The most important way to successfully sell a product or service is to inform potential recipients about their existence and the characteristics they possess. This principle applies to almost all industries, and even if the product or service is the best of its kind, without well-thought-out communication activities, it will be difficult to achieve market success. That is why adopting the right marketing strategy is the key to finding buyers.
In this article you will learn:
- Product PR – definition
- Goals of product PR
- Ways to promote a product
- How to measure the effectiveness of product PR?
Product PR – definition
Among the ways to promote brands of products and services are also PR activities. Product PR is a set of activities that make it possible to reach the awareness of potential recipients using various communication tools, primarily media reach. Methods are chosen depending on the adopted strategy, product features, and target group. Regarding the latter point, it is worth mentioning that potential customers are often divided into two groups, because different communication means are used when promoting a product aimed at business clients (B2B), while others are chosen when reaching individual consumers (B2C). Therefore, before undertaking any actions, it is essential first to determine who the potential buyers of the product are and what characterizes them.
Goals of product PR
The goals of product PR result from the assumptions and strategy adopted by the company. A company wanting to present a market novelty will choose different goals than a company whose product is already widely known. Among the most frequently chosen goals of product PR are:
- increasing brand and product awareness among potential recipients;
- building a positive image of the brand and product;
- increasing the brand value of the product or service;
- changing the perception of the brand, e.g., as a premium brand;
- establishing good relations with the media;
- maintaining consistency in the company’s image and its offer;
- informing customers about changes related to the product.
Ways to promote a product
There are many ways to promote a product. Utilizing media activities is one of the methods that can be used to reach a wider audience with information about it. This includes traditional media such as press, radio, or television, as well as newer ones like internet portals or social media. The fundamental challenge companies face is the effective use of such communication channels. This concerns both financial issues, meaning finding ways to promote the product without spending large sums of money, and the time aspect, i.e., the best timing for promotion (e.g., during the product launch, or the premiere of a service).
Promoting a product through media without knowledge of them or establishing relationships with specific editorial offices can be quite a challenge. However, professionals in the field of public relations, associated with PR agencies, not only know the market but also understand media needs and can establish fruitful cooperation with them. Thanks to these capabilities, they can ensure the product is presented on television, radio, the Internet, or in newspapers. Often, this is an action that does not require additional financial resources.
See what a PR agency can offer your brandThe first step to conducting an effective PR campaign is to develop a strategy and understand the market environment along with the competition. This involves analyzing the current situation of the brand and product, then planning actions aimed at its improvement and achieving desired effects, such as drawing attention to a specific feature or highlighting advantages over competitors.
Below is a summary of the most common methods of product promotion used by agencies and PR departments in companies.
Press materials
One of the most commonly used methods to reach the media is preparing and sending 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 have the option to publish it unchanged or create their own texts based on it. The benefits are mutual – the company gets its message out, and the media receive a ready topic and material proposal.
Sending press releases is also a great way to increase product recognition in the media world. Thanks to them, journalists, even if they do not use the content in the form of an article or broadcast, get to know the specific brand and can refer to it in future editorial activities. An example might be later including the product in gift guides prepared for holidays. In the case of services, it can be outlining an important situation from the reader’s perspective that the service resolves.
Media appearances, interviews, editorial tests
Another way to engage a particular medium is to arrange material specially prepared for it. This refers, for example, to a press or television interview with the company president or expert who will talk about the product, explain its advantages over other solutions, or share interesting facts related to it. Such activities, besides the benefits of product PR, also bring advantages to the spokesperson, as they increase their recognition and create their expert image.
Another way to draw media attention to the product is arranging an editorial test. Such activities can be used by companies from the cosmetics, mobile, RTV/AGD, or FMCG industries. They consist of providing or sending products to journalists who cover the relevant topic. Their extensive knowledge and experience allow them to evaluate the product and then give their opinion to their viewers, listeners, or readers.
Importantly, editorial tests are not only about products that are cheap and easy to send to journalists. The same applies to more expensive items such as cars or high-quality electronics. In such cases, the goods are often temporarily made available for familiarization or testing. For the aforementioned car, this means providing the editorial team with the vehicle for a few days to conduct a thorough test. The journalist then receives, often before others, knowledge that helps prepare interesting material in the form of a review or report, and the company has the opportunity to present the product to a wide audience, while keeping costs relatively low.
Industry and consumer contests
Another method of promoting a product in the media is industry competitions. They are often organized by prestigious and industry-specific editorial teams or independent entities specialized in such activities. These events involve a jury evaluating the product against competing solutions, which helps convince potential buyers of the product’s value. An example of such an event is international design competitions like the Red Dot Design Award. An award in a prestigious competition, especially for a Polish product, attracts media attention.
Large international competitions are not the only way to showcase products. In Poland, there are also polls that allow the presentation of a product to the domestic audience. This includes competitions organized by editorial teams of industry magazines. Participating in them, even without winning, allows exposure to the audience of a specific medium.
Another type of competition is aimed at consumers, the target group of the brand. These events can be entered or even organized independently or in cooperation with a given medium. Obtaining honorary patronage or assistance in organizing and promoting the event is very valuable, so it is worth finding an editorial team willing to cooperate. Conditions of such actions are set individually before the campaign. One of these may be sponsoring prizes by the company, which is important since the prizes can be the products the company wants to showcase to the audience.
Collaboration with influencers and communication on Facebook
PR activities also include social media. This primarily refers to promoting the product through influencers, whose following also constitutes the target audience group for the respective products. This means that products intended for mothers should be presented by people involved in parenting topics. That way, we can be sure that the information reaches the right audience group, and at the same time will be credible, as it is conveyed by a person knowledgeable in the specific field. Moreover, it is important to reach out with the message to actively operating Facebook groups. These are significant because, unlike the media, they allow quick insight into the opinions and views of recipients regarding the product.
Of course, social media enable conducting a number of other marketing activities, but these are not traditionally associated with the concept of product PR. You can learn about them on the website of the agency specializing in social media.
Promoting the product on Instagram
Like Facebook, Instagram provides the opportunity to leverage influencers’ reach to showcase your brand and a specific solution. Instagram belongs to platforms where visuals play a much more important role in perception than text. Therefore, on this platform, promoting visually attractive products or those that immediately indicate their purpose works particularly well. Instagram offers numerous ways to showcase your product. Among them are posts or presentations on InstaStories, and recently also reels. Regardless of the form we choose, let’s pay attention to the clarity of our message. Instagram favors short formats without lengthy content, so we should ensure our communication is concise but still understandable. The best results in promoting a product on Instagram are achieved by professionals in social media and PR, so it is worth conducting campaigns with them.
Brand ambassadors
Above, we briefly described how to collaborate with influencers. Cooperation can be project-based, fulfilling a specific goal, or long-term, where the influencer often takes on the role of a brand ambassador. Such a person engages more broadly in presenting the brand, naturally becoming associated with it.
Of course, influencers are only one example of people who can fit this role. Typical ambassadors also include celebrities from show business, actors, musicians, media experts in a given field, or other individuals enjoying popularity or social trust. Interestingly, employees of a company themselves can become unique brand or product ambassadors who, satisfied with their work and its results, will recommend it to friends.
Read more about brand ambassadors and their role in the company
Organization or participation in events
Product-related events such as presentations, open days, conferences, and trade fairs are extremely important because they allow direct contact with customers or journalists. A live meeting offers opportunities that cannot be achieved through the media. While an article in the press can introduce a product, the chance to touch or try the product yourself is far more memorable.
Industry fairs and conferences are especially valuable for manufacturers, who have the opportunity to showcase their offerings live to interested parties. For this reason, regularly organized events related to, for example, construction or agriculture, continue to be very popular.
How to measure the effectiveness of product PR?
The primary way to track the results of product PR efforts is media monitoring of media. Commercial tools are available on the market that continuously track the appearance of information on a given topic across various media types based on selected keywords. At the same time, good monitoring gives an approximate figure of how many people were exposed to the content, its reach, and how much it would cost to purchase the equivalent advertising space. It probably goes without saying that the more positive publications appear in widely-reached media, the more effective the PR activities likely were.The result of PR efforts is often a specific brand image or simply its awareness and recognition. We can measure these by conducting public opinion research. Specialized entities that conduct such research select a representative sample of people and check their awareness of a given brand, the competition, or ask for an evaluation of a specific product. The best way to verify the effects of product PR is through public opinion research conducted both before communication activities start and after they conclude. This allows comparing the results of both tests to see how much the PR campaign influenced audience perception of the product or brand.
In some cases, product PR efforts can also be assessed by analyzing the popularity of certain search terms online. A sudden increase in product-related queries recorded by Google may indicate that the media message reached a wide audience who sought more information on the topic.
If you are interested in product PR and are considering using it for promotion – contact us!
