As Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft was once quoted: “If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations.”

When it comes to PR, it’s not always seen as a necessity for most businesses, and is usually also the first thing to go in lean times. This is often because PR comes down to people either buying in to it, or not. PR is not a tangible item, can be difficult to measure and often gets replaced for an extra member of staff or something which the accountant can financially quantify like multi-coloured bean bags and designer coffee machines. However, the power of a press release should not be so quickly dismissed, and for individual business owners or SMEs where competition is most fierce, raising your own brand profile can be the one thing which makes you stand out from your competitors for a long time to come and be the best money you spend.

 

“No business is too big or too small for PR” Terenia Taras

As an independent PR consultant I work with international brands, multi-national companies and also individual business owners. A lot of larger PR agencies wouldn’t see the worth in perhaps a one-off PR project or press release as it’s a lot of work for little return and a retainer client is always preferable. It is also a real tester because if a client is looking for a specific result, for example local media coverage, and they get none, then what does that say about your ability to do PR well? There is nowhere to hide in these scenarios and often easier and a lot less hassle to turn the work
down.

---

Case Study One
I previously helped a personal trainer who works remotely from her home or visits clients in theirs. Cathy wanted to raise her own profile within the region to attract new clients, but also demonstrate why she is different to the many PTs out there. I managed to get a feature about her work in the Life and Style supplement of the Yorkshire Post newspaper which has a 21,000 plus circulation of ABC readers.
Click to see the full article.

As a result, Cathy was approached by Neom Organics which create 100% natural fragrances for the mind and body and is a brand in keeping with the ethos of Cathy’s personal training, hypnotherapy and general healthy mind, healthy body approach she incorporates in her work.

Cathy Thomas said: “I know Terenia personally as we’d met whilst I was working in a gym and I asked for her help when I’d decided to set-up on my own working from home as a personal trainer, but also offering hypnotherapy and life coaching as part of an all-round solution for people struggling to get fit, healthy and lose weight.

“Using her experience as a journalist she came up with a different angle for a feature idea, because, as she explained there has to be something new or different for the reader for the media to be interested in the first instance and with her media contacts she was effectively able to get the article published.

“Since the article appeared and I shared it across my social media I’ve had an upsurge in enquiries and new clients, I was also approached by Neom to become a health brand ambassador and have attended several of their customer events. I’ve also been contacted about other fabulous opportunities which directly arose from people reading the story about me. For me, as a start-up business it helped launch my business and I’m truly grateful to Terenia for putting her time and effort in to helping me when I really didn’t have money to spend on advertising.”

---

Case Study Two
Another one-off press release came via a shop owner who’d been recognized as third ‘Best Independent Yarn Store in the North of England’ in the British Knitting and Crochet Awards. Fiona Burks’ goal was to share this recognition and raise awareness of her new shop. We distributed a press release, and again, it not being a story which was going to light up the world, we had to get creative. Having done a bit of research it was apparent that knitting was becoming a new trend, especially with some celebrities including Katy Perry and Julia Roberts. So, knowing the PR potential of the celebrity obsessed world we live in, this was the hook.

See links for more coverage;

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/casting-off- to-a- career-in- yarns-1- 8857428

https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/ripping-yarns- harrogate-shop- owner-leads-uk- knitting-revival- 1-8923489

http://www.yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Interview-Fiona- Burks-Yarn-Etc

http://www.briefreport.co.uk/news/ripping-yarns- harrogate-shop- owner-leads- uk-
knitting-revival- 5461503.html

Fiona Burks, owner of Yarn Etc… said: “I just want to say thank you so much for the work you have done with the press release. It has been a great success and I wouldn’t have had anywhere near the take up rate without you. I have been singing your praises to everyone and will certainly pass anyone who needs any PR work on to you, and no doubt will be in touch again when I have anything I need to shout about.

“Many thanks once again, it has been great, my customers are thrilled with the articles and it is bringing in new business.”

---

Give Terenia Taras PR a call today 01423 568 686 or out of office hours 07773 703 226.

You may be surprised at what can be achieved!