Navigating the PR Spectrum: Traditional vs. Nontraditional Strategies Explained
Discover the differences between traditional and nontraditional PR, and learn how each can benefit your organization’s strategy and outreach efforts.
At its core, public relations helps businesses and nonprofits establish credibility, maintain trust, and build a positive reputation with their target audiences — shaping the way your stakeholders view your organization and cultivating brand loyalty. For nonprofits, a well-rounded PR strategy can be a game-changer, helping you grow your reach and fulfill your mission with greater impact. For small businesses, it’s a powerful tool that helps you to differentiate yourself from competitors, turning customers into brand advocates.
But PR isn’t one-size-fits-all, and as the digital landscape continues to evolve, so do PR strategies. Understanding the difference between traditional and nontraditional PR can help you choose the right tools to amplify your story and unlock new opportunities to engage with your community.
Both traditional and nontraditional PR have strengths, but depending on your campaign goals, one might be more effective than the other.
Defining Traditional Public Relations
Most people think of traditional public relations when they picture PR. This approach focuses on media relations and working with well-known and trusted channels to secure earned media — picture press releases, news conferences, and your business being featured in newspapers, magazines, the radio, or on the evening news.
Traditional PR also includes contributed content and opinion pieces, which share your organization’s views on important issues or work to establish yourself as a subject matter expert and build credibility.
While traditional PR takes time to cultivate, it is a necessary component of any PR strategy because it offers independent brand validity, which is essential for building trust and maintaining positive public perception.
Exploring Nontraditional Public Relations
Nontraditional PR uses newer, more interactive methods to connect with people and primarily focuses on digital mediums. Unlike a story on the Five O’Clock News, nontraditional channels help businesses create two-way conversations and connect deeper with their audiences.
Social media is the most recognizable and easily accessible way to engage with nontraditional PR. By sharing consistent online content, like updates, photos, and videos, you can connect directly with your audience and foster two-way interaction.
Blogs and podcasts are also part of nontraditional PR. These platforms let you share longer, more detailed stories about your work and communicate your impact on a deeper level. You can provide insights into your mission, share the stories of people you’ve helped, or discuss important issues without the limitations of time constraints or a word count.
Influencer partnerships are another tactic. This strategy involves working with individuals who have dedicated online followings to promote your cause, allowing you to tap into their networks and introduce yourself to larger audiences.
Other nontraditional PR methods include email newsletter campaigns and online events like webinars or town halls.
The nontraditional approach allows more flexibility while delivering immediate results. It also removes a communication layer, allowing you to create more personal connections.
Key Differences Between Traditional and Nontraditional PR
Traditional and nontraditional PR have distinct approaches and outcomes. Understanding these differences can help you choose the best strategy for your business.
1. Audience Reach: Traditional PR targets a broad audience but may miss specific demographics. Nontraditional PR, on the other hand, harnesses social media, podcasts, and influencers to reach a highly targeted audience.
2. Interaction: Traditional PR is mostly one-way communication. You record a news segment or interview for a magazine, and the audience receives the information. If your audience responds to the story with an action, like donating to your cause or signing up for services, they don’t need to engage directly with you. Conversely, nontraditional PR encourages two-way communication. Social media, for example, allows your audience to comment, share, and engage with your content to show their enthusiasm, creating a more dynamic relationship.
3. Speed and Flexibility: Traditional methods, like sending press releases and pitching journalists, take time to produce and distribute, and once released, they are difficult to change. Nontraditional PR is faster; you can instantly post updates on social media and quickly adapt your message.
4. Credibility and Trust: Traditional PR often benefits from the credibility of established media outlets. Getting featured in a major newspaper or TV show can boost your brand’s reputation. Nontraditional PR builds trust through direct engagement. Personal interactions with your audience can make your organization more relatable and approachable.
Choosing the Right PR Strategy for Your Business
Creating a dynamic PR strategy depends on your business’s unique goals, audience, and resources. Consider these factors when deciding how to engage in traditional or nontraditional PR.
1. Identify Your Audience: Determine who you are trying to reach and consider how they consume news. For example, traditional PR is a great approach if you’re trying to engage business leaders or establish credibility. Conversely, maybe influencer campaigns will best serve you in reaching younger audiences, like college students.
2. Set Clear Goals: Decide what you want to achieve with your PR strategy. Are you aiming to raise awareness, attract donations, or increase volunteer sign-ups? Different goals require different approaches. Traditional PR can be great for one-off announcements and campaigns, while nontraditional PR is ideal for ongoing engagement with your audiences.
3. Evaluate Your Resources: Look at your available resources, which include budget and manpower. Traditional PR can be costly due to the time and expertise required to create press releases or engage in media outreach, and it requires specialized skills to be effective. Nontraditional PR, while less expensive to produce, similarly requires time and creativity to keep content fresh and engaging, but it can offer a better return on investment depending on your campaign goals.
4. Mix and Match: A good PR strategy shouldn’t be limited to one approach. Most nonprofits and businesses find success using a combination of traditional and nontraditional PR.
Which Approach is Best for Your Organization?
Choosing between traditional and nontraditional PR isn't a matter of one being better than the other — it’s about understanding your organization’s goals, audience, and resources. By strategically blending both approaches, you can leverage the strengths of each to build credibility, engage your community, and achieve lasting impact. Whether you’re seeking the trust that traditional PR brings or the dynamic, real-time interactions of nontraditional channels, a well-rounded PR strategy will help you share your story and drive meaningful results.
Are you ready to enhance your communication strategy and create campaigns that resonate and inspire action? Contact Kristen today to learn how K.E. Baker Public Relations can help amplify your message and reach stakeholders.
How to Incorporate Creativity and Strategy in PR Campaigns
Learn how to blend creativity and strategy in PR campaigns to enhance your business' message and reach.
Blending creativity and strategy in PR campaigns can elevate your business’ message, making it more engaging and effective. Creativity helps capture attention, while strategy ensures your message reaches the right audience. A balanced approach can transform your PR efforts from ordinary to extraordinary.
Creativity in PR involves thinking outside the box to develop unique and compelling messages. This might include eye-catching visuals, memorable phrases, or innovative campaign concepts. Creative elements are essential for standing out in an overcrowded media landscape and grabbing the attention of your target audience.
Conversely, strategy is about effectively planning and executing your campaigns. It involves setting clear objectives, identifying your target audience, and choosing the proper channels to disseminate your message. A well-thought-out strategy ensures that your creative ideas not only capture attention but also achieve your goals.
Understanding the Role of Creativity in PR Campaigns
Creativity plays a vital role in PR campaigns by capturing attention and making your message memorable. It is the spark that sets your campaign apart from the countless others vying for the same audience's attention. Creative elements can include everything from striking visuals and engaging videos to clever taglines and compelling stories.
Using creativity effectively can evoke emotions and resonate with your audience on a deeper level. This emotional connection is crucial for nonprofits and small businesses, as it helps build trust and encourages supporters to engage with your organization. Creative campaigns often create lasting impressions, making your message more likely to be shared and remembered.
Beyond visuals and stories, creativity also involves finding innovative ways to deliver your message. This might mean exploring new media channels, using interactive content, or developing unique partnerships. The goal is to present your information in a way that captivates and engages your audience.
Strategic Planning for Effective PR Campaigns
Strategic planning ensures that your PR campaigns are not only creative but also effective in achieving your goals. Start by defining what you want to accomplish. Clear objectives might include raising brand awareness about your business or cause, increasing registrations for your upcoming webinar, or gaining more volunteers.
Next, identify your target audience. Understanding your audiences will guide your messaging and which media outlets you target. Consider factors such as age, interests, and where they get their news. Tailoring your message to your audience's preferences will improve the impact of your campaign.
Develop a detailed plan that maps the steps you will take to achieve your goals. This includes choosing the right communication channels, such as social media, press releases, or events. Timelines and budgets should also be part of your strategic plan to ensure everything stays on track.
Combine your strategic plan with measurable goals to track your progress. Use metrics like website visits, social media engagement, and earned media coverage to gauge the success of your campaign. Adjust your strategy based on the data you collect to continually improve your efforts.
Balancing Creativity and Strategy: Best Practices
Finding the right balance between creativity and strategy is critical for a successful PR campaign. A campaign that’s too creative might lack direction or confuse your audiences, while one that’s too strategic could fail to engage. Here are some best practices to achieve this balance:
1. Align Creative Ideas with Goals: Ensure your creative concepts support the campaign's objectives. Creativity should enhance your strategy, not overshadow it. For example, a creative social media challenge should still aim to increase donor engagement or awareness.
2. Collaborate with Your Team: Involve your team in brainstorming sessions to generate feasible and strategically sound creative ideas. Collaboration can lead to innovative solutions that effectively support your goals.
3. Test and Refine: Before rolling out your campaign, test creative elements on a small scale. Gather feedback and make adjustments as needed. This ensures that your creative ideas are well-received and align with your strategic plan.
4. Monitor and Adjust: Continuously monitor the performance of your campaign. Be prepared to tweak creative aspects or strategic elements based on real-time data and feedback. Flexibility is key to maintaining balance and achieving the desired results.
By implementing these best practices, you’ll create PR campaigns that are both engaging and strategically effective, maximizing your organization's reach and impact.
Measuring the Impact of Your PR Campaign
Measuring the impact of your PR campaign is essential to understanding its effectiveness and making data-driven decisions. This involves tracking various metrics and evaluating the outcomes against your initial goals.
Key Metrics to Track:
1. Media Coverage: Track the amount and quality of media coverage your campaign receives. This can include articles, interviews, and broadcast segments. Positive media coverage can indicate successful outreach and message penetration.
2. Social Media Engagement: Monitor likes, shares, comments, and overall engagement on your social media posts. High engagement rates suggest your content resonates with your audience.
3. Website Traffic: Analyzing website traffic can help you understand if your PR efforts are driving more visitors to your site. Tools like Google Analytics can provide insights into page views, visitor demographics, and referral sources.
4. Donor and Volunteer Inquiries: Measure any increases in donations or volunteer sign-ups. This direct response can strongly indicate your campaign’s success in mobilizing support.
5. Surveys and Feedback: Collect feedback from your audience through surveys or direct comments. This kind of direct feedback can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your messaging.
Regularly reviewing these metrics allows you to analyze your campaign’s strengths and weaknesses and make necessary adjustments. This continuous improvement process helps refine your approach for future campaigns.
Create Campaigns That Deliver Results
Incorporating both creativity and strategy in your PR campaigns is crucial for maximizing impact and achieving your goals. Creativity captures attention and makes your message memorable, while strategy ensures your efforts are targeted and effective. By understanding the roles of both elements, strategically planning your campaigns, balancing creativity with strategic objectives, and measuring your impact, you can significantly enhance your organization's PR efforts.
If you're ready to elevate your PR efforts, contact Kristen today! Let K.E.Baker PR help you tell your story and reach new heights.
Why Every Small Business Needs a PR Strategy
Discover why every small business needs a PR strategy. Learn key tactics to build trust, leverage online platforms, and measure your PR impact.
Public relations involves more than just getting your business in the news. It’s about maintaining trust, credibility, and a positive reputation among your customers and community. For small businesses, having a solid PR strategy is crucial to establishing their brand and differentiating themselves from competitors. While marketing is the practice of promoting products and services, PR aims to cultivate a strong, trustworthy image that builds brand loyalty.
Creating a structured PR strategy helps you hone your messaging, define target audiences, recognize themes, and set campaign goals well before a pitch is ever sent — allowing you to target your communication to the right audience and publications in a way that is mutually beneficial for your business and the press. It outlines a roadmap for where you want to go and how you’ll get there. Without it, you’ll find yourself haphazardly throwing ideas out and praying something sticks.
A good PR strategy can provide a significant return on investment without substantial costs for small businesses with limited budgets. By focusing on authentic, transparent communication and strategic media use, you can attract positive engagement and build lasting relationships with your audiences. Let’s explore a few PR tactics for small businesses, from earned media coverage to thought leadership.
Why Trust and Credibility Matter In PR
Trust and credibility are what all successful relationships are built on. They work together to demonstrate your integrity as an organization. Customers who value a business are more likely to return and recommend it to others.
Transparent communication fosters meaningful connections, and you should share both successes and challenges with your audiences. When you commit to transparent and honest communication, stakeholders see your business as genuine, allowing you to attract new clients while strengthening your relationship with existing ones.
Key PR Strategies Every Small Business Should Implement
Developing a PR strategy tailored to your unique business needs can greatly impact your success. For a small business, employing the right strategies can make a big difference. Here are three ways to get started:
1. Craft a Compelling Story: Every business has a compelling origin story. Share your brand journey, the challenges you’ve overcome, and your mission. A strong narrative engages your audience emotionally and makes your brand more relatable. Learn more about storytelling techniques here.
2. Engage with Local Media: Local media outlets are always looking for stories that resonate with their community. Build relationships with local journalists and pitch stories highlighting your business’s contributions to the local economy or community projects.
3. Utilize Customer Testimonials and Reviews: Encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences. Incorporating testimonials into your PR campaigns plus displaying them on your website and social media fosters growth by demonstrating to potential clients that your business delivers on its promises.
Incorporating these strategies can help you effectively communicate your message, attract positive attention, and build a strong foundation for long-term success.
Leveraging Online Media to Boost PR Efforts
Online platforms provide small businesses with a powerful means to enhance their PR efforts and reach a broader audience, allowing you to amplify your message, share expertise, and engage directly with your audiences.
1. Social Media: The reach of social media cannot be understated. These platforms allow you to share stories directly and meaningfully connect with your audiences. Regularly posting engaging content and responding to comments increases visibility and fosters a loyal community around your brand.
2. Blogging: Maintaining a blog on your website helps establish your business as an authority in your industry while also providing SEO benefits via your own channel. Keep a pulse on what your target audience wants to learn about and write informative, interesting articles that offer value to your readers and attract new ones seeking information.
3. Earned Media Coverage: Earned media coverage authentically validates your brand. When reputable sources cover your business, it acts as a third-party endorsement. This kind of validation reassures customers about the quality of your brand and reinforces their decision to do business with you.
4. Contributed Content: Unlike earned media coverage, contributed content, or bylined articles, are authored by a subject matter expert within your company and provide a vendor-neutral perspective on topics relevant to a publication’s audience. Authoring this type of thought leadership content is an excellent way to establish yourself as a subject matter expert in your industry and build brand awareness.
Optimizing your online presence can cultivate a strong community and drive targeted growth. Engagement is critical here, so don’t simply post and forget — foster two-way communication by answering questions, responding to feedback, and interacting with your audiences.
Measuring the Impact of PR on Your Business
Analyzing the effectiveness of your PR strategies gives you a better idea of what’s working and where improvements can be made. Start by tracking these four metrics:
1. Media Coverage: Monitor how much media coverage your business receives. Look at the number of articles, sentiment, and audience circulation of the publications you’re mentioned in.
2. Website Traffic: Use tools like Google Analytics to see how your PR activities affect your website traffic. Check metrics such as page views, unique visitors, and how long visitors stay on your site.
3. Social Media Engagement: Track likes, shares, comments, and follower growth on your social media platforms. High engagement rates indicate your PR efforts are resonating with your audience.
4. Customer Feedback: Pay attention to what your customers are saying about you. Positive reviews and testimonials can be a direct result of successful PR campaigns. Pay attention to any changes in customer sentiment following your PR activities.
By regularly reviewing these metrics, you can make data-driven decisions to refine your approach and achieve better results.
Grow Your Small Business with PR
In today's competitive landscape, a well-crafted PR strategy is indispensable for small businesses. It’s not just about gaining media attention but about building and maintaining trust, credibility, and a positive reputation. With a structured PR approach, small businesses can define their messaging, target the right audiences, and amplify their reach while establishing themselves as trusted industry experts.
Ultimately, a robust PR strategy provides a significant return on investment by fostering authentic connections and driving growth. By focusing on these strategies, your business can attract new customers, strengthen its relationships with existing ones, and build a solid foundation for long-term success.
Are you ready to elevate your small business’s PR efforts? Contact Kristen today to learn how K.E. Baker Public Relations can help your brand reach stakeholders and create lasting impact.
4 Effective PR Strategies for Non-Profit Organizations
Discover key PR strategies to boost your non-profit's reach and impact. Learn how to engage media, leverage social platforms, and more.
Public relations (PR) is vital in helping non-profit organizations share their mission, attract donors, and inspire volunteers. With the right PR strategies, non-profits can build awareness, reach new audiences, and create lasting impact. However, it's not just about having a good cause; it's about communicating it effectively to the right people.
Non-profits face unique challenges compared to for-profit businesses, including limited budgets and resources. That's why adopting efficient and effective PR strategies that maximize your efforts is crucial. From building media relationships to leveraging social media, these strategies can help amplify your message and drive your mission forward.
So, let’s explore several practical PR strategies designed specifically for non-profit organizations. By implementing these approaches, you can enhance your visibility, engage your community, and measure your success more effectively.
Build Authentic Relationships with the Media
Building solid and authentic relationships with the media is crucial for amplifying your nonprofit's stories. When journalists and media outlets trust and respect your organization, they are more likely to cover your stories and share your community impact. The first step in this process is understanding what journalists need.
Research and Target the Right Media: Identify reporters and media outlets that cover stories similar to what your nonprofit focuses on. Create a list of these contacts and tailor your story pitches to align with their interests.
Personalize Your Outreach: Always personalize your communication when contacting journalists. Mention specific articles they’ve written that show relevance to your cause. Taking these extra steps helps demonstrate that you’ve done your homework and understand the types of stories that they cover.
Be a Reliable Source: Always provide accurate and timely information. Respond promptly and professionally if a journalist asks for additional details or an interview. Reliability helps build a foundation of trust and credibility, increasing the likelihood that reporters will want to work with you again.
Leverage Social Media for Greater Reach and Engagement
Social media platforms allow you to grow your nonprofit's reach and engage more deeply with your audience. You can share your stories and messages more effectively by leveraging each social media platform’s unique features — from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Create Platform-Specific Content: Tailor your content to fit each social media platform. For example, high-quality images and short videos are great for Instagram, while longer updates and articles perform well on Facebook.
Engage with Your Followers: Use social media to interact directly with your supporters. Respond to comments, share user-generated content, and ask questions to encourage engagement. This mutual interaction builds a sense of community and loyalty.
Use Hashtags and Tags: Hashtags and tags can significantly increase the visibility of your posts. Research trending hashtags that relate to your mission and use them to reach a broader audience.
By consistently posting interesting content and interacting with your followers, you can harness social media's power to amplify your nonprofit’s stories. This will not only increase your reach but also foster a deeper connection with your audience.
Create Compelling Content That Resonates
Compelling content is key to capturing the interest of your audience and conveying your nonprofit's mission. To resonate with your audience, create engaging, informative content that aligns with your nonprofit's values. Start by understanding what motivates your stakeholders to support your cause.
Tell Human Stories: Focus on personal stories that highlight the impact of your work. People connect more deeply with other people's experiences than with abstract concepts.
Use Visuals: Incorporate high-quality images, videos, and infographics to make your content more engaging. Visuals can simplify complex information and make your stories more appealing.
Provide Value: Offer information or insights that your audience can use, including tips, resources, or educational content related to your mission.
Once you have some great content, ensure it’s accessible and easy to share. Use a clear and conversational tone to make your message easy to understand. Incorporating these elements will improve audience engagement while inspiring stakeholders to act.
Measure and Adjust Your PR Strategy for Continuous Improvement
Analyzing campaign success and adjusting as needed can ensure you’re creating effective PR campaigns. Start by setting clear goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your nonprofit's objectives. Regularly monitor these metrics to see how well your campaigns are performing.
Track Media Mentions: Use media monitoring tools to track how often and where your nonprofit is mentioned in the media. This will help you gauge the reach and impact of your media outreach.
Analyze Social Media Metrics: Monitor engagement, follower growth, and shares. These data points provide insights into how well your social media strategies are working.
Evaluate Website Traffic: Use tools like Google Analytics to see how PR campaigns affect your website traffic. Start by evaluating page views, visit duration, and bounce rates.
Analyzing these metrics will help you identify what's working and areas of improvement, allowing you to adjust your strategies based on your findings. This continuous feedback loop ensures your PR efforts remain effective and aligned with your goals.
Building Trust, Building Support: The Power of PR for Non-Profit Storytelling
Amplifying your nonprofit's stories requires a strategic and multi-faceted approach. Building authentic relationships with the media helps demonstrate your community impact. Leveraging social media extends your reach and boosts engagement. Creating compelling content showcases your impact and allows you to engage with your audience. Finally, measuring and adjusting your PR strategy ensures continuous improvement and lasting success.
Are you ready to elevate your nonprofit's PR efforts? Contact Kristen today to learn how K.E. Baker Public Relations can help amplify your message and drive your mission forward.
PR Tip of the Week: Share your passion and experience with thought leadership
Regardless of your profession, thought leadership is a great way to build trust and recognition as an industry leader. By doing so, you'll answer your target audiences' questions while drawing new stakeholders to you.
Thought leadership is a worthwhile component of any PR strategy. In simple terms, this tactic integrates content marketing to showcase expertise and personal perspective and ultimately establish credibility and authority. Typically, thought leadership content offers industry insights without directly asking for anything in return. Instead, you're sharing knowledge to strengthen the brand. The practice also has an SEO benefit as it simultaneously boosts web traffic and increases lead generation.
Regardless of your profession, thought leadership is a great way to build trust and recognition as an industry leader. By doing so, you'll answer your target audiences' questions while drawing new stakeholders to you.
If you're looking for ways to dip your toe into the thought leadership pond, start by honing your owned channels. From social media to blogs to newsletters, publishing your own content helps you deliver the information your target audience is looking for while positioning you as the go-to expert. And just as important, this type of regular contact with your stakeholders works to build an online presence that your community can rely on, trust, and also share — turning your audiences into brand ambassadors.
Eventually, you'll begin adding media engagements, speaking engagements, guest articles, and opinion pieces to your thought leadership mix, and having your owned channels established will not only add credibility to your profile but also give you valuable assets to add to your thought leadership repertoire.
If you're ready to explore thought leadership and where it fits into your PR strategy, let's chat! Schedule a free consult with me here.
Case Study: How Strategic Planning Drove a 56% Coverage Increase for a National Nonprofit
The results achieved for Warrior-Scholar Project underscore the power of an optimized PR strategy. By utilizing data to choose markets more effectively, K.E.Baker Public Relations helped WSP more than double earned media without doubling the budget. And by dedicating time to create comprehensive packages, she helped the media deliver quality stories to their audiences. The result was an improved return on investment and more impactful storytelling.
About Warrior-Scholar Project
Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure that every degree-seeking enlisted veteran succeeds in their pursuit of higher education. Since its founding in 2011, more than 2,000 student veterans have participated in a WSP Academic Boot Camp, its flagship program, and 90% of program alumni have earned or are on track to earn a college degree.
About K.E.Baker Public Relations
Kristen Baker-Geczy uses strategic planning and compelling storytelling to help businesses and nonprofits amplify their reach and inspire stakeholders to take action. Kristen’s nearly 20-year career in communications has taught her that meaningful coverage comes from curated and cumulative efforts. To achieve that, she relies on data-driven outreach strategies supported by high-quality media assets.
Amplifying an Important Cause
Every summer, WSP holds its immersive academic boot camp programs at leading universities nationwide to help enlisted service members prepare for the cultural transition from the military to academia. Initially, WSP's media strategy involved promoting individual boot camp events within each university's local media market to its three primary audiences: future participants, potential donors, and media members.
The initial strategy brought impressive results, earning coverage in 39 media outlets during the summer of 2022. However, as Kristen reviewed past campaign data, she saw trends emerge that she thought could drive even stronger media coverage in 2023.
Implementing a Focused PR Strategy
While WSP's original strategy was successful, yielding high-quality placements in outlets like public radio's The American Homefront, it had one significant drawback: with more than 20 universities hosting boot camps each summer, there were limited resources to dedicate personal attention to each program, leading to detached media relations and an overburdened client.
With three summers' worth of data in hand, Kristen better understood the local media markets. She pursued a new strategy that promoted boot camp events in nine strategic areas selected based on several factors, including media viability and target audience saturation.
Because she decided to focus her efforts on fewer markets, she now had time to collaborate with university partners to create higher-quality content, which included valuable assets like vetted interviews and media call times. WSP also had the bandwidth to work with Kristen to train a point person at each campus who could immediately help coordinate on-the-ground logistics and collect PR collateral for post-event media outreach.
Reaching Target Audiences with Earned Media
Kristen's new strategy generated 61 stories published across print, broadcast and digital media outlets — a 56% increase over 2022. Those stories reached over 333 million unique viewers at an estimated ad value of more than $3 million. Coverage highlights include:
KABC in Southern California produced a story syndicated across its ABC affiliates, generating 7.5 million unique views.
Stars and Stripes picked up a story from The Virginian-Pilot, earning simultaneous coverage within one of the largest military communities in the U.S. and in one of the leading military publications.
WSP was also featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, the preeminent publication in the higher education industry, and the client's dream story. Not only did the reporter shadow a full day of academic boot camp activities, she also chronicled the impact WSP has on transitioning military and college campuses nationwide — showcasing the value that both the program and veterans bring to higher education institutions and beyond.
The stories generated by Kristen's new strategy were thoughtful, in-depth features, which was a testament to the infrastructure she and WSP created that made it easy for the media to produce high-quality coverage.
Takeaways for Your Organization
The results achieved during WSP’s 2023 academic boot camp season underscore the power of an optimized PR strategy. By utilizing data to choose markets more effectively, Kristen helped WSP more than double program coverage without doubling the budget. And by dedicating time to create comprehensive packages, she helped the media deliver quality stories to their audiences. The result was an improved return on investment and more impactful storytelling.
*Photo courtesy of Warrior-Scholar Project