Edging out the competition with international PR

Public Relations (PR) is more popular in Denmark than ever. But why do so few Danish companies – which export around 80 percent of their products and services – use PR internationally?

International PR has a reputation for being complicated, time-consuming and expensive. With so many countries and thousands of newspapers, magazines and websites to target, costs can quickly get out of hand. But the key is to focus on getting the most out of each market – not to cover them all equally. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Top tips for great international PR

1. Start by looking at your business objectives and how you can achieve them. This is particularly important with international PR – by focusing only on what’s relevant to your needs, you can cut a long list of potential journalists in half. 

2. Be choosy. Only target the top two or three publications in each business segment. PR is about building awareness, but some publications are more highly regarded than others. Stick to the ones that matter.

3. Go to the publication’s website and get hold of its editorial features list. A features list tells you when a magazine will write about a particular topic – use it to plan your communications.

4. Build a list of key publications – and use it. Make a point of contacting the relevant journalists on a regular basis. You don’t have to send a press release. Often, a short email ‘tip-off’ is enough, or just give them a call.

5. If you have a news story that is relevant to several different markets, buy a mailing list or have it distributed on a wire service such as PR Newswire. This way your story will be used on Google News, MSN, Yahoo and others. It also means that if someone searches for your company there’s a greater chance they’ll find you.

6. Use your website actively. Upload your latest news and make sure it can be found by search engines through the smart use of keywords or by making an RSS feed. You can even ‘blog’ your news and let specific blog search services know when your blog is updated.

7. Become an expert on your own national market or region. That way, journalists will want to contact you for information!

 

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About the author
Andrew Arnold has worked as a journalist, communicator and translator for
20 years. He moved to Denmark in 1996 and worked as a correspondent for AFX News, The Financial Times, the Economist Intelligence Unit and a string of international trade magazines.

He has worked at Carlsberg as a Public Relations Consultant and was Communications Manager for Hempel. In January 2007 he established Native Edge, a PR and communications company that helps medium-sized companies gain media coverage in international target markets.

Contact Andrew if you'd like to learn more about international PR.