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Article: DIY PR for recruiters by Tracey Dunn

Recruitment industry public relations specialists, BlueSky PR explain how smaller recruitment companies can benefit from doing some of their own PR

Making your company stand out from the crowd is crucial in recruitment - an industry that remains fiercely competitive. In addition to simple distribution of news, PR can help you become an authoritative voice in your sector, build awareness of your brand and allow you to establish your company as a major player. This in turn makes it easier for you to develop client relationships and attract talent. 

Although they may be aware of the benefits of PR and marketing, smaller recruiters may not have the budget to engage a specialist agency to do this work on their behalf. However with a few key tools and some common sense, there’s no reason why they can’t make a start and do some PR basics themselves. 

Finding a newsworthy angle

One way to start is to simply tell the press that you exist, that you have a finger on the pulse of a particular area and can provide comments on trends or new developments. This can be a great introduction to the media, but it’s far better to have something relevant and immediate to talk about that a journalist can pick up on right away. What this means is finding a ‘hook’. A hook is the angle that a news story is built around and is one of the most important things to remember. 

One idea to consider is ‘piggybacking’. What this means is to take something that’s going on in the news and adding your own angle to it. If a subject is being extensively discussed in the press there’s already a taste for this sort of material.

Alternatively, your hook could be something as simple as what you think will happen in the near future in your sector, and turning this into a market forecast. However, you should make sure that you can back this up with some statistical information, as the hook needs to be credible. In terms of statistics, journalists absolutely love surveys - this is especially true if you can add in some colourful or interesting quotes that give a human interest angle, and provide expert commentary.

However – whatever your angle, always try to put yourself in the shoes of the average reader and ask yourself two questions – is this relevant and is it interesting? If the answer to both is ‘yes’, you’re well on your way!

The secrets of a good press release

A press release is one of the most basic, but also most important tools for dealing with the media. When preparing a press release there’s no point trying to reinvent the wheel. A press release should deliver some key facts as efficiently as possible, without any sales or advertising style messages, as these can devalue your news angle. Stick to the tried and tested formula and most of the hard work is already done.

So, what makes a good press release? First, you need the right headline. It should immediately grab attention and communicate the main point of your news. After this, you need a brief paragraph that goes into a little more detail and gets over the basics of what you’ve got to say; the ‘who, what, where, when, why?’ type points of the story. 

Two more vital points to remember – make sure you include your contact details and always put the press release in the body of an email, rather than sending it as an attachment. This saves journalists time and avoids security issues linked with opening unsolicited files. 

Targeting journalists

Of course, you’d love to be on the front page of serious broadsheet media – the FT, the Times etc – you might occasionally make an inside page if you work at it. However, sector specific media are always keen to fill space and you’ll face much less competition for their attention than if you ring the news desk of one of the ‘big boys’. You’re also likely to get a far more impressive piece by targeting journalists who are directly relevant to your area of expertise or location. Think about your target market. Who are you trying to reach? Then ask yourself what these people are likely to read? 

When you’ve found the right journalists, remember that they don’t have to use your material and don’t even have to talk to you. They’re busy people and you should get straight to the point and be easy to work with. If they call, call back. Stick to their deadlines, deliver on your promises to them, and do everything you can to make their job easier. They’ll thank you for this, and in return, you should get some good coverage. 

Put your press coverage to work

Finally, never assume that your clients or candidates have seen any press coverage, so point it out to them as and when it happens. Show them what an expert, interesting and informed organisation you clearly are by telling them about it, showing them copies and spreading links to online coverage.
This article should help you get started and will hopefully have got you thinking about the benefits of a sound public relations programme, but of course, it only scratches the surface of what you can achieve. 

For more information on PR or a full ‘how-to’ guide, which covers press releases in more depth, as well as article writing and using social media for PR, contact Sam Woodward on 0845 1308290 or sam@bluesky-pr.net or check out our website at www.bluesky-pr.net.  

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