DNA isn’t a PR agency and we’re not trying to be one. Yes, we think it’s important to have a joined up communications strategy and yes, PR is an important part of the communications mix, but you can’t be all things to all men. We can deliver better results by working in partnership with specialists (so that’s what we do).

Working with a good PR person can achieve incredible results (I once witnessed someone secure a motorcycle manufacturer more than £60,000-worth of coverage with two phone calls) but if you don’t have the budget, it’s also possible to achieve measurable results on your own. After all, who knows the interesting aspects of your business better than you?!

Here are a few tips that might help…

1. Make it relevant. You must make sure that what you’re writing is relevant to the people who’ll be be reading it. If the editors don’t think it’s relevant, they won’t publish it.

2. Make it unique. Journalists receive a lot of dull, corporate press releases. Those that don’t stand out will probably go straight in the bin. As long as it doesn’t conflict with the way you do business, don’t be afraid to do things differently, be refreshingly honest or come up with a publicity stunt.

3. Understand what the journalists want. Now more than ever, journalists are looking for something interesting to publish. Information is so readily available on the Internet, they need something special in order to compete. If you can give them something that’s relevant to the hot topics of the moment, you’ll have a much better chance of gaining coverage.

4. Don’t blatantly advertise your business. You can refer to what your business does, or talk about how you’ve managed to benefit a company/person/community, but don’t promote too heavily – it’s a massive journalistic turn-off!

5. Talk about issues you know a lot about. Journalists are often generalists – particularly in the regional press. Many journalists have a network of contacts – industry experts – to whom they will go for comments on specific issues. If you can position yourself as an expert, you may find the journalists will start coming to you!

(Opinion: Jim Green – MD)