Best PR Tools to Get your Direct to Consumer Brand Published!

A brand new generation of disruptive creative brands is shaking up the retail space. Direct-to-consumer (D2C) companies that build, market, sell, and ship their products themselves, without middlemen. There has been a huge rise in new direct-to-consumer companies that are transforming how people shop. In the process, these brands, spanning everything (literally everything), are radically changing consumer needs, preferences, and most importantly their expectations. These brands have the unique opportunity to really get to know and understand their consumers. Access to this more intimate customer relationship allows brands to answer to the needs and desires of their customers directly, creating products that serve and, develop marketing that truly works. This offers the customer a more unique experience too.

As the needs of the market change, the way we market our businesses needs to also change. 

It’s important to know the difference between marketing and PR. Public Relations is a business tool that often gets confused with marketing or advertising. Though the two are intimately related they are very distinct activities.

You often have more control over your marketing than your PR. With marketing, you get to decide when, how, and where you share your business. With PR, once you’ve shared you cannot control how a publication then moves on to discuss you. However, your marketing can often dictate your PR tactics! 

We have compiled the best and latest PR tools and tricks to get your brand seen this season! And you guessed it, marketing does come somewhat into it!

Content is your key to success - get the media attention

As a D2C company, you maintain end-to-end control over the making, marketing, and distribution of products, and a great way to share your business with customers and to gain attention is behind-the-scenes insights! 

Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are abundant in videos from companies showing their customers how products are made. This theme is trending even more so because marketing tools that use video, as a means to share, are extremely popular with younger audiences.

It’s also a brilliant way to gain attention from publications, or influencers seeking brands to represent. People love to see the ‘how and why’ behind what they are buying.

Use your content as a way to pitch your brand to potential publications, your online popularity and success will essentially sell you for you! By posting your products across multiple media platforms you are essentially building your own online portfolio. Ensure your content is aligned with your brand values and includes some professional imagery. Use the traction and analytics from your social media accounts to share with editors, because it may be that your product is exactly what they are seeking!

Learn more about the importance of content marketing here.

Be creative and know your audience

If done right PR can help you achieve your marketing objectives at a fraction of the cost of paid advertising. The key to success in PR is to be creative in your messaging. In a nutshell, your PR tasks should be newsworthy and communicate your marketing message clearly. This will help publications to understand if you are suited to them.

Humor for example is a great way to be creative! It has always been a good way to get people to feel positive about brands and products. Many businesses produce humorous advertisements, and there is no reason why PR should not also operate with a sense of fun and lightness. Depending on your brand values, look for something that your target audience would like. Use this to tap into their sense of humor; remember this may or may not be the same as your own.

Networking as free PR and Collaboration

Relationship building is key for any D2C business. It’s all about who you know and making connections with people who are ready to scream your brand name from the rooftops. The key to a successful PR strategy is to know exactly who you are talking to. Create your pitches and content with this in mind. It’s not about you, it’s about them!

Who is the editor you are emailing? What do they like to write about? What are their interests? What angle are they most curious about? Etc. 

The goal is to attract the right editor with the right title and an interesting media release that grabs their attention. The more you can think like a reporter, the better it gets. A brief company history at the end can help too and don’t forget to include your contact details.

Product Exchanges and Giveaways

Collaboration with the press is a great tool to utilize. And product exchange is a great tool  to consider. Introduce your product by offering editors/journalists an opportunity to try them. Ask for their honest opinion, and you never know, they might just decide to write about it or include it in their editor’s top pick. 

Here again, you will want to do your research and reach out to the right editor. It’s not about trying to send it to the most people but sending it to the right person. 

With giveaways, contact editors to see if they want to do a giveaway and offer their audience your product/s - make sure to time it correctly. If it’s for the Holidays for example - check their editorial calendar to see when they will talk about Christmas, and when they need the material by. To ensure you don’t run out of time or miss the deadline - always be thinking at least 2 months ahead.

Get organized

Successful PR is achieved through a planned and sustained set of tasks. You will need a calendar to organize your outreach activities and you must also start generating a contact list of media, personalities, customers, and like-minded companies to engage and collaborate with. Remember, relationships are your key to scoring epic PR opportunities. If you desire to send products out, or you have something to share, ensure you know when you need to do this and how much notice you need to start preparing.

Learn more about how public relations can empower your business.

Starting from scratch can be overwhelming. This is why hiring an expert PR team can be very beneficial for you. We have built strong relationships with editors across the industry and they trust the content we send them! If you are interested in learning more about our PR offerings and how we can help you get your name out there, reach out to us today!

Click here to schedule a Complimentary Brand Consultation.

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