint Examples

So what does the 7x7 rule look like in practice? It's one thing to talk about building a better slide, but it's easy to fall back into bad habits when it's time to put together a presentation. It makes sense; content creators are often trying to convey a significant amount of information in a short period of time, and it's easy to get sidetracked by the notion that every piece of data must be included to make the meeting a success.

Let's start with a slide that's substantially removed from the 7x7 rule:

There's a lot to unpack here. We're using too many lines and too many words per line. Lines are complex without saying much, and the attempt at humor doesn't add anything.

Let's try again:

This one is better - we've reduced the number of lines to 7 and lost the joke, but most of the lines still have more than 7 words and the text is overly convoluted.

Let's try one more time:

This slide is clear and concise, and most lines have less than 7 characters. It offers the same information as the first two versions - it's just more effective and efficient.

The 7x7 Solution

While using 7 lines of text with 7 words or less isn't a silver bullet for all PowerPoint-related problems, it's a good place to begin if you're looking to boost viewer engagement and limit fatigue.

Bottom line? PowerPoint isn't always the ideal format for getting your point across, but if you need to create a quick-hitter presentation that lands well with your audience, start with the 7x7 solution.

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Despite its reputation for dry content delivery across virtual and in-person meetings alike, PowerPoint remains the go-to choice for many professionals, even as other options emerge that offer greater usability and flexibility outside of the Microsoft ecosystem.

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Examples of communication strategy documents.

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In today's world, brands have to generate their own buzz. Consumers aren't waiting for the daily newspaper anymore to get their news. Instead, they're scanning headlines on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms.

One way to control the narrative surrounding your brand is through press releases. Whether it's sharing a new product release or changes in your organizational structure, a regular cadence of meaningful news can help a company stand out and build mindshare with journalists over time.

In this post, we'll discuss:

What is a press release/news release?

A press release is an official statement (written or recorded) that an organization issues to the news media and beyond. Whether we call it a "press release," a "press statement," a "news release," or a "media release," we're always talking about the same basic thing.

While the heading should contain action verbs, the first paragraph should answer the "who," "what," "why," and "where." The press release should also contain understandable language and a quote.

Most press releases are succinct at just a page long - two pages tops. Ultimately, companies want to provide enough information so that news outlets have sufficient material for publishing their own stories about whatever the company is announcing in the release.

One thing to remember is that press releases live in the public domain, which means your stakeholders and customers can see them.

So, instead of thinking of a press release solely as a ticket to earning news coverage, consider it as a valuable piece of marketing content.

While there's no cut-and-dried formula for what a press release should include, here are a few types of occasions to help you carve out a focus for your press release and determine what content would help you broadcast your news in the best way:

Product Launches

The product launch type of press release is valuable to get the word out about the new solutions your organization is offering to consumers.

It should emphasize the product's specs, pricing, availability, and any other details that may be valuable to consumers.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Organizational change is noteworthy enough to warrant a press release, especially for informing current and future stakeholders about the growth and trajectory of a company.

To announce an acquisition or merger, include details about all organizations involved, information about the merger or acquisition, and quotes from the leadership teams.

Product Updates

Similar to a new product launch, product updates and expansions are also ripe for promotion. Explain what the change is, why it was made, and how it benefits the user.

Events

Press releases are an important component of event marketing to attract promotion from news outlets and other media sources.

You'll want to include:

What the event is about

Who should consider attending

When and where it will be held

Pricing

Grand Openings

Whether you opened up a new office, relocated, or are opening for the first time, announce the details with a grand opening press release.

Announce the date and location the grand opening will be held, who is involved, how the grand opening is being celebrated, and the reason for the move (if applicable).

New Partnerships

Similar to mergers and acquisitions, a press release announcing new partnerships is a mutually beneficial marketing tactic.

To effectively execute this type of release, be sure to write a summary about each company, why the partnership was created, who benefits, and any additional important details for current and future stakeholders.

Rebranding

Rebranding is a difficult thing for any business to do, and it can occasionally result in confusion and awkwardness.

One way to make the transition smoother is by announcing the rebrand with a press release, including details on what is changing, the reason for making the change, dates the changes go into effect, and quotes from the leadership team.

Executive Team Changes

Executives often serve as faces of the company, and a press release functions to kick off this role.

It may include biographical information to establish their credibility along with a photo and other pertinent details.

Awards

When it comes to business excellence, it's OK to brag. Press releases about awards and accomplishments serve to cement your organization as an authority in your space.

Such a press release includes information about the company and why they were given the award, information about the award itself, and details about the ceremony (if applicable).

When formatting a press release, you want to write it in a newsy, straightforward way so a journalist who might write about it can imagine it as an article on their news site.

To start, here are the basics every press release should include:

Your contact information located on the top left corner

The phrase "For immediate release" located on the top right

A headline that quickly explains the announcement

Your business location in the first sentence of the press release

A quick bio about your company at the end of your press release.

You also might want to include "###" or another signifier to show the journalist that the release has ended. In the past, this prevented busy journalists from waiting or flipping the page for more information when there was no more news. However, this tradition is still adopted and highly-respected today.

Now, onto the body of your press release:

Your first paragraph should state what the announcement while providing some context around your business and what it does.

The next two to three paragraphs should include quotes from a company spokesperson or business executive to explain the "why" behind this announcement.

Your last paragraph should be an "About Us" section that explains what your company is and what it offers.

In this example, Catbrella Inc., a fictitious ad agency that just gained its 10th Twitter follower after two years of paid social media efforts, announces its achievement in a press release.
*Disclaimer: HubSpot is entirely responsible for the silliness of this faux announcement.
Writing a press release to break important company news can help businesses grow better, but doing it right is just as important. Here's how to write a press release, like the one above, step-by-step.

1. Write a compelling headline.

You've got your announcement in mind, and now it's time to get it down in words to share with your community, industry, and followers.

Just like writing the perfect blog post title, setting up your press release for success starts with your headline. You only have one line to work with, which can seem scary, but consider your words carefully to make your headline captivating.

Here are some tips to make your headline stand out:

Use action verbs.

Be specific.

Keep it short.

Most importantly, make it interesting: Keep in mind that reporters get dozens, if not hundreds, of releases each day, so invest the time to write a compelling headline.

Consumers, on the other hand, see news stories all over their timelines. As such, your headline needs to be interesting enough to reel them in.

2. Convey the news value to the press.

If you want your press release to be newsworthy, you have to give readers a reason to care.

A good way to ensure this is by using the reverse pyramid formula when writing your press release: Going from the most important information to the least important.

While the first paragraph of your release should explain the who, what, where, the second paragraph should cover the why.

Reporters don't have a ton of time to sift through details and fluffy background information - they just need the facts that'll help them tell your story to someone else from a position of authority.

There shouldn't be any new, crucial information covered after these sections because the readers could potentially miss them.

3. Offer a tempting quote.

Once you've set the scene, it's time to bring your details to life with a quote that reporters can use for context around your announcement and help paint a picture of how your news affects the given industry, customer base, and landscape.

Ideally, quotes will be from key stakeholders in your company including your executive team, project leads, or those directly impacted by your announcement.

Quoting key figures and authorities underlines the importance of your development. The chosen quote should shape your narrative and emphasize the core of the announcement.

Don't ask everyone in your office for a comment or feel compelled to quote all 25 people included in the acquisition. Pick one or two critical spokespeople and focus the quotes around their unique perspective.

4. Provide valuable background information on the subject.

In this last paragraph, keep in mind that the reader should already have key details they need regarding your announcement.

Offer details here that strengthen your narrative, like creative or noteworthy ways your company developed the project or announcement at hand. Or, when applicable, comment on the future implications of your announcement.

Another good way to add value to your press release is by using newsjacking. A process of relating your press release to something currently going on to make it more valuable to the journalist and reader.

5. Summarize the "who" and the "what" in a boilerplate.

Twitter is chock-full of reporters lamenting press releases or pitches that don't clearly explain what the company does or what the announcement is actually about.

Describe what your company does in clear, plain language and include a link to your company's website early on.

If you cite data, include a reference link for the data source, and make sure every name in the release has an associated title and company as well.

To keep yourself honest on this front, ask a colleague to read the release without context and ask them to relay the information back to you. If they can't recall the who, what, or why get back to the drawing board.

Press Release Templates

Now, it's finally time to write your press release. How do you even begin? Use the templates below to guide your press release creation process. Each document has placeholders for the critical information you need to include, depending on the announcement you're making.
Download This Press Release Template for Free
Adding a new product to your existing lineup is always an exciting development, one that you should announce the moment you're ready to generate interest, jumpstart sales, and get early signups. This press release template from HubSpot allows you to do just that in a succinct manner, while still advertising the benefits and features that you're offering customers.

You can also share when the product will be available, how much it costs, and where to find more information. This sort of critical intel is essential to drive early qualified leads.
Download This Press Release Template for Free
Use this template to announce a new round of fundraising for your business. You can include a quote from your investor and one from your representative, as well as the reasons for why you're fundraising.

Fundraising is one of the most critical things you need to do for your startup, regardless of which stage your company is in - whether you're still in the developing stages or at a more mature level. You might already have a few rounds of funding under your belt, but if you're delving into a new round, the public should know.

Using this press release template will not only help you build buzz around your company, but help you attract the attention of angel investors looking for new, growing startups to invest in.
Download This Press Release Template for Free
If you're partnering with another business to offer an improved product or a new integration, use this press release template. You get space to describe the new benefits and features customers will enjoy, as well as direct quotes from your and your partner's representatives.

A partnership announcement will generate excitement for your mutual collaboration and allow you to attach your name to another leading company (and vice versa, for your partner). Note: If you're merging or acquiring another company, we have a different template for that - download it here with the rest of the kit.
Download This Press Release Template for Free
Milestones are absolutely worth announcing - especially if you're a public company or planning to seek funding from investors. Use this template to share your milestone, why it's important, and which successes you've recently experienced. In addition, you can share direct quotes from your executives and directors about the positive impact of the momentum you're seeing.

Not sure what a milestone press release can look like? Here's one example from HubSpot.
Download This Press Release Template for Free
Whether you've recently hired a new Chief Marketing Officer or on-boarded another high-level executive to your Board of Directors, it's essential to announce these major changes. It not only helps the public get to know your leadership team, but helps your own company experience the excitement of having a new executive on their side. Plus, it can be an excellent morale booster for your new hire.

Use this template to do just that. You have space to share direct quotes and specific examples of why your newest executive is such a great fit for your company.

Looking for more? The kit below includes all of the above press release templates, plus more templates based on the type of announcement your company wants to make.
Download This Press Release Template for Free
This template kit also offers creative replacements for the traditional press release and a guide on how to create a comprehensive promotional plan. You'll have exactly what you need to drive brand awareness and stand out among your competitors.

Press Release Examples

Many people think press releases have to be chock full of buzzwords and branded terms.

"Big data," anyone? Five-syllable words you have to look up on Thesaurus.com? Quotes from every executive on the planet that go on for pages? We've seen it all. Unfortunately, so have reporters - and they are not fans.

Instead of stuffing your next release with industry jargon, take a page out of our book (OK fine, ebook),The Newsworthy Guide to Inbound Public Relations, and brainstorm some creative approaches for your next announcement.

Can you include new data? A remarkable graphic or video? A shareable SlideShare? If so, a creative angle can help carry your content and increase the likelihood of social sharing.

Now, to get you thinking on the right track, take a look at some creative press release examples below, the type of news each one is reporting on, and what makes the release unique:

Type of press release: Acquisition
Image Source
The first thing that stands out in this press release is the headline. It tells a full story without being too long: It covers who's involved (Microsoft and Activision), what's happening (an acquisition), and why it matters (to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone).

Throughout the press release, you get quotes from leaders in both organizations, helping explain the benefit of this acquisition and how it will move the industry forward.

Toward the bottom of the press release, you get additional context surrounding each company's market share and how this acquisition will impact the industry.

Type of press release: Team and office expansion
Image Source
Organizational changes can seem relatively boring. One way to generate some interest is to include visual elements to add more dimension to the story.

In this press release announcing a team and office expansion, venture capital firm Flourish shares photos of some new hires right at the top, immediately drawing readers in.

The release dives into the reason behind the expansion and the key areas of focus moving forward. Then, we get a quick bio for each hire featured in the image, which can help build excitement surrounding the brand's future.

The key takeaway here is: Don't be afraid to use visual elements in your press release, as they can help draw readers in.

Type of press release: Event
Image Source
As the shortest press release in the bunch, SuperCom shows that less is often more.

In this release, security solutions company SuperCom announced its participation in an upcoming conference.

When it comes to events, the most important details are date and location. As long as you have those key pieces, everything else is a bonus.

One thing that would've elevated this release is a quote on who can benefit from attending this event and why, as a way to reel in potential attendees.

Type of press release: Program launch
Image Source
We've also crafted this comprehensive, easy-to-follow press release template complete with a promotional plan and considerations for your next announcement. We use these same guidelines when writing and formatting our releases here at HubSpot, and created a faux, sample release to illustrate what content goes where and why.

Tips for Publishing Press Releases

Writing a press release is really only half the battle. Once you're finished with production, it'll be time to focus on distribution.

Of course, we're all familiar with the traditional distribution levers we can pull, which include publishing the press release on our website/blog as well as sharing the press release with our followers/subscribers via social media and email.

To get the maximum amount of distribution possible, here are some tips you can follow.

1. Reach out to specific journalists.

Instead of blasting a press release out to every journalist you can find an email address for, focus on a few journalists who have experience covering your industry (and company, hopefully) and send them personalized messages.

Connect the dots. Show why what you wrote connects to what they write.

2. Send the release to top journalists the day before.

Give journalists some time to craft a story around your press release by sending it to them - under embargo - the day before it officially goes live.

"Under embargo" just means they aren't allowed to share the information in the press release until the time you specify.

3. To avoid competition, don't publish your release on the hour.

If you're publishing your press release on a distribution service like PR Newswire or Business Wire, avoid publishing it on the hour (e.g., 1 p.m., or 3 p.m., or 5 p.m.).

The reason? Most companies schedule their releases to go out on the hour, which means if your release goes out on the hour too, it's more likely to get lost in the shuffle.

Instead, try going with a more distinct time (e.g., 1:12 p.m., or 3:18 p.m., or 5:22 p.m.).

4. Share your media coverage.

If all goes according to plan, and your press release gets picked up by the media, your job still isn't finished.

To keep the buzz going, you can release a "second wave" of distribution by sharing the specific stories that news outlets write based on your press release.

You can also share the news on your digital channels, like social media and email, to bring awareness to your announcement.

How To Stand Out In The News

The key to keeping your PR strategy new school is forgetting preconceived notions of what public relations is and instead focusing on creating highly remarkable content. Traditional press releases can still be really valuable when executed well.

Instead of ditching releases as a tactic, give them a modern makeover to make them more useful for your marketing.

Think about how you've used inbound methods to transform your marketing strategies to be more personalized, approachable, and build relationships. Those same principles apply to your PR strategy: Create content to craft your own story and use tactful outreach to get the media familiar with (and excited about) your brand.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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How to Write a Press Release [Free Press Release Template + Examples]

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Learn how to format and write an eye-catching press release. Plus, get inspired by recent press releases from real brands.

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In today’s fast-paced news cycle where people get their information from a variety of sources, including social media, it’s necessary for businesses to actively share important company updates with the public. While there are many ways to share information, press releases are an excellent way to get information about your company into the news cycle. You can use press releases as a tool for sharing a variety of company updates.

Learn what a press release is, understand what press releases are used for, review different types of press releases, assess tips for writing press releases and evaluate answers to frequently asked questions about press releases.

What is a press release?

Press releases are succinct statements, typically a page or two, that share important news with the public. Usually, companies send press releases to journalists or news organizations who then take the provided information and include it in their news broadcast or publication.

Related: How to Hire a Communications Manager

What is a press release used for?

You can use press releases for a variety of reasons. Most often, companies use press releases to share announcements with the public. Common reasons for creating a press release include:

Media coverage: Press releases are an excellent way to get media coverage on a new product or change in leadership.

Brand awareness: The more frequently your company’s name is in the news, the more familiar people will become with it.

Crisis management: Should your company face hardship or crisis, a press release can help you control the narrative.

Back link building: Sharing company information through news channels allows you to back link to reputable sources.

Marketing: Sharing information through the press about a new product or service can attract the attention of potential buyers.

Three different types of press releases

Press releases can take a variety of forms and styles. Consider three of the most common types of press releases with templates:

1. Event press release

Businesses use event press releases to share information about events they’re hosting, sponsoring or attending. For event press releases, the key information to include is the name, location, date and time of the event. Use this template to help you structure your event press release:

[Company name]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Company contact name]

[Phone number]

[Email]

[Website]

[Headline]

What: [Name of the event]

Where: [Location of the event]

When: [Date and time of the event. Include time zone.]

Details: [Include pricing, dress code and any other important event details.]

[Paragraph explaining the event in detail]

Sponsors:

[List any sponsors]

[Provide a boilerplate description of your business and the services and products you provide.]

2. Crisis press release

Crisis press releases help companies mitigate any negative impacts from a major challenge the company faced or is facing. This type of press release can help your business manage the details of the story and share positive news for how you’re mitigating damage. Use this template to create your own crisis press release:

[Company name]

[Release date — choose a date on which your company will be prepared to answer any questions.]

[Company contact name]

[Phone number]

[Email]

[Website]

[Headline]

[Explanatory paragraph that provides the basic details of the company crisis.]

[Body paragraph that describes the incident in detail.]

[Body paragraph that provides a solution or plan to mitigate damage caused by the crisis.]

[A quote from a company leader reassuring the public about the status of the company.]

[A call to action that tells readers where they can go for up-to-date information.]

3. New product press release

Businesses use new product press releases to share details about a new product or service they’re introducing to the marketplace. Often, rather than a full description of every single feature or element of the new product, the press release describes only those features that differ from competitors or updates not available on previous products. Use this template to help you craft your own new product press release:

[Company name]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Company contact name]

[Phone number]

[Email]

[Website]

[Headline]

Product name: [Name of the product]

SRP: [Price of the product]

Launch date: [Date the product will be available in stores]

Retailers: [Where the product will be sold]

[Body paragraph that describes the product’s main features.]

[A quote from a company leader about the efficacy of the product.]

[Body paragraph that provides information about the company.]

[A call to action that tells readers where they can go for more information about the product.]

Press release template for PDF & Word

Check out our press release template to help you to share announcements with the public.

Download PDF for Free

Download Word for Free

*Indeed provides these examples as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your HR or legal adviser, and none of these documents reflect current labor or employment regulations.

Tips for writing a press release

Press releases vary in style and tone from other forms of content you might write for your business. Use these tips to help you craft press releases that will help your company reach its goals:

Write like a journalist

To gain the attention of the journalists and publishers with whom you’re sharing your content, ensure your press release is direct and explanatory. Unlike marketing copy, which may use more subtlety or specific word choices, your press release should be obvious and easy to understand.

Consider the value

Make sure the press release provides value to the publication or agency to which you’re sending it. To do this, take a look at the publication or broadcast to ensure their audience will have an interest in or benefit from learning about your product, service or company.

Use the inverted pyramid

Follow the journalism principle of the inverted pyramid to structure your press release. The bulk of the release should focus on the most relevant information, like what’s happening, when it’s happening and why it’s happening. After you’ve listed the most vital details, you can include secondary information like quotes and boilerplate copy.

Provide quotes

While quotes aren’t usually included in the first paragraph or section of your press release, they’re still very valuable to the journalists who use your press releases. Providing a quote for the journalist or publication to reference makes it much more likely that they’ll include a quote at all.

Cut unnecessary language

Keep your copy streamlined and direct. You don’t need to include extra descriptions or other “fluff” in your writing. Remember, you’re providing the framework for the journalist who will take the information and create an attention-grabbing article or video with it.

Follow AP guidelines

Most journalists use AP style to format their writing. Using AP style for your press releases makes it easier for them to use the information you provide in their own writing.

Include media

Attach photos and videos to your press release. Images, audio and video are great attractors for viewers, so the general public is more likely to read or review your story in a print publication or online if it has an included visual element.

Frequently asked questions about press releases

How do you write a press release?

To write a basic press release, follow these steps:

1. Offer contact info. Start your press release with relevant contact information. This way, the journalist can get in touch with you if they need more information.

2. Lead with a catchy headline. Write a headline that accurately describes the body of the press release and will entice your readers to continue reading.

3. Provide value. In the body of the press release, under the headline, include details that provide value to the reader.

4. Give a quote. Provide a quote in one of the body paragraphs that will excite your readers.

5. Include background info. Ensure you give the readers enough information and details to make an informed decision.

6. End with the boilerplate. End your press release with a boilerplate description of your company and, ideally, a call to action for the reader.

What should a press release include?

While some press releases may add specific details related to the type of press release, most press releases include these basic elements:

Contact information: Provide a dedicated contact person from your company to handle any follow-up questions from the press.

Headline: Include a headline that explains the press release.

Necessary details: Establish the key details in an easy-to-read format, like bullet points.

Background: Provide background details in paragraph form.

Boilerplate: Offer a boilerplate description about your company.

What are the types of press releases?

You can create a press release for just about any business endeavor. The most common types of press releases are:

New products

Company changes like mergers and acquisitions

Updated products

Events

Grand openings

Partnerships with other businesses

Rebranding

Leadership changes

Awards and accolades

What is a press release used for?

You can use a press release to share important information about your company with the general public. Press releases, as the name implies, are sent to members of the press, who use the information you provide to create written and video-based news pieces to share with their audiences. Common reasons to send out a press release include:

New hires

Product releases or updates

Events

Partnerships with other companies or organizations

Research

Awards

Crisis management

Press releases are an important tool for companies who want to share news with a broad audience. Knowing what type of press release to write and how to structure it can help ensure your message reaches the intended audience.

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Examples of Press Releases (With Free Template Downloads)

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Learn about the different types of press releases and review these templates to write your own. Download the template for free (PDF or Word).

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The content lifecycle covers the series of changes in the life of any content asset, from its creation to distribution and preservation.

Content assets should be managed as carefully as any product or service. As Robert Rose said:

"An organization's ability to have efficient and effective management of its content through the entire lifecycle can mean the difference between success and failure."

Unfortunately, not all organizations (even large enterprises) have a full grip on their content.

According to Marketing Week, 60% of the content created by the world's leading brands becomes "just clutter," having little impact on consumers' lives or business results. At the same time, with brands that get content right, that same study found a 71% correlation between content effectiveness and brand impact.

Reinforcing the point even further, another study shows up to 70% of content assets remain unused due to the lack of a management strategy.

It all raises the question, how can more organizations use a Content Lifecycle Management (CLM) solution to get the most effectiveness from their content?

In this guide, we'll explore CLM in detail, considering the seven stages and key functionality of Content Lifecycle Management software.

Read on, or skip ahead as we cover:

What is Content Lifecycle Management (CLM)?
Who Should Invest in Content Lifecycle Management (CLM)?
The 7 Stages Content Lifecycle Management
What to Look for in a Content Lifecycle Management Solution

What is Content Lifecycle Management?

Content lifecycle management (CLM) is the process of planning, creating, optimizing, organizing, distributing, measuring and preserving content throughout its lifetime in your organization. It's a process that aims to improve efficiency and remove barriers to success.

Content lifecycle management systems enable content strategists to oversee and manage content programs of any size.

Who Should Invest in Content Lifecycle Management?

Content lifecycle management (CLM) is best suited for large businesses and enterprise brands.

Smaller companies who create a minimal amount of content often have a more limited benefit from content lifecycle management.

But larger companies who generate vast volumes of enterprise content - including social media, blogs, videos, infographics, white papers, ebooks - that touch various platforms have a pressing need for content lifecycle management.

Ultimately, the focus means marketing and creative teams can better keep track of each piece of content throughout its entire lifecycle.

7 Stages of Content Lifecycle Management

The content lifecycle covers seven stages:

1. Plan

2. Create

3. Store and organize

4. Edit and approve

5. Publish and distribute

6. Report

7. Preserve assets

Let's examine each stage:

Plan

Before you start creating content, you need to have a clear plan and strategy in place. In the planning stage, you need to take an overarching view to ensure your content ideas align with your overarching business and marketing goals.

For example, your goal structure might look like the following:

Business goal - increase customers
Marketing goal - increase leads and conversions
Blog content goal - increase subscribers and leads

Planning and aligning goals also helps later in the content lifecycle when you come to evaluating and reporting on how an asset performed. You can then use the data and insights from your analytics tools to apply actionable takeaways in future content planning.

In addition to selecting the right technologies and people, the planning stage involves installing the proper workflows to help bring greater control, accuracy, and efficiency to your content management system. Planning positions you to understand what's not working with existing processes so that you can more easily identify effective fixes.

Create

The next stage in the content lifecycle is where you start creating the various content assets. Whatever creative operations might look like at your organization, even the smallest efficiencies at this stage can multiply into massive time savings (and fewer brand compliance headaches) for your teams.

With the plan in place, content creation will often take the form of blogs, images, videos, and more, all designed to support your specific business goals. With marketing and creative teams aligned on goals, there will be less room for misalignment on content intent and extra iterations.

The creation stage involves brainstorming, implementing, collaborating, reviewing, and approving your content for upcoming campaigns and projects. These steps will help streamline each of these activities, both maximizing content production and maintaining brand compliance.

Store and Organize

Once you've created content assets, you need to store them in a well-organized and searchable way so they can be easily accessed by the right people from the right departments. And once approved, that organization becomes essential to streaming asset use across marketing and sales campaigns.

One way to accomplish this is by establishing a naming convention that can be used across all of your assets. This can even be done, in part automatically, with AI image tagging.

Brandfolder allows you to upload, store, organize, and share unlimited assets from one secure location. It supports all media formats, including images, video, audio, and documents in a wide array of file types.

Brandfolder also includes the metadata (data about data) so that your content assets are tagged, categorized, and organized correctly, making it simple for anyone to search and share exactly what they need.

Based on user access permissions, both internal and external teams can quickly store and access content assets using keywords, metadata, or SKUs.

Most digital asset management (DAM) platforms offer the ability to filter, sort, and label metadata, plus create custom fields. But Brandfolder offers several more tools that enhance metadata organization, including data governance, brand guidelines, digital rights management, as well as providing valuable insights.

Edit and Approve

At the edit and approval stage, you make sure that the content meets brand guidelines and required standards. To accomplish this, you need an online collaboration process where creators and editors can quickly exchange comments, make edits and quickly move through the iteration process.

Brandfolder's edit and convert tools let you manipulate files to your exact specifications. For instance, you can crop images to custom or preset sizes, like social media specifications, and you can also convert file types when exporting. For added efficiency, you can make all these adjustments in bulk.

Furthermore, the workflow and collaboration tools allow you to collaborate across teams, integrate with existing workflows, customize your content assets but keep them on-brand with designated approvers.

Publish and Distribute

Once your content is approved, it's ready to publish and distribute. Remember, over 70% of assets go to waste, so you need an easy, secure, and trackable method of distributing your assets to maximize their use and value.

Sending files back and forth by email is cumbersome and time-consuming. Plus, you can't send large creative files via email, so you need something more robust.

Brandfolder lets you store your content securely and then create a Share Link to share individual or multiple assets with authorized stakeholders in a controlled manner. You can even set expiration dates or user permissions to control access and availability further.

There are also a number of ways to share in order to meet your content's purpose. For instance, you can embed your Brandfolder assets directly into your website with CDN links, or add a portal and let users access authorized content straight from your site.

Report

Reporting allows you to analyze data and learn what resonates with your audience. You can optimize what works and create more potent content assets in the future so that each new campaign improves alongside your content plan.

Brandfolder's insights and analytics let you quickly view your most active assets, plus the activity and top users for individual assets. You can check if the resources spent creating your content assets are paying off across your distribution channels.

Preserve Assets

Preserving or archiving content assets is an important but often overlooked stage in the content lifecycle. Once a content asset is no longer circulating, for example, after a campaign has ended, you can choose to preserve it for reference or as a refresh for possible future use.

Preserving assets in a separate archive also keeps your content repository tidy, ensuring only current content is used, and keeps inactive content safe until it's required again.

However, not everything you preserve needs to be old and unwanted. You can also use the archive repository to store raw files used to create your content asset. For example, you could store pre-production video footage before it was cut and edited for the main content asset. You might be able to use some of that original footage in another content asset in the future.

What to Look for in a Content Lifecycle Management Solution

When considering which Content Lifecycle Management (CLM) software to implement, you need to ensure it has several key features to integrate smoothly with your standard operations.

Let's take a look at seven of the most important features you need in a CLM system.

1. Stores All Digital Asset Types

The CLM needs to be able to store all types of digital assets. Content comes in all shapes and sizes, file types, and formats, such as text, images, audio, and video.

Brandfolder can handle, store, and backup all these digital asset types securely using the latest technologies. You can import files individually or in bulk, plus there's an option to transfer large file sizes and quantities of assets from an FTP server.

Brandfolder not only stores your assets but organizes them logically by collections, sections, and labels so that anyone can find them quickly by sorting and filtering searches.

2. Enables Quick Retrieval

Make sure the CLM software allows users to retrieve content assets quickly. For instance, check if it can add metadata to organize, group, or classify content based on its specific characteristics, enabling quick search and retrieval.

Brandfolder has several features to help you find exactly which content assets you're looking for exactly when you need it. For example, when you import files:

It extracts metadata, so users can quickly discover assets when searching on metadata fields.

It uses AI-powered auto-tagging to automatically add logical keyword tags to your content assets so that it's easier to find them when searching.

It uses AI-powered image recognition to tag assets so that searching for images with specific criteria faster than ever.

3. Secures Content Assets

Storing and retrieving assets is one thing, but you want to make sure you select a CLM system that protects and secures your content assets.

Brandfolder's engineering team uses the latest tools and practices available to implement multiple levels of security to protect and backup your files.

They use modern encryption methods to transfer and store your data and regularly test the application and infrastructure for security vulnerabilities.

You set the privacy and access controls so that only authorized users have access to specific assets.

4. Enables Collaboration

An essential part of a CLM system is cross-functional collaboration. Creating, editing, and approving content involves several stakeholders throughout the process.

Brandfolder lets you add comments on an asset to facilitate collaboration throughout the review process. Alternatively, you can pin annotations directly on an asset and notify the appropriate parties to review and address it.

Brandfolder also has a central notification center where you can set alerts for access requests, recently added files, asset updates, and more.

If you want to speed up the content creation process, you can create and upload editable branded templates. Users can use them as starting blocks before editing text fields and images directly in Brandfolder.

5. Provides Rights Management

Your chosen CLM software needs to provide rights management so that you can authorize access to specific content assets.

Brandfolder's rights management functionality lets you control who sees what and when. For instance, you can:

Set publish and expiration dates for your content assets to correspond with campaign timeframes.

Nominate one or more administrators who can approve assets before they become visible to others.

Automate the viewability of draft and expired content assets in and outside of your organization.

Set an expiration date on a group of content assets that make them unavailable after a timeframe.

Get alerted when rights expire so that you can take action immediately.

6. Integrates with Existing Workflows

You probably already have a host of existing workflows that you've created in other tools. So look for a CLM system that integrates with existing workflows rather than having to recreate them or interrupt your team's work..

Brandfolder integrates with your existing creative tools and workflows via many built-in plugins. For instance, you can improve organizational efficiency by integrating with expert workflow platforms, including:

Adobe Creative Cloud - to allow creative work to merge seamlessly with asset distribution and usage.

inMotionNow - to streamline the review and approval process of creating content.

Jira - to embed your existing organizational workflows.

Templafy - to find, view, and embed assets directly into templates, without ever leaving the Templafy interface.

Smartsheet - to automatically push Smartsheet project attachments directly to your Brandfolder without ever leaving the Smartsheet interface.

7. Delivers Insights and Analytics

Finally, you need your CLM system to track the usage and engagement of different content assets to see what resonates most with your stakeholders (internal and external) and target audience. You can use these insights to see which content gets used most and which gets the most engagement when planning future campaigns.

Brandfolder lets drill-down to get analytics on an asset level. You get insights on the top users for individual assets and which assets they interact with most.

You can also track analytics on asset collections, so you can see which group of campaign assets perform best.

Are You Prepared to Manage Your Content Lifecycle?

Managing huge volumes of content across different campaigns and various platforms in an enterprise organization is a thankless task. From the moment it's created to the time it's archived, you need a robust system to track and manage each content asset.

Content lifecycle management systems enable you to oversee and manage content programs of any size. Make sure you use a CLM system like Brandfolder to secure and preserve your content assets.

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Content Lifecycle Management : 7 Steps for Success in 2021 | Brandfolder

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The content lifecycle covers the series of changes in the life of any content asset, from its creation to distribution and preservation. Content assets should be managed as carefully as any product or service. As Robert Rose said: "An organization's ability to have efficient and effective management of its content through the entire lifecycle can mean the difference between success and failure."

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PR and Paid Media don't usually work together that much, but by joining forces, you can create a targeted approach using meaningful content - it's a win-win.

Typically, Paid Media was seen as the go-to online promotion tool for businesses – an internet advertising model built to drive traffic to websites through the use of precise and accurate data. PR, however, is defined by its organic approach to amplification, its creativity, and the art of great storytelling.

In short, one’s analytical, one’s creative.

In a time when the digital-sphere is changing rapidly, brands and businesses are moving away from the ‘hard sell’ and taking a far more emotional approach to their marketing and messaging.

In line with that, Paid Media is adapting. It’s changed entirely here at Hallam, to the extent that it’s been rebranded as Paid Media, an all-encompassing tool rather than just PPC (Pay Per Click).

What hasn’t changed, though, is the wealth of consumer data and targeting tools at Paid Media’s disposal, thanks to a helping hand from Google. And, by combining that with PR’s flair, creativity, and eye for a great story, the two functions appear to be, actually, a match made in heaven.

So, yes, PR and Paid Media, historically, haven’t spoken and collaborated all that much. That’s why I decided to have a chat with our Head of Paid, Jack Brown, for this article to answer and outline just how brands and businesses can combine their Paid media and PR activity to make their content work far harder.

Adopting a far more targeted approach to content amplification

These, typically, are the three steps that happen once you have created a great piece of content:

1. It’s uploaded to your website

2. It’s shared across your social media and email marketing channels

3. It’s outreached to external publications

From there, you can keep on top of how many shares it has received, the engagement it garnered, and how many pieces of coverage and links it has acquired.

Delve a little deeper, and you can use tools like Google Analytics to see how your content is performing in relation to referral traffic, page views, the average time that a consumer spent with the piece of content, and what the bounce rate percentage is on that page.

However, wouldn’t it be far more beneficial to tap into Paid’s expertise and wealth of data to ensure your content is seen by exactly who you want to see? Even right down to job title, sector, and age?

This is what my colleague, Jack Brown, had to say: “The biggest thing from a Paid Media perspective is that in the past, it has largely been about performance marketing – spend £10, get £100 back, so to speak.

“That’s where we were in the past, but since we have changed to be more focused on the full funnel and on awareness, consideration, and conversion – pushing consumers through different stages – that’s where the content types become incredibly important.

“If you’ve got a great piece of content or PR and there are no exclusivity deals in place, there’s a wealth of things Paid Media professionals can do with that. That content can be as targeted as you want it to be, depending on the network that it is being pushed on. Paid Media can, essentially, use all of the data that is available on that platform, down to the sector, job titles, company sizes, age, and location, and tie that perfectly in with a PR article.

“With organic content, you’re often placing that on a website and hoping your audience sees it. However, with Paid Media, we begin with the audience and tailor our approach accordingly.”

Case Study: The Future of Digital Marketing: 2021 edition

A significant part of long-term brand building lies in the work that is done in the awareness and consideration phase of the sales funnel.

Again, PPC, typically, has been utilised to gently push consumers through the conversion process where PR and content marketing takes a long-term approach, focusing on raising awareness of a product, service, or message – the first phase if you will.

But what happens if you use the Paid function to support that first phase?

For this, we will use Hallam’s 2021 instalment of The Future of Digital Marketing eBook – a free piece of long-form content built purely to educate the reader. As well as combining many of the organic amplification methods, we used Paid to target specific job titles within specific sectors and, it was successful and led to the agency acquiring multiple business leads and arranging a webinar for those leads.

Here’s what Jack had to say: “Content being amplified through Paid is something that has largely been neglected in the industry in the past. As we start pushing awareness and consideration, content has got to be tailored to the right stage of the funnel that the user is in.

“With awareness, you’re targeting people that haven’t really heard of your brand before or what you sell. In that stage, they’re not going to respond to the hard sell, the PPC ad pushing a product.

“That essentially is the same as someone standing on the high street just trying to sell directly to you. You have to nurture consumers through the funnel.

“Take the Future of Digital Marketing eBook as an example. That was providing content, it added value at a top-level, and asked for nothing in return. When it comes to awareness, that is a perfect example of how content and Paid can work in unison.”

Using Paid Media to make more educated content decisions

Ask yourself a question, how do you make decisions when it comes to what content you’re going to create?

It could come down to what is currently happening in the industry, a business insight, a new trend that has been spotted, or a new product launch, or even a consumer survey.

More often now, free data such as Google Trends and Answer The Public are being used to discover and articulate what people are searching for in relation to specific phrases. In turn, PR and content teams can produce content that is tailored and answers specific questions.

By using Paid Media, those teams can go one step further. You can identify what search terms and questions are taking consumers to specific pages on a website, and what the volume of that is. Paid Media can show how long they’re spending with that content and the type of people making those searches.

With such information, PR and content teams can produce meaningful content that answers the questions consumers are actually asking. Better yet, it is truly measurable and can provide evidence of what further steps can be taken to support a customer on their conversion route.

This is what Jack had to say “PPC focuses on buying traffic, where Paid Media is all-encompassing and doesn’t tie itself to one specific strategy. We can pay-per-click, impression, or video view – just as three examples.

“It is taking it more down a content focus and nurturing the user. The most important question behind that is proving how a piece of content that has been created has generated sales.

“Providing that feedback is the million-dollar answer in this industry. For me, it comes down to attribution and how a consumer has responded after reading the content. If that same consumer has visited 10 additional pages after it but didn’t convert, that still shouldn’t be considered a waste.

“Tools, like Google Analytics, can help Paid Media professionals track them through and generate reports that show user flow or paths that have been taken to conversion.

“So from a piece of content or PR that has been promoted through Paid Media, we can see the journeys consumers are taking. Following on from that, the data can be used to feed into the sales campaigns that are being run in conjunction with the content and target people specifically that came to a site through the ad that was created.”

Reputation management – How Paid Media can support PR in a crisis

Fact: PR is not all a bed of roses.

Sometimes, there is a requirement to be reactive and turn into a firefighter in order to protect a brand. That can resort to press statements being drafted, new measures being implemented, and, depending on the size of the issue, a whole lot of media liaison.

Leveraging every marketing channel to combat negative PR becomes inevitable, but just like many of the other topics that have been considered above, Paid is not considered as part of a crisis communications strategy.

However, there are two reasons why it should be considered essential: targeted keywords and ads messaging.

By utilising both, businesses can support their ‘firefighting’ efforts by promoting a key message or pushing neutral or more positive stories or content – making the most of the fact that Paid will always sit above organic in Google’s search results.

This is what Jack had to say: “It’s an interesting concept. The easiest way to describe this is to have a press release that reacts to a negative one already out in the media and push it out as wide as possible – essentially a reach-focused campaign across channels like YouTube and Spotify.

“A different way to tie this in is with a website that has got a poor organic lift in Google search and has a number of negative stories that are above it. There is a big SEO job there, but Paid Media, regardless, will always sit above organic content.

“Google ads always sit at the top of a page, so something as simple as running a paid ad against a search term for a company that has received terrible reviews, you can drive traffic to a page that is built in response to the negative activity. It ties in nicely.”

Three steps you can take away to make your content work harder

1 – Targeting the perfect audience in line with your content – we can take a story about a sustainable product. The absolute default you will receive from a Paid specialist is the industry it is specific to and the network that it fits best within. For example LinkedIn can target best on industry, job title, company size, or radius. In keeping with the sustainable product angle, we can target procurement managers or sustainability officers within the specific sector we want to target this product to and get the ad in front of them as many times as possible.

2 – Tracking engagement and next step of the journey – still speaking hypothetically, we can then see that 7,452 people looked at the article from that Paid campaign. That creates a separate list and gets pumped through every network we have access to. We know that it is the perfect person, because we specified our targeting on industry and job title, but rather than targeting them with a content focus, we now switch to a sales focus and provide them with a business’ range of sustainable products because we now know, given that they clicked on the content, that they’re interested in the topic or the product.

3 – Splitting lists and adapting your approach – we can split up that list based on how engaged they were with the content. While 7,452 looked at the content or visited the URL, we can split them based on low and high engagement, who consumed that content well or not at all. If someone spent several minutes on the page, there is a significant chance that they consumed the entire content. Those people are also more likely to purchase than somebody who clicked through but left after 10 seconds. For those with lower engagement, we can tailor the ads and messaging to try and bring them back or to visit similar articles.

Final thoughts

Paid Media is changing and it’s important that brands and businesses change with it in order to make their content work harder than it has before.

Now far more than just a tool for advertising, Paid Media has the ability to take quality content and storytelling, and target it at a granular level, support long-term brand awareness activity, and allow PR and content teams to make more educated decisions moving forward.

All that has to happen in order to achieve that?

Ensure PR and Paid are talking more than what they have done in the past – they need to join forces to make content go further.

Want to speak to one of our PR or Paid Media specialist? Get in touch.

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How Paid Media joins forces with PR | Hallam

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Historically, PR and Paid have not interacted. Here’s why that needs to change as part of your business’ content strategy.

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Thanks to the proliferation of social media and the changing newsroom, public relations is no longer strictly owned and earned media. Paid media is now a critical asset for building your overall brand awareness.

In today's crowded, high-noise media landscape, organic awareness isn't enough-it's the combination of earned, paid and owned media that really packs a punch. Earned media is any media or content that was free and thereby earned. Owned media is any original content published on your own channels (blog, website, social handles). Paid media is anything that was paid for in support of your brand or campaign-social media advertising, sponsored content, display ads, etc.

Paid media is a catalyst for any brand to amplify awareness. It is particularly useful for startups who want to get their name out there and build up brand recognition. Think of it like any effective digital PR advertising strategy, the more one sees something, the more frequently it's recalled. All that said, it can be hard to determine where to get started-don't fear, LEWIS is here to help!

Sponsored Content

Far fewer publications take contributed content these days, and those that do are not easy to get into. In tandem with this decrease, more and more publications offer sponsored content opportunities and those can vary in different forms. Usually, this takes shape as long-form content and is a great way to demonstrate thought leadership on issues close to your brand, and since its paid, it can be promotional. This includes but is definitely not limited to, media advertising, social media ads or native advertising. This can also take the form of podcasts, a newer medium that is rapidly gaining audiences and exposure.
Related: Where Does Public Relations Fit in Your Marketing Plan?
A good place to start with sponsored content, especially in the B2B realm, and an opportunity we always encourage clients to pursue, is Forbes Councils. For a reasonable price, this invite-only column gives clients the freedom to talk about topics that they're passionate about, as long as it fits the overarching theme-for example, writing about technology for the Forbes Technology Council. Aside from Forbes, countless other publications offer sponsored content or native advertising options across industry verticals, from tech and business, to supply chain, healthcare and financial. Ensuring that your PR goals align with the publication's audience is key to making sponsored content of any form a success.

Ad Space

For decades, media outlets have leveraged advertising to monetize their target audience. The advent of the internet has made measuring the impact of advertising more concrete and has created more options for brand awareness. As seen in the example above, ad space can be used to promote important initiatives, not strictly brand messaging. Buying ad space within media outlets aligns your brand with important stories-for example, a VPN provider can have its ads shown alongside a story on remote working.

Social Media Advertising

It shouldn't come as a surprise that more than 80% of the U.S. population uses social media. Social media PR or social media advertising, can be an incredibly effective way to reach target audiences since so much of the population is active on social media and social media channels give clients more control when targeting ads.

Before diving into social media advertising, it's important to understand which platform your audience is spending its time. For example, Instagram and Facebook are great social networks for targeting consumers, and LinkedIn is great for targeting business decision-makers and for B2B lead generation.

No matter which option you choose, you want to make sure that you determine the objective of your campaign-is it thought leadership, awareness, promoting initiatives/campaigns, generating traffic to the site? Additionally, for the best result, ensure the outlet or social media platform is targeting the audience you're interested in, promoting the content appropriately and guarantees the number of click-throughs before it stops promoting content.

For paid media, paid social or help with your media strategy, check out our PR and digital marketing services.

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The Importance of Paid Media in PR | TEAM LEWIS

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Thanks to the proliferation of social media and the changing newsroom, public relations is no longer strictly owned and earned media. Paid media is now a critical asset for building your overall brand awareness. In today's crowded, high-noise media landscape, organic awareness isn't enough-it's the combination of earned, paid and owned media that really packs a punch.

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As the name suggests, paid media is any promotional activity which costs a brand money. In the past, paid media has generally been considered untrustworthy, and brands were advised to focus their efforts on creating genuine awareness among audiences through organic approaches.

Whilst this is still true in many cases, there is a new feeling in PR that organic growth alone is not enough. This change has been brought about by the changing media landscape, which has seen the rise of promoted social media content, influencers and search and social media algorithms. Paid media is now a necessity for brands to consider, giving them more control and improved targeted brand awareness.

How is paid media used in PR campaigns?

Paid media is an effective tool to reliably expand reach and generate more direct traffic to owned media, such as the company website. Unlike other media forms, sponsored content is guaranteed to reach specific targeted audiences which may not have come across the brand through other organic campaign tactics. It is a great way of amplifying a PR campaign beyond its organic reach and to specific niches within a publication's readers.

Types of paid media

Newspaper or magazine advertising

Radio ads

Advertorial content

Sponsored Tweets or Instagram posts

Facebook ads and campaigns

Paid influencer partnerships

Roundtables

Sponsored content

Email marketing

Display ads

Google pay per click

Pros and cons of paid

The unpredictability of traditional PR is what makes paid strategies attractive options. Paid PR ensures brands have control over the media published and associated messaging. This form of media can also be run on a much wider scale with a larger reach than other media forms.

Using paid strategies allows brands to cut through social media or search engine algorithms through sponsored content and adverts. Advertising makes social media platforms profitable, and channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram expect brands to pay to reach target audiences.

On the other hand, brands must consider the costs of a strong paid media strategy. Lower trust levels for paid media means that it is most effective when used as part of a wider, rounded campaign which incorporates earned, shared and owned media.

To find out more about how we can incorporate paid media into your PR campaign, call us today on 0161 951 5391.

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PESO: Using Paid media in a PR campaign : PR Agency One

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As the name suggests, paid media is any promotional activity which costs a brand money. In the past, paid media has generally been considered untrustworthy, and brands were advised to focus their efforts on creating genuine awareness among audiences through organic approaches.

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Google Alerts - Monitor the Web for interesting new content

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Monitor the web for interesting new content

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Having an ad banned by the ASA can be costly. At CAP we want you to produce successful campaigns that also follow the rules. That's why we offer a wide range of advice services to support you:

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Advertising Standards Authority | Committee of Advertising Practice

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The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is UK's regulator of advertising. We apply the Ad Codes, written by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP).

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Barcelona Principles 3.0, presented during the AMEC Virtual Summit by Ben Levine, Director & Partner, TRUE Global Intelligence and AMEC Board Director.
The 2020 evolution of the globally trusted Barcelona Principles will sharpen the communications industry's focus on inclusion, impact, and integrity.

It is ten years since the Barcelona Principles first presented an industry-wide consensus on measurement and evaluation, and five years since its last update. In the fast-moving communications industry, much has changed in that time.
Barcelona Principles 3.0: an explanation
Reflecting this, Barcelona Principles 3.0 acknowledges that common practices in 2010 - even 2015 - may now be outdated, with game-changing shifts particularly over the last 2-3 years. Furthermore, it has broadened its relevance to a wider and more diverse range of organisations and roles to reflect that measurement and evaluation best practice is equally essential in government communications, charities, NGOs, and other non-commercial entities.

Setting goals is an absolute prerequisite to communications planning, measurement, and evaluation.

The founding principle of SMART (specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time-bound) goals as a foundation for communications planning has been promoted to an essential prerequisite. It pushes measurement and evaluation as a core component of the planning process, articulating target outcomes and how progress towards these will be assessed.

Measurement and evaluation should identify outputs, outcomes, and potential impact.

Previously, the Principles recommended measuring outcomes, rather than simply counting outputs. The updated principles extend this to consider longer term impact of communications strategy. According to Levine, this means thinking about "the channels we are impacting, and change we would like to see through campaigns, events and activations."

Outcomes and impact should be identified for stakeholders, society, and the organization.

From the original focus on business metrics, such as sales and revenue, the 2020 update embraces a more holistic view of performance. It allows the model to be more inclusive of a broader range of organisations and communications roles that are not necessarily profit-driven.

Communication measurement and evaluation should include both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

"To understand the full impact of your work, it is crucial that you use the full suite of methods to measure those outcomes," summarised Levine in describing the evolution of this principle to not just quantify but also understand how messages are being received, believed and interpreted.

AVEs are not the value of communication.

The message remains consistent and clear; "we continue to believe that AVEs do not demonstrate the value of our work." It is important that communications measurement and evaluation employs a richer, more nuanced, and multi-faceted approach to understand the impact of communications.

Holistic communication measurement and evaluation includes all relevant online and offline channels.

Our founding principle that social media can and should be measured is so obvious today. The 2020 iteration reflects the game-changing shift in social communications' capabilities, opportunities, and influence, such that all relevant online and offline channels should be measured and evaluated equally. The AMEC measurement framework promotes clarity across earned, owned, shared, and paid channels to ensure consistency in approach towards a common goal.

Communication measurement and evaluation are rooted in integrity and transparency to drive learning and insights.

Sound, consistent, and sustained measurement calls for integrity and transparency in recognition of today's attention to data privacy and stewardship as organisations comply with new regulations, such as GDPR. This is also a statement that measurement isn't simply about data collection and tracking, but about learning from evaluation and applying insight back into communications planning. It recognises the need to be transparent about the context in which programmes are run and being aware of any bias that may exist in the tools, methodologies and interpretations applied.
Download the Barcelona Principles 3.0 Presentation here
Barcelona Principles 3.0 is the result of a true team effort across the world. They have evolved to be applicable to the world in which the communications industry and all who work within it now operate and will continue to develop for years to come.

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Barcelona Principles 3.0 - AMEC | International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication

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Barcelona Principles 3.0, presented during the AMEC Virtual Summit by Ben Levine, Director & Partner, TRUE Global Intelligence and AMEC Board Director. The 2020 evolution of the globally trusted Barcelona Principles will sharpen the communications industry's focus on inclusion, impact, and integrity. It is ten years since the Barcelona Principles first presented an industry-wide consensus [...]

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5 things everyone should know about public relations

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5 things everyone should know about public relations

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The public relations industry does a terrible job of public relations.

Very few people can explain what people in public relations really do. If you're a cop, a construction worker or a cowboy, everybody knows your job function. (If you're a cop, construction worker and a cowboy who hangs out with a guy dressed in leather, you're in the Village People.)

As the owner of a boutique PR agency, I constantly have to explain that we don't buy advertisements, we don't order journalists to write stories for our clients, we don't produce cute radio jingles, and we don't hand out free samples at the mall. Yes, we try to promote our clients, our products or ourselves. But unlike advertisers, we persuade our external or internal audiences via unpaid or earned methods. Whether it's the traditional media, social media or speaking engagements, we communicate with our audiences through trusted, not paid, sources.

To help the general public understand public relations and how to use these skills, and for those in the industry who need to explain their jobs to their grandparents, the occasional stranger, and friends, here are Five Things Everyone Should Know about Public Relations.

PR is the Persuasion Business. You are trying to convince an audience, inside your building or town, and outside your usual sphere of influence, to promote your idea, purchase your product, support your position, or recognize your accomplishments. Here's what the Public Relations Society of America PRSA agreed upon after a few thousand submissions: "Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics."

PR people are storytellers. They create narratives to advance their agenda. PR can be used to protect, enhance or build reputations through the media, social media, or self-produced communications. A good PR practitioner will analyze the organization, find the positive messages and translate those messages into positive stories. When the news is bad, they can formulate the best response and mitigate the damage.

The Princeton Review notes that: "A public relations specialist is an image shaper. Their job is to generate positive publicity for their client and enhance their reputation ... They keep the public informed about the activity of government agencies, explain policy, and manage political campaigns. Public relations people working for a company may handle consumer relations, or the relationship between parts of the company such as the managers and employees, or different branch offices."

Our tools include the following:

Write and distribute press releases

Speech writing

Write pitches (less formal than press releases) about a firm and send them directly to journalists

Create and execute special events designed for public outreach and media relations

Conduct market research on the firm or the firm's messaging

Expansion of business contacts via personal networking or attendance and sponsoring at events

Writing and blogging for the web (internal or external sites)

Crisis public relations strategies

Social media promotions and responses to negative opinions online

2. How is public relations different than advertising?
It's Unpaid vs. Paid. Earned vs. Purchased. Credible vs. skeptical. Public relations tastes great, advertising is less filling.

There's an old saying: "Advertising is what you pay for, publicity is what you pray for."

Advertising is paid media, public relations is earned media. This means you convince reporters or editors to write a positive story about you or your client, your candidate, brand or issue. It appears in the editorial section of the magazine, newspaper, TV station or website, rather than the "paid media" section where advertising messages appear. So your story has more credibility because it was independently verified by a trusted third party, rather than purchased. Here's a good chart from a previous column:

Another huge difference is price. PR firms charge monthly retainers or can be hired for specific projects. Advertising can be very pricey.

A former client purchased one full-page ad in a weekly magazine that cost him $125,000. He expected a wave of phone calls, viral media and multiple conversations about the ad. He got zero. In contrast, getting quoted in the New York Times, Forbes and Reuters resulted in national speaking invitations, calls from new and existing clients, and solid credibility. Not everyone can afford $125,000, but advertising can be expensive when you figure the cost of the space or time plus the creative designs and production costs. And most advertisements need to be repeated several times before the consumer can be influenced.

Because it's in their best interest to sell you more ads, advertising folks tell clients what you WANT to hear. "Baby you're the best! You just need to pay for a few months more for billboards and TV spots!" Because PR people deal with crises, image enhancement and creation of long-term relationships where your story often must be accepted by others (the media) before you obtain recognition, PR people tell you what you NEED to hear.
3.What is news?
Before hiring a PR firm or starting your own campaign, it's important to understand the nature of news. There are only two ways to make news: 1) Create a story or 2) Follow a story.

This is of vital importance to anyone who wants to understand, execute and exploit the power of public relations. Before answering your client or boss who orders you to "Get me on the front page of the New York Times!" Getting a story in a publication because you want it there, or your boss demands it, doesn't matter. Remember, journalists, speakers, bloggers and other influencers are not stenographers. They will ask "What's in it for Me and my audience?" In other words, pretend you are on the receiving end. Answer this: What's the story? Why should I care? Why should I care NOW?

Here is more criteria to consider: Is it new? Is it unusual? Is there a human interest angle? Here are the two ways to make news.

Create A Story. This is the most common form of public relations. It involves storytelling and. Most of the time, firms looking to make the news want to promote something fresh: a new car, a new app, a new market, a new CEO or other significant hire, a new business plan, merger, winning an award, something of this nature. Other methods of making news include bylined articles written for an independent publication, Opinion-Editorials (not about you, about a controversial topic), social media (blog posts, tweets, photos, videos, etc.), content marketing on your website, and more.

Some firms create their own events or speak in front of prestigious groups. This can be great, but it can be time consuming and expensive, with no guarantees of coverage. Many colleges and universities create news with surveys and original research. Entrepreneurs and small businesses usually can't afford this expense. It may be easier to conduct simple phone and email surveys of peers, clients and suppliers. A brief series of questions that result in new information that shed light on a certain issue might be newsworthy to the trade media.

Follow a Story.Opportunity Knocks. You answer. This is when you notice a story in the news, and respond. It could be a plunge in the stock market; a political scandal; the economic effects of droughts or snowstorms; the popularity of a new crop and what it means for farmers and grain prices, etc. For breaking news, journalists often need an expert to comment in real time via a phone interview, video-conference, live video interview, Tweet, email or IM. Reporters often contact their usual list of suspects, experts whom they know or trust. With some quick thinking, reaching out can lead to great new connections and media attention.

When the story isn't immediate, businesses can insert themselves into a trend. These are usually feature stories, in contrast to news happening today. If more law firms are cutting deals on hourly prices in return for guaranteed monthly retainers, and your attorneys signed a big deal like this with a major client, that's one instance of a trend.
4. Can social media replace traditional media?
No.

There's a growing perception that blog posts or Tweets, if enough people see them, are just as good as quotes in the New York Times. Don't be fooled by the hype. Social media can augment PR efforts and serve as an amplifier. Greg Galant, the CEO of the website Muckrack that connects PR practitioners to journalists, offers advice on for digital outreach.

"Boring doesn't work on social media," Galant says. "The last thing you want to do is take a press release and post it to a social network. It's much better to tailor your announcement in a human way for each social network your audience will care about. On Twitter, come up with an exciting way to say your announcement in 107 characters, remember you'll need to save 23 characters for your link. Find a great image related to your announcement to include on your posts in Instagram and Pinterest. Make a 6 second video about you announcement for Vine. Even on social networks where you can posts a lot of text, like Facebook and Tumblr, don't post a press release. Rewrite it without the jargon, stock quotes and meaningless phrases as though you're telling a friend why your announcement matters."

Bonus advice: punch up your prose, such as imagining your headline as a tweet.

The Princeton Review notes that Digital PR is about "developing strong relationships with all the players in your social graph. The techniques include SEO, content development, social media, online newsrooms, websites, blogs and online media coverage. Online Reputation Social media and consumer generated content can have a rapid effect on your reputation - both positive and negative."

"Building relationships Digital PR makes use of social media platforms, networks and tools to interact with people online and build relationships. The social media part is the content and conversations on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and YouTube. The Digital PR part is the support functions needed to make those conversations relevant and effective - research, social audits, identifying influencers, developing and distributing the content."

Author and digital media expert David Meerman Scott ("The New Rules of Marketing & PR") preaches speed and relevance. Scott recommends these actions: "Blog your take on the news," "Tweet it using an established hashtag," "Send a real-time media alert," "Hold a live or virtual news conference" and "Directly contact a journalist who might be interested."
5. Can you measure PR?
Probably.

But it's not an exact science. There are many people and firms who have created many models, spreadsheets, and estimates. And let's be clear. They are all estimates. Some are much better than others. This is easily the most emotionally charged subject in the PR industry.

Many professionals swear by the Barcelona Principles. These are seven voluntary guidelines established by professionals in the industry to measure the value of PR campaigns. The first principles were established in 2010 when practitioners from 33 countries met in Lisbon, Portugal. Just kidding, it was Barcelona. We will be examining this in more detail, including an interview with the author, in a future column. Measuring and judging and calculating the seven principles can be complicated, time consuming and costly, and this may involve hiring an outside firm, but it's a noble effort and it's worth further study. The principles were recently updated in 2015.

I don't agree with their rejection of advertising equivalency for three reasons: user experience, buyer experience and the free market. User experience: Ads and editorial are seen at the same time, you cannot divorce one from the other. Buyer experience: businesses make the decision every day to spend their marketing funds on PR or advertising. It's a choice grounded in reality. Free market: tens of billions of dollars are spent on TV, internet and print advertising every year. It's a huge business that tries to communicate many of the same messages of PR, albeit in a different way.

But reasonable people can disagree. The Barcelona Principles, or anything else that bolsters the comprehension and value of the PR industry, is a good thing. Without efforts like these, nobody would know what we do. And if that happens, all of us might as well join a cover band for the Village People.

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Five Things Everyone Should Know About Public Relations

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The public relations industry does a terrible job of public relations. Very few people can explain what people in public relations really do. If you're a cop, a construction worker or a cowboy, everybody knows your job function. (If you're a cop, construction worker and a cowboy who hangs out with [...]

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How to Conduct a Brand Audit: Step-by-Step Guide + Template

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How to Conduct a Brand Audit: Step-by-Step Guide + Template

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Conducting a brand audit is a great way to find out why some things in your business are doing well while others are not. It's also used to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of a brand.

If you've been wondering how you can improve your efforts, reach more potential customers, get more sales or increase brand awareness, a brand audit might be just what you need.

Follow along as we show you the steps to conduct a brand audit by yourself or with your team.

Let's get started.

Table of Contents
What is a Brand Audit? How to Do a Brand Audit In 6 Steps Brand Audit Example: Nestle A Brand Audit Template to Help You Get Started
What is a Brand Audit?

A brand audit is a process used to analyze how a brand is performing in the market and against the competition. It's an analytical strategy that studies the aspects that make up a brand.

For example:

The target market and the ideal clientele

The overall strategy and goals

Innovation in the products and services the brand provides

Visual messaging and storytelling through marketing efforts

Advertising strategies linked to marketing goals

Customer experience and success, including user experience of websites and apps

Brand awareness and positioning in the marketplace

The magic of a brand audit is to uncover hidden roadblocks that are stopping the brand from growing or moving forward. It pinpoints internal and external strengths and weaknesses.

The analysis then helps ideate how to change things that aren't working and improving on the things that are. There are several reasons why a startup or company would need to conduct a brand audit.

Marketing efforts aren't giving results

Traffic to the website is low

Emails aren't being opened

Sales are low

On the flip side, brands with good ROI and good traffic to their website might still need a brand audit. For example:

If the startup grew before a brand strategy was cemented

If a visual identity isn't clear

If the website was designed early on and wasn't redesigned as the company grew

When it's time to rebrand

To have a broader picture of how the brand is performing against the competition

If you have been considering a rebrand, watch this video first.

Large companies might hire a brand specialist that offers brand audit services, but it's not always necessary. A marketing officer can also do the job. In small companies, a team can conduct a brand audit together and learn a lot about their brand along the way.

Not all brand audits are the same, as you saw in the example scenarios above. But what they do have in common, is the way they are conducted.

Below is a list of steps to follow so you can conduct a brand audit of your own business. We've taken tips from brand and marketing pros like Neil Patel and the teams at Score and Brandwatch.

Let's dive in.

How to Do a Brand Audit in 6 Steps

The first thing to do before conducting a brand audit is to keep an open mind.

When you start encountering roadblocks and think of possible solutions, don't just stop there. Go all the way with the brand audit process to really see the results.

Consider a brand audit like a course of antibiotics. Doing it halfway might help, but the effects won't last till you finish it.

According to Score.org, a brand audit must cover three essential areas.

Take all these things into consideration when following the steps below as each one is important to getting solid results from your brand audit.

Step #1: Brainstorm the purpose of your brand audit.

The first step when conducting a brand audit is to brainstorm what needs to be analyzed. Maybe it's your website, or your social media efforts. Maybe it's everything!

Use the mind map template below to jot down ideas and questions about your brand.

Think of your mind map as a brand audit questionnaire. This will form the basis of your brand audit framework, and will help you find the right information.

Here are some examples of questions to ask when brainstorming with your team:

What do users find when they search for our brand on search engines?

Is our website easy to navigate and conductive to conversion?

Are our emails being opened? Are our links being clicked?

What do people think of our brand? Are our customers recommending us?

Is our visual branding coherent with our message?

Does our logo really represent us?

Are our storytelling efforts fruitful? Should we maybe change our perspective?

Are we advertising through optimal channels?

How are our physical products selling?

Is the packaging of our products representative of our brand values?

Do our employees recommend us to their friends and family?

Do our employees feel proud to work with us?

Step #2: Define the ultimate goal of the brand audit.

Once you've brainstormed the topics you'd like to fix or improve in your brand, it's time to set some goals for your brand.

Depending on what you want to achieve, the goals can be wide and far-reaching, or very specific. Whichever it is, pinpoint what you want out of the brand audit and start getting organized.

Here's a goal-setting template you can customize for your brand.

In your brand audit, this is where you take note of what's not working in regards to your brand. When you have done all the work, you come back to this stage and revisit what you had envisioned at the start.

Sometimes, the process will be simple and you'll notice straight away what needs to be done. In other cases, you'll have to test several possible solutions until you find the best one.

Step #3: Set up a plan according to your goals.

This is the stage where you put together a plan for your brand. Create a checklist to follow with your team or on your own if that's the case.

Here's a checklist template to use for your own brand.

It can also be a good idea to add different levels to your checklist - one main list with tasks that stem from it. Assign tasks to team members and explain how to do them if necessary.

Another part of your strategy and planning stage involves setting deadlines for different tasks. You can create a table or a Gantt chart to help your team stay organized and focused.

Below is a brand strategy and planning template with a simple Gantt chart that you can customize and use as part of your brand audit.

Also, consider conducting a SWOT analysis for your brand.

A SWOT analysis is a system that will help you find the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to general or specific areas of your brand.

Here's a SWOT analysis template to add to your brand audit.

Step #4: Collect, organize and review the data.

It's time to start collecting data for your brand audit. Formulate your own questions, and give yourself enough space to take down notes and data.

You should also create a survey to conduct with your customers, and people who might have heard of your brand but aren't customers.

Make sure to go through all the steps and take down as much information as you can on your findings. If it makes it easier, use a whiteboard with sticky notes to keep the results on hand.

Use the template below to keep things organized for yourself and your team.

Answer all the questions and organize the answers in a way that will be easy to analyze later. Use spreadsheets for quantitative data and documents for qualitative data.

If working with a team, compare results as you work through the tasks. But remember, don't start changing anything until you've gone through all the pertinent questions of your brand audit.

This stage could take some time, depending on how much data you need to collect and how many people are working on it.

Step #5: Analyze results and ideate solutions.

Now that you've collected and organized the data, it's time to analyze the brand audit results so you can come up with appropriate solutions.

One way to analyze your results is to visualize the data and present it in an easy-to-digest format, such as by using the template below.

The next part is thinking of solutions to your brand's problems.

If you're doing the brand audit by yourself, you might need help at this point. Ideation is not easy to do by yourself - you need someone to brainstorm with.

In the ideation and brainstorm session with your team, consider all the things you learned during the brand audit. Remember the three important aspects we discussed earlier:

Internal branding

External branding

Customer experience

How do each of those relate to the data you've collected in your surveys and research?

This is where you'll notice your brand's strengths and weaknesses. Create two main lists with the strongest strengths and the weakest weaknesses.

Use this strengths and weaknesses template to jot that information down.

Now, think of ways in which the strengths of your brand can help improve its weaknesses.

For example, let's say your visual graphics are doing great on social media, but your storytelling and messaging isn't getting good results. This would be the case if your text emails aren't getting clicks, but your Instagram stories are.

A possible solution would be to add visuals to your emails and minimize the text. Use the visuals that work on other channels to fix the areas in your emails where that aspect is missing.

Using a similar process to the example above, write down all your solutions and ideas in the template below. Have your team members input their own ideas as well.

Step #6: Take action and monitor.

With your list of ideas in hand, consider which are the easiest and fastest to implement.

For example, you might have noticed that your social media profiles are different to your domain URL. That might be a reason why people aren't finding you. A quick solution is to change the social media profiles to match your brand name or domain.

Maybe you noticed that the stock images in your blog posts are getting lost in a sea of sameness. Try customizing the images, creating your own graphics or hiring a photographer.

Why not try two options and set up A/B tests?

Start implementing changes and monitor any changes in ROI, brand awareness, conversions and customer feedback.

Consider adding a feedback survey to your site to keep getting answers to a question like:
How likely are you to recommend us to your friends?
Here's a solution checklist template to use for your own brand.

Brand Audit Example: Nestle

Business and marketing students often conduct fictional brand audits on known brands. These projects prepare the students to create real brand audits in the future, and can also help business owners conduct a brand audit of their own.

The brand audit example below is a PDF brand audit of Nestle. It's not an official brand audit by the company; it's a student project. But that doesn't take away its value.

Look through the slides below and you'll see how the student conducted the brand audit for Nestle much like we explain above.

The first part of the PDF is the "known data" about the brand, and then come the value proposition and goals.

The student then conducted surveys to analyze customer satisfaction and brand awareness for the brand. Finally, a list of solutions was offered in order of importance.

Your brand audit can be as elaborate as this if you have to share a brand audit presentation with results and solutions to stakeholders who don't know every little thing about the brand. If you're doing it internally, you might not need to go all out.

A Brand Audit Template to Help You Get Started

Conducting a brand audit is much easier with an easy-to-follow template. That's why we created this printable brand audit document template to help get you started.

You can customize this brand audit template as much as you'd like. Change the look and feel of your document, and even upload your own brand assets like logos and fonts.

Here are some tools and pages you'll find inside the Visme brand audit template.

Mind mapping and framework flowchart

Goal-setting and brand audit questionnaire

Strategy and planning tables

Checklist to go through with your team

SWOT Analysis

Survey to ask your customers

Table with links to Google spreadsheets

Data visualizations for analyzing results

List of strengths and weaknesses

Ideation worksheet

Solutions checklist

The final length of your brand audit document will depend on how much research you do and how many ideas you come up with for solutions. You'll have no trouble adding, removing and rearranging the pages of your template in the Visme editor.

Easily duplicate pages or blocks to create more space to work with. You can then download it as an editable PDF to work on digitally or print out with extra empty pages to fill in by hand.

Ready to Conduct a Brand Audit?

Now, it's your turn!

Are you ready to conduct a brand audit of your company, business or startup?

Use the brand audit template above to get you started in no time. You'll be able to change pretty much anything on the template and make it yours. Changing colors, fonts, text and images is easy and fast using the drag-and-drop editor.

Begin your brand audit today and find the roadblocks you need to overcome in order to grow. Ask any questions you have in the comments below.

If you are looking for other types of templates for your business, such as Gantt charts, graphs, infographics, reports and others, visit our template library and browse through 40+ categories.

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How to Conduct a Brand Audit: Step-by-Step Guide + Template

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Conducting a brand audit is a great way to find out why some things in your business are doing well while others are not. It's also used to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of a brand.

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What Is Brand Perception? How to Measure It and 4 Examples

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What Is Brand Perception? How to Measure It and 4 Examples

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If you take a second to think about your shopping habits, you'll probably realize that a majority of the products you buy are influenced by brand perception. You're not the only one - 77% of B2C consumers make purchasing decisions based solely on the brand name.

Brand perception, or the thoughts and feelings associated with a company, impacts why people wear a certain brand of clothing or pick one pasta sauce over another at the grocery store. Once consumers adopt an attitude about a brand, it's tough to change. That's why brands work hard to create positive associations in people's minds, rather than negative or neutral perceptions.

When you know how people perceive your brand, it's easier to shape its reputation, help consumers understand what sets it apart, and develop brand equity. You do this by measuring brand perception and tracking customer sentiment over time.

But before diving into the metrics, it's important to understand what creates brand perception and how it informs company and consumer decision-making.

What is brand perception?

Brand perception is the sum of a consumer's feelings, experiences, and thoughts about a product or service. It's what people believe a brand represents, rather than what a brand says it represents.

Although brand perception is a mental association, it plays an essential role in creating emotional connections with consumers. People consider their attitude toward brands when choosing between competing products. They read reviews, chat with customer support, compare options with friends, or sign up for a free trial. All of these touchpoints affect brand perception and impact a company's success.

If consumers think highly of a brand, they become more loyal to it. Consider how this dynamic plays out in everyday life. People get in meme wars over Apple versus Android products. A person who wears Nike shoes usually won't be caught in Adidas kicks. And you probably won't find Coca-Cola and Pepsi in the same fridge.

Companies that understand brand perception use this information to develop brand equity . While brand perception can be narrowed down to what one customer thinks about your brand, brand equity is the combination of people's perceptions, experiences, and opinions that creates your reputation. A company with high brand equity attracts loyal customers who pick your product or service when given the choice between competitors.

When a customer is loyal to a brand , 86% will recommend it to friends or family and 66% are likely to write a positive review. Those actions drive company growth and improve brand perception, which only helps your business.

Although it may seem that brand perception is out of your hands, you can take steps to measure it and improve people's attitudes.

How to Measure Brand Perception

Data can help you understand how consumers, employees, stakeholders, and competitors perceive your brand. Since brand perception is a combination of reviews, reputation, experience, functionality, advertising, social engagement, and customer use, you should gather metrics from multiple sources.

Here's how to measure brand perception:

Conduct brand perception surveys to learn what people think of your business and how it stacks up against competitors. Ask questions that touch on emotional, cognitive, and action-oriented factors, such as these examples from Qualtrics :

When you think of [the brand], what comes to mind first?

Which of the following words describe [the brand]?

What kind of feelings do you experience when you think of [the brand]?

How would you describe your level of emotional attachment to [the brand]?

How would you describe [the brand] to a friend?

How would you describe your last experience with [the brand]?

On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend [the brand] to a friend or colleague?

Track online mentions using social listening tools or Google alerts. You want to monitor social media comments, online reviews, relevant hashtags, forums (i.e. Reddit and Quora), and news mentions. As the brand grows, so will this dataset. I recommend creating a system to handle negative mentions as soon as possible and stay on top of talk about your brand, products, and marketing campaigns.

Do a brand audit to evaluate how your brand perception compares to competitors'. This should include research on primary and secondary target audiences, a competitive analysis of your products or services, a thorough evaluation of your communications strategy, and a deep dive into your brand positioning . (I recommend referencing this brand audit guide from Visme ).

Collect data from customers at each point of the buyer's journey . This can include how buyers research information, evaluate products, compare between competitors, interact with customer support, make a purchase decision, onboard, and interact with the brand post-purchase.

Once you have enough data to measure brand perception, you can evaluate if consumer sentiment aligns with your brand identity. If so, stay the course. If not, you can learn how to improve consumer brand perception .

Brand Perception Examples

From PR campaigns to packaging, brand perception is influenced by every touchpoint people have with a company. The following brand perception examples show how businesses can shape consumer sentiments so the inner identity matches the outer image.

1. Snickers

Candy lovers can choose between dozens of chocolate-covered bars, so what makes someone grab a Snickers instead of a Kit Kat? Yes, it may be taste or preference, but the brand has designed clever campaigns to make people believe that eating Snickers will transform you from hangry and unfocused to sharp and satisfied.

2. Orangetheory

You may have driven past one of these orange-hued workout studios on your daily commute or taken an online class during the pandemic. And while fitness crazes come and go, Orangetheory has carved out a brand perception that's kept the company going strong since 2010. The community-oriented classes make it the right fit for people looking to connect and compete with neighbors while working up a sweat. It's more casual than Crossfit but kicks up the intensity compared to group classes at national gyms, like Planet Fitness and LA Fitness.
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3. Zoom

An innovative and beloved video platform at the start of the pandemic, Zoom quickly became the cause of remote workers' burnout. People loved how it kept them connected to teams, families, and friends.

But the constant connection led to "Zoom fatigue," an informal diagnosis that's been covered by Healthline, Stanford , the New York Times, and more. While companies still rely on Zoom for virtual meetings, the brand has had to adjust from its original "Video conferencing that doesn't suck" vibe to "How the world connects" as consumers shifted their perceptions .
Image Source
4. Patagonia

The outdoor gear brand became famous for its innovative clothing and focus on responsible manufacturing, but a change in consumer perception caused the company to double down on its sustainability-driven identity.

In the early 2010s, people began referring to the company as Patagucci - a satirical name that poked fun at the brand's high prices and its adoption among high-income workers. To sway consumers from placing Patagonia in the fast-fashion category, the company has launched a number of sustainability-focused initiatives, like its Worn Wear line of recycled clothing.

Knowing what people think of your brand is an important part of developing a successful business. It gives you the information you need to shape your brand identity, create impactful marketing campaigns, and make changes when consumer perception shifts.

Now that you know how to measure brand perception, you can use it as a tool to make strategic brand decisions and drive your company forward.

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What Is Brand Perception? How to Measure It and 4 Examples

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If you take a second to think about your shopping habits, you'll probably realize that a majority of the products you buy are influenced by brand perception. You're not the only one - 77% of B2C consumers make purchasing decisions based solely on the brand name.

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PR and Comms Project Proposal Mock example

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Project Proposal (V2  March 2023) DO NOT USE

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Project Proposal (V2  March 2023) DO NOT USE

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What to Expect from End Point Assessment