Greg Simpson, founder of Press For Attention PR, shares the importance of doing your homework before going to the press.
Before we talk about PR, I need to discuss the laundry. Or at least a little light housework. You see, when I started working with Nigel Botterill on the PR for Entrepreneurs Circle (last month), the first thing I did was hit the brakes.
You see, Entrepreneurs Circle is a big deal. There’s well over 3,000 members and Nigel is a major figure in the business world. He’s created 10+ £1m businesses for a start and written 3 best-selling business books.
So, after a merry dance in the office and BELLOWING upstairs to Mrs S that I’d won the account, I immediately STOPPED EVERYTHING. No press release. No announcement. No shouting from the rooftops. I didn’t even mention I’d won it. Why did I do this? Why pause? Well, because PR isn’t something you do once, when you’ve “got news.” It’s a process. A system. A cycle. And like any good cycle, it starts with a rinse. A Pre-Rinse, in fact.
That’s the first step in my SpinCycle™ methodology — and before we went public with anything, we had to get EC’s house in order. I audited every media asset they had. Nigel’s showreel? Needed sharpening. The bio page? Tweaked. Random bits scattered across the site? Pulled together with purpose. Then we got to work building a fully loaded Press Page — the kind that makes journalists go “Ah, these guys get it.”
It’s now home to:
- 15+ beautifully backdated stories (2024’s EC Awards, Events, Budget reactions, EC highlights… all rewritten through a media lens)
- Proper images that show energy, not just headshots on a beige wall. Pictures of the members that made the news and the guests on stage and screen
- A downloadable Press Pack packed with stats, bios, and tasty soundbites
Only after all that did we go live with their 15,000 sq ft £5m office move! Because if you want to look credible in the press, you need to look ready before you open your mouth.
So, here’s the lesson: If Nigel had to do his homework before going public, maybe you should? If you need help getting ready, let me know and I’ll set you some assignments.
A former business journalist, Greg Simpson is the author of The Small Business Guide to PR and has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 5 PR consultants, having set up Press For Attention PR in 2008.
He has worked for FTSE 100 firms, charities and start-ups and conducted press conferences with Sir Richard Branson and James Caan. His background ensures a deep understanding of every facet of a successful PR campaign – from a journalist’s, client’s, and consultant’s perspective.
See this column in the June issue of East Midlands Business Link Magazine here.
