There are certain tools you can use to create a positive image of your organisation in the press. Each has its own specific task. As a useful exercise, dig out one or two of your trade magazines and see if you can identify them. We’ll go into more detail on each one later, but this is what your toolkit looks like:

PRESS RELEASES

A variety of short news stories which combine over a period to build up a picture of an active and successful outfit – winning orders, developing new products and services, appointing new people, attending exhibitions, recent increases in membership, forthcoming fund-raising or sporting events, and so on.

Aim to send out at least one story every month because, almost without exception, the success of any PR campaign will depend entirely on the quality and regularity of your press releases. Until you have built up that positive, successful-company image in the minds of editors – and press releases are the only way of doing this – you will not get a chance to use the next two tools.