How can you position your business services as innovative and cutting-edge using PR?

The best way to find your target market is to ask your current clients what they're reading, viewing or listening to. Then you can pitch your press materials to those venues.

Identifying your target audience is easier when you devise a PR plan aligned with the business plan. The sales organisation of every company has already done the homework on where the growth prospects of a company are. The marketing and lead generation campaigns are based on these findings and so should the PR campaign. Look at the industries driving business for the company, and from among them find areas or topics that interest the media. In addition to engaging with journalists in mainstream media writing on these industry beats, go after the vertical publications catering to the niche audience in these sectors.

This is the most important thing is the pitch. You need to craft a very compelling pitch that draws in the media immediately. If you don’t convey your message in the first three sentences, then they will not read what you have to say. The subject line is also key to hook them in.

As PR professionals we need to keep in mind that journalists write for their readers and not brands unless that's the agreed arrangement. If you have identified the media outlets catering to your audience, look for story ideas that would interest its readers - use cases and customer stories are usually taken very well. The message you craft should answer "what's in it for them?'.

Today brands have a lot more options when they are trying to reach the audience. My advice is don't get overwhelmed and try everything, choose the platform that reaches your audience most effectively, build content that suits that platform or channel and deliver it intelligently. What works for a consumer brand will not get traction for a B2B brand. The platform or format you choose should be in line with your brand persona. Another very important thing to keep in mind is the culture. Different markets respond to different things, localise your content and put it up on a channel that is used and popular among your target audience in the market you want to create impact.

I've seen PR transition from typewriters to Twitter. I know, "It ain't a result until the client calls it a result they desire." Illustration: A new umpire says it's a strike, but questions it. A seasoned umpire debates the strike and looks at the pros and cons of the strike during a baseball game. A seasoned umpire is clear it ain't nothing until he or she calls it. In PR, "It ain't a result until the client calls it a result they desire." I've landed clients on the front page of the Wall Street Journal only to be asked, "Thanks for WSJ, how about the Today Show?" It ain't nothing unless the client wants it.

Perception change or perception building takes time. There are various tools brands use for measuring PR performance but I honestly feel none of them can quantify the impact accurately. The digital platforms do have some metrics that can assess your reach through various initiatives but deriving the exact impact it created is very difficult.

Most people loathe the negative news cycle. I listen with a higher macro purpose in mind: how can I share stories that make a difference in the public's understanding of health, wealth, and love? When you get up to how to impact life positively, then you have good PR.

The result from a PR campaign is as good as the PR brief. Try and be as specific with your objectives as possible and you can only achieve this if you collaborate with the sales and marketing team.