Have you heard the term ‘organic PR’ but are still unsure what it means? Or are you considering adding it to the list of your promotional activities for your brand, but wondering if it’s the best choice for you?
In this piece, our CEO Mary Pedler answers the most common questions about organic PR, so you can get a better idea of its subtleties — and the benefits it brings.
Q: What does ‘organic’ mean?
M: With organic PR, your brand is promoted through media in the broader context of the market, the niche, and the current agenda. Simply put, we show your audience why your services and products are relevant today, and why they are worth their attention.
Organic promotion can take many forms: from creating op-eds and doing interviews to getting featured in podcasts and attending industry events. Same as paid marketing, organic promotion is tailored to your brand’s goals, target audience, and messages.
Still, the main difference between these two strategies is that we don’t pay for publications. Instead, we focus on building connections with journalists and trading valuable expertise for exposure.
Q: Ok, can you explain more about how (and why) it works?
M: Every media outlet aims to stay on top of the agenda, and offer quality content to its audience. At the same time, every journalist covering a specific topic needs expert opinions to give the story more depth and credibility.
A PR professional is well-connected to an extensive network of editors and journalists from different media — to the point where we become a trusted source of expert material. They send us requests for quotes and opinions while we share pitches on topical issues. It’s a win-win for both parties.
As we’ve mentioned above, with organic PR, you don’t pay for publications. Instead, we offer monthly PR support, with a variety of packages to choose from.
Q: Why can’t I just pay for a piece?
M: Native approach is way more powerful: one quality organic publication builds more trust than a few sponsored ones.
Q: Do you have KPIs?
M: Yes, we do. For each package, we have a set number of monthly publications. We spread them across different formats based on the unique promotional strategy we create for each brand.
Here’s an example of our monthly KPIs:
- 2+ news articles / project reviews / feature articles
- 2+ interviews / op-eds / market analysis from the company’s representatives
- 2+ quotes / brand mentions
Q: Can I see an exact list of media my project will get featured in?
M: We have an extensive list of media outlets we use when creating promotional strategies for each project. At the beginning of every month, we provide a media plan based on our KPIs, which features the names of the media outlets we’ll be aiming for.
Still, because of the nature of organic PR, there might be slight changes to the plan. Should any of the publications fall through, we’ll replace them with an outlet of the same type, tier, and reach.
Q: Who can benefit from organic PR?
M: Literally, everyone. Both startups to prominent companies use organic promotion to create and strengthen the positive image of a personal or corporate brand, boost trust and visibility, raise recognition, and build link mass.
Organic PR is not a replacement for marketing, as they work toward different goals — but an excellent addition to it.