The most important way to successfully sell a product or service is to inform potential
audiences about their existence and the qualities they possess. This principle applies almost
of all industries, and even if a product or service is the best of its kind, without thoughtful
communication activities, it will be difficult to achieve market success with them. This is why the adoption of
the right marketing strategy is the key to finding buyers.
From this article you will learn:
- Product PR - definition
- Product PR objectives
- Product promotion - ways
- How to test the effects of product PR?
Product PR - definition
Among the ways to promote the brand of products and services are also PR activities. Product PR is a set of activities through which it is possible to reach the awareness of potential audiences using various communication tools and, above all, media coverage. Methods are selected depending on the strategy adopted, the characteristics of the product and the target group. On this last point, it is worth mentioning that potential customers are very often divided into two groups, as different means of communication are used to promote a product to business customers (B2B), while others are chosen to reach individual customers (B2C). Therefore, before taking any action, it is first necessary to establish who the possible buyers of the product are and what their characteristics are.
Product PR objectives
Product PR objectives are the result of the assumptions and strategy adopted by the company. Others will be chosen by a company wishing to present a market novelty and others by a company whose product is already widely known. Among the most common product PR targets are:
- increasing the level of awareness of the brand and product among potential customers;
- building a positive brand and product image;
- increasing the brand value of a product or service;
- changing the perception of the brand, e.g. as a premium brand;
- establishing good relations with the media;
- ensuring the consistency of the company's image and its offer;
- informing customers of product-related changes.
Product promotion - ways
There are many ways to promote a product. The use of media activities is one method that can be used to reach a wider audience with information about the product. This includes traditional media such as the press, radio or television, as well as newer media such as websites and social media. The main problem facing companies is the effective use of such communication channels. This is both a financial issue, i.e. finding ways to promote a product without spending large sums of money, as well as the time aspect, i.e. the best use of the moment for promotion (e.g. at a product launch or a service premiere).
Promoting a product through the media without knowing the media and establishing relationships with individual editors can be challenging. However, there are public relations professionals, affiliated with PR agencies, who not only know the market, but also understand the needs of the media and can establish fruitful cooperation with them. With these capabilities they are able to
The company is able to get its product featured on television, radio, the Internet or in the pages of newspapers. Often, moreover, this is an activity that does not require additional financial resources.
See what a PR agency can offer your brand
The first step to conducting an effective PR campaign is to develop a strategy and learn about the market environment, including the competition. The idea is to analyse the current situation of the brand and product and then to plan actions to improve it and to achieve the desired effects, such as drawing attention to a particular characteristic or identifying competitive advantages.
Below is a summary of the most common ways in which product promotion is used by agencies and corporate PR departments.
Press materials
One of the most common methods of reaching the media is to prepare and send out press releases. These are ready-made articles about the company, its products, important events or other topics of interest to journalists. Such material is distributed to potentially interested editorial offices, which can then publish it unchanged or prepare their own texts based on it. The benefits are mutual - the company gets its message out there, while the media receive a ready-made proposal for a topic and material.
Sending out press releases is also a great way to raise the profile of a product in the media world. They allow journalists, even without using the content in the form of an article or broadcast, to become familiar with a particular brand and thus have the opportunity to refer to it in future editorial activity. Here, an example might be the subsequent inclusion of a product in a gift list prepared for the holidays. In the case of services, it could be outlining a situation that is relevant from the reader's point of view, which the service solves.
Arrangements for media appearances, interviews, editorial tests
The next way to create interest in a particular medium is to arrange material specifically for it. This includes, for example press or television interview with the president of the company or an expert who will talk about the product, explain its advantages over other solutions or provide interesting facts about it. In addition to the advantages of product PR, such activities also benefit the speaker, as he or she increases his or her visibility and creates an expert image.
Another way of drawing media attention to a product is to arranging an editorial test. Such activities can be used by companies in the cosmetics, mobile, consumer electronics or FMCG sectors. They involve making products available or sending them to journalists who cover a particular subject. Their extensive knowledge and experience allows them to evaluate a given product and then give their opinion on it to their viewers, listeners or readers.
Importantly, editorial testing is not only about products that are cheap and can be sent to journalists without much hassle. The same is true for more expensive articles such as cars or high-end electronics, for example. In such cases, the goods are often made available temporarily for familiarisation or testing. In the case of the aforementioned car, for example, this involves making the vehicle available to the editorial team for a few days for a thorough test. The journalist is then given, often before others, the knowledge to prepare interesting material in the form of reviews or reports, and the company has the opportunity to present the product to a wide audience, at a relatively low cost.
Industry and consumer competitions
Another method promotion of the product in the media are industry competitions. These are often run by prestigious and industry-oriented editorial boards or independent entities specialising in this type of activity. These are events in which a jury evaluates a product against competing solutions to convince potential buyers of the value of the item. An example of such an event is international design competitions such as the Red Dot Design Award. An award in a prestigious competition, especially of a Polish product, attracts media attention.
Large, foreign competitions are not the only way to showcase your products. Also in Poland, plebiscites are held, thanks to which it is possible to present a given good to a national audience. These include, for example, competitions organised by the editors of trade magazines. Participation in these, often without winning, makes it possible to present oneself to the public.
specific medium.
Another type of competitions are those aimed at consumers, i.e. the brand's target group. These events can be participated in, but they can also be organised. Either on your own or in cooperation with a particular medium. Obtaining patronage or assistance in organising and promoting an event is very valuable, so it is worth finding an editorial team willing to cooperate. The conditions for this are set individually each time before the event. One of them may be the sponsorship of prizes by the company, which is important as the prizes may be the products you want to show to the public.
Collaboration with influencers and communication on Facebook
PR activities also concern social media. This primarily involves promoting the product through influencerswhose audience is also the target audience for each product. This means that products for mothers should be presented by people involved in parenting. Then we can be sure that the information will reach the right audience and, at the same time, will be credible, as it will be communicated by a person who is knowledgeable in this area. In addition, it is important to reach out to active Facebook groups. These are important because, unlike in the media, they allow you to quickly find out what your audience thinks and what they think about your product.
Of course, social media enables a range of other marketing-related activities, but these are not traditionally associated with the concept of product PR. You can find out more about them at agency specialising in social media.
Product promotion on Instagram
Like Facebook, Instagram provides an opportunity to use influencer reach to showcase your brand and a specific solution. Instagram is one of the portals where the image plays a much more important role in perception than text. As a result, promoting visually appealing products and those that indicate what they are for at first glance is particularly well suited on this portal. Instagram offers numerous opportunities to showcase your product. These include posts or presentations on InstaStories and, more recently, rolls. Whichever form we choose, let us pay attention to the comprehensibility of our message. On Instagram, short forms are preferred, without long-winded content, so we should make sure that our message is concise, but at the same time understandable. The best results in promoting a product on Instagram are achieved by social media and PR professionals, so campaigns should be run with them.
Brand ambassadors
Above, we briefly described how to interact with influencers. Collaboration can be project-based, pursuing a specific goal, or long-term, where the influencer often takes on the role of brand ambassador. The influencer becomes more widely involved in the presentation of the brand and is therefore naturally associated with it.
Of course, influencers are just an example of people who can prove themselves in this role. Typical ambassadors also include well-known show business figures, actors, musicians, media experts in a particular field or other people who enjoy popularity or public trust. Interestingly, the employees of a company themselves can become ambassadors for a brand or product, as they are satisfied with their work and its results and will recommend it to their friends.
Read more about brand ambassadors and their role in the company
Organisation of or participation in events
Product-related events such as presentations, open days or conferences and trade fairs are extremely important because they allow you to reach customers or journalists directly. A live meeting offers opportunities that cannot be achieved through the media. Although you can get to know a product through an article in the press, it is much more memorable to be able to touch or try a product yourself.
Trade fairs and industry conferences are particularly valuable for manufacturers, who have the opportunity to present their offer live to those who are interested in it. For this reason, cyclical events on topics such as construction or agriculture continue to be very popular.
How to test the effects of product PR?
The primary way to track the effects of product PR activities is through monitoring media. Commercial tools are available on the market that check the appearance of information on a given topic in various types of media on an ongoing basis by selected phrases. At the same time, good monitoring shows indicatively how many people came into contact with a given piece of content, what its reach was and how much it would cost to buy a given space in the form of advertising. It probably goes without saying that the more positive publications appear in high-profile media, the more effective the PR activities were most likely to have been.
The effect of PR activities is often a specific brand image or simply brand awareness and recognition. We can measure it by conducting an opinion poll. Specialised entities carrying out this type of research select a representative group of people and test their knowledge of a given brand, competition or ask them to evaluate a given product. The best results in verifying the effects of product PR are obtained by conducting opinion polls both before and after communication activities. Then, the results of both tests can be collated to see to what extent the PR campaign has influenced the public's perception of the product or brand.
Product PR activities can in some cases also be checked by analysing the popularity of given phrases on the web. A sudden increase in queries about a product, as recorded by Google, may suggest that the media message has reached a wide audience and that they were looking for more information on the topic.
If you are interested in the topic of product PR and are considering using it for promotion - get in touch!
