How to Let Your Competitors Do the PR Work For You

If you are interested in utilising the power of the media, then you have likely read several articles on how to write a media release. In keeping with the media relations theme, you can let your competitors do the PR work for you, and then cash in yourself.Sounds sweet, right? Well, that’s not to say that you don’t have to do ANYTHING, you do have a role to play. I’m talking abut Piggyback Marketing; leveraging off something that is already in the media. So how do you do it simply and cost-effectively?1. Keep and eye on what is being written or discussed about your competitors.2. When news discusses or quotes your competitor, pitch the same journalist an angle that will discuss and quote YOUR business. Chances are they will be interested in a follow-up story with a relevant, newsworthy and unique hook.

For example: “I was reading your article on the water saver device being imported by Water Quarter. I thought your readers would be very interested to learn that we have developed a granule that aids in the retention of water by being implanted under the soil. We can save households up to 70% on their water bills and we have the advantage of being a locally owned and operated business”.3. Let the journalist know that you have high quality before and after images and that you can organize interviews with several people who have been using the granules. Offer to show them around your factory so they can see how the granules are developed.4. Use ‘Google’ to find out which journalists work in your field and visit the on-line media rooms of your competitors to view their media releases. Take key words from their releases and enter them in the search engine to see who covered the release. Voila! Your competitor has just done most of the work for you. It’s still ethical and it does work.Ensure key words and key topics are mentioned on your website or blog and listed with search engines and directories.5. When a journalist researches a story on the internet, they might as well find your key words as your competitors. Websites do provide good information and can be optimized to show up on the first pages of a search engine.Become a media resource and get quoted as an ‘expert’ in any story your competitor originates.

6. Journalists use the ‘experts’ who are easiest to access and deal with. Whilst they are trained to utilize multiple experts across a story, so you may be one of several, it’s still a good way to gain a higher profile.7. The idea is to become the ‘primary’ expert in your topic area so target up to 10 top journalists in your target niche. Talking to the media is an invitation for them to contact your competitors to validate your claims; so you could be in a position to comment on a competitors’ media release.8. Your relationship with the journalist is key so don’t lie, don’t obviously knock the competition, always be available and always provide quality information that enhances your business reputation.