Write From Home--Using Public Relations to Generate Leads of Prospective Clients

Writer's Market 2011
by Robert Lee Brewer

2011 Guide to Literary Agents

2011 Guide to Literary Agents
by Chuck Sambuchino

2011 Novel and Short Story writer's Market

2011 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market
by Alice Pope

Have You Read...

book cover The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear
by Ralph Keyes

book cover Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook
by Donald Maass

book cover Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write: How To Get a Contract and Advance Before Writing Your Book
by Elizabeth Lyon

Writing and Illustrating Children's Books
by Berthe Amos; Eric Suben

Interaction
E-mail Discussion List
Stay connected with others in the writing business. This is a friendly list sharing tips, markets and the ups and downs of writing from home.
Subscribe

Publishers...
If you are a paying market send your needs and/or guidelines and they'll be printed in the Busy Freelancer e-zine. This is a free service.

Make Write From Home your Homepage.

About Write From Home

Contributing Writers & Columnists

Submissions & Guidelines

Reprint Policy

Privacy Policy

Write From Home
Kim Wilson
P.O. Box 4145
Hamilton, NJ 08610
E-mail: kim@writefromhome.com

Using Public Relations to Generate Leads of Prospective Clients
by Brian S. Konradt of BSK Communications and Associates

Public Relations
Although not a popular form of marketing to secure clients in the short term, public relations can help you solicit additional clients in the long term. By getting your name and your company name in print, public relations lets you position yourself as an expert in your field and lets you flush out prospects whom you could not reach by other marketing means.

How To Use PR Effectively
Public relations means getting free advertising, usually in the print media. You need to write a newsworthy press release that provides valuable information to the publication's editor and to the publication's audience, otherwise your press release will end up in the trash.

Many freelancers who use PR to market their businesses develop press releases that offer a free report for the publication's audience to request. Your free report should be related to your freelance services. For instance, if you're an ad copywriter, you might create a free report about 10 Ways to Improve Your Ad Headlines. If you're a direct mail writer, your free report might be 15 Ways to Increase the Response of Your DM Package.

You'll want to get your press release published in only those print media markets that attract your type of clients, otherwise you'll be soliciting people who'll only want your free report and have no intentions to invest in your services.

Advantages of PR
A published press release offering a free report can:

solicit leads of interested prospects—if the prospect is interested in your free information, you know he'll also be interested in your copywriting services, since your free report is related to your services.
put your name and company in front of thousands upon thousands of faces and position yourself as an expert in your field.
flush out prospects who are inclined to invest in your services.

Disadvantages of PR
Due to editorial lead time, it can take between three and five months (sometimes longer) before your press release is published. Or due to space requirements or a poorly written press release, your press release may not even be published—and there's usually no way of knowing.

If you want to use PR effectively, send out a different press release to editors each month; this way, you increase the chances of getting your press release published and editors begin to recognize your name and business name which creates credibility and rapport.

Brian Konradt is the owner and operator of FreelanceWriting.com, a Web site dedicated to help writers master the business and creative sides of freelance writing. Mr. Konradt is also the principal of BSK Communications & Associates, a communications/publishing business in New Jersey, which he established in 1992.