Many businesses wonder how they can land media opportunities, feeling as though they are not worthy of “feel-good” stories that can be shared with others. There is always an opportunity to share valuable content that activates the audience- through clever, strategic PR Stunts…but what, exactly, are PR Stunts?
PR Stunts are either events or initiatives that connect two or more organizations (typically a local business to a nonprofit) with a clear intention to benefit both. The receiving organization (i.e. nonprofit) gets the financial support or goods for their constituency and the giving business gets the positive “feel-good” exposure with their client base and local community through media placements (i.e. radio and TV public service announcements or newspaper articles).
Selection of a nonprofit:
The selection of a nonprofit is critical. Some things to consider:
- It should align with your vision or personal connection
- It should have a substantial constituency that can expand the reach of your brand
- It should be proactive to collaborate on the initiative, d) Be grateful for this new relationship so you can infuse other ideas for partnership opportunities in the future.
Identifiers when considering a PR Stunt:
Strategic – Every PR stunt should be carefully planned and executed to ensure maximum benefits and exposure.
Collaborative – PR stunts are founded on collaboration with nonprofits or other groups in need – communication and ongoing support is very important.
Resourceful – Due to the nature of PR stunts, they are typically done with limited resources (either time, money or support) and the person coordinating them should be very resourceful in order to connect opportunities that are not easily found.
Creative – Creativity plays an imperative role
Important items to know when conducting a PR Stunt:
Photos – It is important to capture photos or video that depict the story in every one of these initiatives in order to get the full benefit of this promotion.
Sharing – Use the photos and videos to share on social media vehicles, send them on an eblast or newsletter to your contacts, add to your blog or email signature, but most importantly, send to local media with compelling captions for possible inclusion in their publication offline and online.
Follow up – Media outlets receive hundreds of emails every day. Follow up with media outlets a few days after you have sent the photos, especially because they contain attachments. Ideally, you want to give the media outlets heads up that the large high-resolution image(s) are coming.
Releases – Make sure to have a public release announcement or individual model release if you plan on taking photos during one of these PR stunts, especially when children are involved. If you don’t have their permission, you may still take photos, but make sure their faces don’t show (i.e. if you have a presenter, you take photos of the speaker from behind the audience).
Tracking – Make sure each PR stunt is properly documented and shared, if not, it might be a waste of efforts. It is important for each business to be strategic about these initiatives in order to get the maximum ROI and ROO.
Here are 19 ideas to consider for your next PR Stunt:
- Buy books from a local author and donate them to a local school- put in a note inside of each book that says: “Book courtesy of <insert name of business here>”
- Choose a local family to give gifts to through a local nonprofit organization (i.e. Mutual Ground)
- Buy food or coats/gifts to deliver to the local homeless shelter (i.e. Hessed House)
- Provide free coffee from a local coffee shop to bring joy to the local community, totally unexpected. Put up a sign outside that says “free coffee today courtesy of ________.”
- Holiday gifts to an underprivileged group. Ask them to come to your office to pick them up on a certain date/time and take photos to capture their appreciation.
- Gather a group of employees to volunteer at a local food pantry while also donating money to buy more food.
- Have local fireman and police officers decorate Christmas trees, partner with a local nonprofit organization to deliver them to local needy families.
- Share inspirational books with local victims of domestic violence.
- Collect t-shirts from local runners, make a quilt and donate it to a local charity to be used as a fundraising item.
- Provide giveaways to a TV show audience in exchange of live mentions- have the host surprise the audience with the special giveaway
- Partner up with a local nonprofit organization and name that day “the <insert the name of the nonprofit here> day at <insert the name of your business>.” Through a powerful partnership, you can harness the power of media. The nonprofit gets the exposure as well as the business from the joint marketing efforts. Donations can be collected on that day for the nonprofit.
- Volunteer to teach at a local school through Junior Achievement.
- Hire a local author to bring an inspiring message to an under-served school followed by a book signing.
- Run a 5K or half marathon in honor of a local nonprofit organization.
- Bring joy to a kid’s camp by providing entertainment or special gifts.
- Invite local young ladies to feel like “princesses” for a day, sponsoring an inspiring event where they share their dreams, write in a journal you provide and vote for the person that inspired them the most.
- Provide free advice and support to a local nonprofit for a special event or initiative; capture the challenge, action and results of your contribution.
- Rent a hot air balloon to provide rides in order to raise money for a local nonprofit.
- Select a local sports team, chorus or a band and provide them with gear, instruments or a trip, especially if they have no resources. It will make a positive impact in their life and they will be emotionally connected to your company for a long time.