PR Opportunities for Freelancers and Small Businesses

Make a name for yourself

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Freelancers and small businesses can fall back on an ever-growing variety of PR opportunities to make a name for themselves. Here is an overview of the ones most likely to lead to success:

Be a source

What does it mean to be a source? When media professionals publish a story, they usually look for ‘sources’ to feature. These are usually specialists in a certain field who provide quotes or expert advice, all the way to full-blown interviews. You should look for opportunities both in your capacity as an expert in your general field (e.g. law, marketing) and as an expert in your areas of specializations (e.g. patent law, small business marketing). This will boost your credibility and your standing as an expert in your field in the eyes of peers and potential clients who come across your feature. And ultimately, this could lead to paid work.

So how do journalists and experts (i.e. you!) find one another? There are a number of websites specializing in putting media outlets and potential sources in touch with each other. The most notable ones are SourceBottle (free) for the US, Canadian, Australian, UK, and New Zealand markets, and HARO (Help A Reporter Out — monthly fee). Here, media representatives post PR opportunities, and experts (sources) can reply and pitch their ideas and responses. If you deliver a good, relevant pitch, you stand a good stance of being featured in the journalist’s publication.

Opportunities for small business owners and freelancers are published on a daily basis, and you are sure to find a suitable feature that lets you showcase your expertise and consolidate your expert position in your field. Make sure to have notifications of new PR opportunities delivered to your inbox or check the sites daily, so you never miss out on an exciting opportunity!

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Content writing

Another opportunity lies in content writing, for example, on specialist blogs by industry experts or leading companies. You can either comment on their posts and share relevant content that draws their attention to you, or you can seek out opportunities to write guest articles for popular blogs. Guest posts are an excellent method to raise your profile and boost traffic to your website, which is usually linked to your blog post.

Freelancers can also join online communities for small business owners, such as Flying Solo in Australia. You can choose from dozens if not hundreds, so it may be worth spending a couple of hours to identify the most relevant ones for your purposes and in your geographical area. Business communities usually offer their members the opportunity to be featured, either in an interview or as part of a members’ promotion. Your business may, for example, be promoted on social media for a day, or you may be featured in newsletters that are sent out to hundreds of members by email — a great opportunity for exposure to professionals in other industries who may require your services at some point or can recommend you to their business network!

Last but not least, take a good look at the LinkedIn Group section. Join PR groups such as PR News to connect with media professionals and be notified of new PR opportunities.

Speaking gigs

A completely different PR tool is public speaking. Are you good at traditional marketing? Contact your local business association and offer to host a workshop, and publicize it in local media to draw in a crowd. Is social media marketing your thing? Why not submit an article for publication in an industry journal and follow it up with a seminar or presentation at a conference or trade show? Write down three topics in which you consider yourself an expert and which you could explain to a layperson in your sleep. Then approach local business associations or professional institutes and actively seek out opportunities to present on these subjects.

Today it is also very easy to host webinars, which instantly gives you access to dozens of listeners — a sure-fire way to boost your brand and professional standing with minimal financial expenditure.

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Press releases

Press releases are another low-cost tool to get your small business featured in the media. Press releases will generate traffic to your website and are Google-indexed and therefore good for SEO purposes. My personal recommendation is PRLog, which seems to rank very quickly and generate many hits. You can simply register with a press release site of your choice and publish your own press releases free of charge.

But be careful to choose a reputable site to avoid damaging your image and wasting your precious time. It’s worth publishing a press release every time something changes in your business, for example, if you offer a new service or area of specialization, or if you have relocated to another country, completed a relevant degree or won an award.

Editorial calendars

Here’s the best-kept secret when it comes to drumming up publicity for your business: most writers, editors, organizations and major publications use editorial calendars to manage their content. Editorial calendars are schedules of what topics are to be covered and when.

If you know that the summer issue of your favorite trade journal, for example, will focus on PR and you are a public relations expert and want to discuss a particular issue pertinent to the field, you can contact the editor in due time and discuss the possible publication of your article or interview in the relevant issue. The same goes for industry publications in those sectors relevant to your line of work.

Working with editorial calendars will increase your chances of getting featured, as you’re not just shooting blind but have relevant content to offer. To obtain editorial calendars, you can simply call the publications of your choice and ask to speak to the editor of the relevant section to request a copy, or you can check the contact or advertising section on your chosen publications’ websites. These often contain editorial calendars along with other information such as closing dates and editorial specifications and guidelines. Sticking to these will also increase your chances of getting your pitch accepted.

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MuckRack

You might already be on Twitter, and if you’re not, set up an account today to start looking for media outlets in which you would like to be featured. Use the search function and make a list of relevant hashtags you can use in your tweets. Next, choose 10–15 journalists from the media outlets in which you’d like to be featured in and follow them. Engage with those influencers and make sure you post relevant content rather than just posting about your own business. I recommend you stick to Twitter lists (curated groups of Twitter accounts) as a free tool, but if you want to really splash out on your PR, give MuckRack a try.

MuckRack.com is a very useful tool for freelancers and small business owners looking for publicity, although it requires a bit of an investment because the fees are rumored to be quite high. (There are no specific prices listed on the website; you have to contact them to request a quote.) You will receive targeted lists of journalists covering a wide range of topics, and tools to engage with them. This allows you to see in advance what topics journalists are currently covering, giving you the opportunity to contact them and possibly be featured in upcoming publications. This puts you one step ahead of the competition who are most likely still on LinkedIn competing for their targets’ attention with millions of other users.

Spot And Seize PR Opportunities — How To Pitch

Whether you’re a freelancer or running a small business, there’s no excuse to not get your name out there.