So, you want to win hearts and new business? In that case, your PR profile should be an integral part of your business's marketing activity. An active and well-maintained PR profile that is attuned to your audience and aligned with your commercial goals will build trust, credibility and belief in your business.
What is a PR profile
In short, your PR profile is how you are known and perceived by:
- The public
- Your clients
- Your prospects
- Your suppliers
- Your competitors
- Other organisations
It is built through communicating with those audiences using the most appropriate and effective channels at your disposal; some reaching large, diverse audiences, and others focused on small, niche audiences.
For example, managing director Naomi targets the event data sector, and would focus on the industry print and digital media, networking sites like LinkedIn, and podcast and streaming channels.
It’s a long-term game, but there are ways you can start to set the foundations now.
Picture Perfection
For most of us, our perception of a person begins with seeing their face, and so the foundation of a winning PR profile is your photos. Whether for a news release, speaker pitch or social media, your photo choice is the first step towards getting your target audience to stop scrolling and check you out.
Too often, we see headshots that have been cropped out from group images and holiday snaps, or worse, awkward mirror selfies. For the best results, your profile picture needs to be:
- High quality - clear, sharp, and composed.
- Authentic - reflect your personality and business.
- Relevant - in line with audience expectations, norms, and preferences.
Be clear about what kind of photos you are aiming for, and with a little help from a volunteer, it's possible to achieve excellent results with some imagination and a steady hand. For ideas and inspiration, it's worth searching online for publicity shots and seeing which ones you gravitate towards.
Tip: For the best results, write down what you want to achieve with the profile picture, the mood, style, and ethos you want to project.
Ideally, you should build a small library of profiles and publicity shots. Regularly review and update your library, so that when people meet you in person, they're not expecting you as you were 15 years ago!
Pst - Want to read more about taking the perfect headshot? Download our photo guide.
Sending your message.
From content and social media bios to pitching you as a speaker or panellist, the quality of your messaging is what keeps a potential match invested.
It should go without saying, check all your written content thoroughly. Poor spelling and grammar are inexcusable when there is such a wealth of tools for correcting and improving your writing. Basic errors and careless expressions create a perception of you as slapdash and thoughtless. So check, and check again (and once more for good measure)!
Your choice of language and content needs to be consistent with your ethos, brand, and business goals. For example, a good personal bio is an exercise in ruthlessness, as you must edit out the facts and achievements that do not relate to your audience or your messaging strategy.
Go get 'em, tiger!
Connecting with people, whether they're customers or romantic matches, means making a good first impression - you need to be at your best for your audience. That means building a profile that addresses their concerns before they have them, builds their trust in you as a person, and speaks to their needs. With an excellent publicity photo and clear, concise messaging that's free from typos and howlers, the path is clear to crafting your winning PR profile.
Just remember when you do post on digital platforms, check you're posting to the right one. A LinkedIn update posted on Tinder might raise a few eyebrows, posting your Tinder profile on LinkedIn definitely will.
Download your copy of our photo guide.
