The world of PR is fast-paced and traffic-heavy. When you do manage to get coverage, there’s a chance that a huge amount of traffic will rush to your website, and your digital infrastructure must be prepared to handle that load before you engage in PR, releasing press briefs to journalists and talking to media heads to share your stories. This piece is all about getting your website in order before the oncoming rush of traffic that you can expect when you’ve executed your PR strategy correctly.
Visual
The first concern you should focus on is the visual side of your website. A journalist covering your story is going to visit your website—and if they don’t like what they see, if they feel that your website is ugly and outdated, they might think twice about publishing your story at all.
As such, your primary aim should always be to curate an attractive, modern and professional-looking website to show off to consumers. If you can be taken seriously through your website, the traffic that does find your company’s home on the web will be more likely to trade and interact with your brand.
SEO
You also need consumers to be able to find your website, after having read about your business in a press release or in press coverage. Your journalist contact will have been able to find your website, as you attached a link to your press release—but what about average consumers, who read about your firm in the newspaper?
The simple way to go about capturing the attention you generate with smart PR is to curate an SEO strategy that brings relevant keywords to your website. Remember that, in the U.S., Spanish speakers often type in their native language. Hence, it’s important to curate your website for both English and Spanish to maximize your access to consumers.
Deals or coupons
The best way to capitalize on web traffic is to find a way to convert it into successful sales. And the best way to do this, as many marketers will tell you, is to add a little nudge for those who arrive on your website. The best nudge? A discount that you’re offering for a limited time only to web users who have miraculously found your website.
You can set these couponsup with ease—especially if you attach a discount code to your press release, which will incentivize web users to visit your website to make use of the discount they’re receiving. Make use of them when you’re looking to engineer a huge boost in sales—like when you’re trying to clear stock.
Timing
With all of these processes ready, it’s time to send out your press release and to begin talking with journalism contacts that you have already in your contact book. Ge the message out and begin measuring your stats on your website. It’s those all-important conversion rates that you’re trying to see hit by a successful PR scoop.
These tips should apply to all firms that are engaging in PR in the 2020s—helping them make the most of the increased attention placed on their brand.
