Am I ready to start PR yet?

If you have a product or service that’s ready to be used and a website that’s ready to be seen, then you’re ready for PR. It makes things easier if you have some customers or clients already, as we may find case studies amongst them. Any business that wants to start telling stories, let people know they exist, and show off their expertise, needs PR.

How do you get press coverage?

In short, we tease out the story that you don’t realise you’re sitting on. Pretty much every conversation we have with our clients gives us another narrative we can put in front of a journalist. We also create stories – usually by generating data – and hijack the news agenda, by issuing comments and writing opinion pieces on the news of the day.
If you’re after the day-to-day methodology, check it this blog post for a full breakdown.

What should my business be doing with press coverage?

To make press coverage go further and work harder, share it on your social media feeds, and encourage your team to do the same. You can make sure it’s read by more of the people you need to reach by running targeted ads on social media channels. Most of our clients create ‘as seen in’ pages and subsections on their websites to show off their press coverage, while others build impressive press kits with downloadable press releases, reactive comments, logos, headshots, images and our contact details. This makes life easier for journalists.

How is PR different from marketing?

It’s becoming ever more blurred, in truth, as we all create content. But the kind of PR we do (media relations) is quite different, even to our closest discipline, content marketing. We focus on generating press coverage, which is all about understanding the press, what they want and how they want it. Marketers rarely have to deal with journalists.

Is PR expensive?

It doesn’t have to be! Some PR agencies won’t get out of bed for less than £7k a month, but we offer flexible monthly retainers that suit SMEs and startups with smaller budgets. It’s a process that’s well worth committing to for the long-term, because you’ll see relationships with journalists develop and flourish, and regular coverage opportunities increase the longer you do it. You can also take a look at our Startup Toolbox for useful one-off services with transparent prices. The other option is that you could do it yourself – and we can teach you how – but you could also tile your own bathroom. Some things are best left to those who’ve been doing it for many years (that’s us, by the way) so you can concentrate on growing your business.

Will I be tied into a lengthy binding contract?

Nope! When you agree to work with Tartle, you simply agree to give us at least one full calendar month’s notice to pause or stop. With the same notice period, you can also dial down your time and pay less, although it’s worth noting that our minimum retainer is two days per month.

How much coverage can I expect to get each month?

We work with our retained clients based on time, and within those hours, we’ll get as much press coverage as we can. It really depends on what activity we're doing in any given month. For example, writing a feature takes a good few hours, but can yield one really great piece of coverage on an authoritative site. If, in another month, we put out a data-driven press release, or a reactive statment to breaking news that the press likes, you could get multiple national hits in a matter of hours.

Do I need a press release?

Probably not. A well-timed phone call or a strong email pitch tailored to the publication we're pitching to normally does the trick. But press releases can be useful in the following circumstances:

• To launch a first-to-market product or service

I’ve written press releases before, why was no one interested?

We’d have to read it (do send it over, we’d love a butcher’s), but this is the harsh truth: "Tiny business launches" is not news, unless your business is backed by a famous investor.
Sometimes it takes an outsider to help you work out what your story is. Then you have to pitch it to the right places. That’s why a really well-crafted email or a well-timed phone call to a relevant journalist is far more effective than carpet bombing the media with press releases.

Why should I choose Tartle over other PR agencies?

We do a few things really, really well: we have a long track record of generating press coverage in the national and trade media through storytelling, and we turn business leaders into experts. As former journalists, we know how to find the story, how to package it and where to put it. We tend to work with sectors like technology, healthcare, professional services, business services, education, insurance, property and personal finance, and we have worked with clients across all these industries who’ve said very nice things about us (see our testimonials). Crucially, we also know how to keep generating press coverage after your launch is over.

Why do you work exclusively with small businesses?

We understand them, and our founder has been mentoring startups for years. We’re a small business too, and we experience the very same fears, frustrations and excitement as you. We also find working with SMEs far more fun as we get to work directly with the senior bods. For us, going straight to the top for comments – rather than wading through a multi-layered sign off process involving several people – is how we are able to get press coverage for tiny companies that have never been quoted by journalists before. That, and our ability to deliver a neat soundbite. The news waits for no one, and this speed and agility actually gives smaller businesses the edge on larger companies.

Will PR drive sales?

PR can certainly generate sales leads. One of our clients built a cool insurtech product and we got it featured on Forbes. We then sponsored the Forbes article on LinkedIn, pushing it to senior decision-makers in the insurance industry (his customers), which landed him six meetings with insurance companies. But it also serves another really important purpose: it builds awareness, trust and credibility in your brand. And there are obvious SEO benefits to brand mentions and links from reputable news sites, too. Some of our clients are interested in raising funds, and investors do look closely at press coverage when making decisions.

Will press coverage improve my SEO?

The short answer is yes. Getting links and mentions on pages with authority will make Google’s all-seeing eye bump you up in the rankings so you are easier to find. If you want to see some hard data on the impact press (good or bad) can have on site traffic, check out this analysis from Fractl and Moz. It covers some pretty viral moments, but the impact of being newsworthy is clear.

Can you guarantee I will get links?

We can't guarantee it, because some online news sites will not link, but there are plenty that do. When we send comments or features over to journalists, we always include a link to your website, but these sometimes get edited out, depending on the publication’s house style. Interestingly, Google’s algorithms now recognise ‘implied links’ (mentions) as well as hyperlinks. Read this article if you don’t believe us.

Do I want print or online press coverage?

Most people prefer online coverage because it lives forever, rather than being pulped 24 hours later, and it’s easier to share with your mum (and your customers). But if you get print coverage, you’ll often see the same piece posted online, too.

Do I need to be media trained?

We’d recommend it. Media training isn’t just for companies preparing to deal with a reputational crisis. Our media trainer has decades of experience as a broadcast journalist, including 11+ years at BBC London TV, and has coached CEOs and senior management teams, not only to cope with the bad times but also to excel in any interview situation. Our courses are individually tailored and can prepare you or a group of colleagues for TV, radio and print interviews as well as appearances on panels at conferences or Q&A sessions. A typical course will cover how the media operates, how to prepare for interviews, the differences between TV, radio and print interviews, how to conduct different types of interview, such as pro-active, reactive, expert commentator and hostile (crisis communications), developing key messages which convey your views persuasively, how to take control of an interview, stick to your own agenda and deliver key messages successfully, use of language, body language, dress and delivery.

Do I need headshots?

Definitely. And they need to be taken by a professional photographer. Different publications have different requirements in terms of image size and crop. That means you need headshots in landscape, portrait and square crops, and in a range of resolutions (remember you can always adjust the size and reduce pixels later, so higher resolution is always better). Some publications will want to ‘cut out’ your headshot to overlay it onto a page, which means you’ll need some headshots taken against a plain white background. Others prefer images taken on location, so pick a backdrop that best represents your working environment.
Get some head and shoulders shots against both backgrounds, and also some full-length shots of you in situ, perhaps sitting on a sofa or behind a desk, or standing at a counter, depending on what your business does. We’ve written a blog on this here.

If I work with Tartle, how often will you bug me?

At first, we'll be in touch often, as we have to get to know you, your business and your opinions. Be willing to devote some extra time to us at the start and, a few months in, we’ll bug you less because we can write things without your input, and just get you to sign them off. What we really need is fast sign off on anything we send over that a journalist has asked for, and a respect for the deadlines they set. If we don’t meet deadlines, journalists get angry, and you get less coverage. So, to paraphrase Jerry Maguire: “Help us, help you”.

What does a good relationship with a PR agency look like?

Like any relationship, it needs good communication, honesty and commitment. If you get back to us quickly, update us with what’s going on in your business, and give us a little time to pick your brains for stories and ideas, then we’re peachy.

Do you offer PPC or SEO services?

No (although mentions and links from press coverage will lift your SEO considerably) but we’d recommend checking out the friendly folk at DPOM, a Google premier partner company based in Nottingham, which offers some great packages for small businesses.

What other services do you offer aside from PR?

Just about any content you could ever need – including books, whitepapers, blogs, opinion editorial and newsletters – plus LinkedIn sponsored content campaigns. We also write copy for company websites. And check out our Startup Toolbox for more pay-as-you-go services.

Does my business need to be creating content?

Absolutely. Content answers the many questions customers and clients might have, shows off your expertise, and can convince prospects they need you (while making sure the time wasters don’t bother you). But – and it’s a big but – content has to be of the highest quality to be effective. If copywriting and video production is not your thing, get the professionals in. It needs to be engaging, on brand and well produced.