Over the next few weeks, we’ll explore each of the topics below in detail. For now, here’s an overview of what we’ll cover:

Next week, we’ll dive a little deeper into the first point on the list: Develop the story of your brand.

In the meantime, are you in the midst of launching a startup, or have you been there in the past? Please share your lessons in the comments.

Take the time to show that you care about journalists and their profession, and not just about breaking your latest story, and you become more than just another PR person. You become someone worth listening to, maybe even worth talking to. Prove yourself valuable enough, and journalists might even start coming to you for stories, rather than the other way around.

Here are a few ways you can start building those relationships now:

• Learn what journalists care about. It really should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway – know your audience. If you’re irrelevant, you will be ignored.
• Send them story tips. And not just yours. Demonstrate that you’re an invaluable source for industry information, not just information about your company.
• Make helpful introductions to people in your network. The more you help a journalist build his or her network, the more likely they are to help you grow yours.
• Share their articles and praise them publicly. Be genuine, not self-serving. When your next big story comes out, they’ll be far more likely to return the favor.

It takes time, patience, and a willingness to give more than you receive, but the rewards are well worth it.

What’s your approach to building relationships with journalists?

1. Lack of focus. Many writers try to cram too many themes into one message, with the intent of appealing to multiple audiences.

Why it’s a problem: People seek specific information, and search engines reward it. Unfocused content is likely to fall by the wayside in social networks, going unshared. Furthermore, search engine algorithms—which are designed to analyze on-page content and categorize the information accordingly—are likely to conclude the content is effectively about “nothing” when the focus is too watered down.

2. Unnatural writing. From the “speed bump” that starts many press releases (for example: “Company Name, a global innovator and provider of world-class end-to-end turnkey solutions for ….”) to stilted quotes from execs declaring their excitement about some sort of mumbo-jumbo, many press releases are the antitheses of natural, interesting writing.

Why it’s a problem: Jargon and stiff “corporate-speak” slow down (and turn off) readers, and they distance your audience from your organization by being less relatable. Additionally, search engines are amazingly good at detecting natural language, and they reward it: content that is too machine-like may be penalized.

3. One-dimensional formatting. Many news releases are written as though they’re going to be read off a sheet of typing paper, and not a fluid and interactive environment.

Why it’s a problem and what you can do: Blocks of text and a lack of interactive links and sharing buttons bog down key messages and trap readers. The simple act of embedding an anchor text link creates a call to action, inviting interested readers to take the next step and visit the Web page you suggest.

Easy formatting changes such as using bulleted lists and bold-text paragraph headers capture attention when folks scan your content, and make it easy for socially connected readers to discern key messages and share them on social networks.

4. Too many embedded links. Before you go on a linking spree after being inspired by item No. 3, please heed this caveat: A link or two in a press release is great, but too many links in a body of text can have dire consequences for that content’s visibility.

Why it’s a problem: Content that is peppered with hyperlinks is the press release equivalent of the loud-talking, wildly-gesticulating used car guy whose annoying TV ads are likely to have inspired the invention of Tivo. They’re annoying.

Worse, search engines are paying very close attention to links in content, and too many links can cause your press release to be flagged as spam and buried in search results. Embed one link—two if you absolutely must—in each press release. That’s it. Links in press releases should provide a service, not a distraction.

5. No visuals. The importance of visuals in PR campaigns and press releases really can’t be overstated, but the majority of press releases issued over commercial newswires today are still plain text, even though multimedia press releases generate better results.

Why it’s a problem: Google and Facebook both give visual content more weight in their ranking algorithms, which is why pictures and video float to the top of search engine results and Facebook news feeds.

Additionally, wildly popular social networks such as Pinterest and Instagram are based on visuals. Without a visual, your content won’t be available to these massive and engaged audiences. Even if you don’t have a perfect photo available, there are plenty of clever ways to create images for a PR campaign, including using free stock photos and making simple infographics from data points.

What’s your process for writing a good press release? Would you add any other mistakes to the list?

Here are 3 ways you can take advantage of LinkedIn for PR:

1. Create a robust company profile. Customize your company page and add as much detail about your company as you can. A robust company profile will increase your odds of appearing in search results related to your industry and the services you offer. Think like a journalist, and create a company profile that will help them tell a great story about you.
2. Learn about journalists and prospects. A quick search on your target journalists will teach you a great deal. You can useLinkedIn to learn someone’s professional history, see which groups they’re part of, and often find links to their articles and Twitter streams. This information can be highly valuable when tailoring your PR pitches.
3. Participate in groups. LinkedIn groups are a great way to connect with like-minded people and learn about your target audience – what they care about, what they talk about, and whom they associate with. Join groups that are relevant to your industry and, ideally, that your media contacts have also joined. Notice what discussions are treanding, and add insightful comments. Once you’ve proven yourself a worthy contributor, try starting your own group and inviting contacts to participate.

How does LinkedIn factor in your PR initiatives? How else have you used LinkedIn for PR?

That’s all well and good, but if you’re looking for lessons that are a little more specific, I recently came across a fantastic article that lays out the seven elements of good PR and why they matter. The article is written from an agency’s perspective, but the lessons apply to anyone in the business of public relations, from startups to mid-size businesses to multinational corporations.

Here they are: The 7 Elements of “Good” PR, according to the author:

1. Good PR is telling the client what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear.  Good PR recognizes that the best “PR strategy” needs to be followed-up with the client’s good products/services or else it’s all a vain and wasted effort that harms everyone’s reputation.
2. Good PR is not just about the over-glorified launch.  Good PR helps build and sustain a groundswell of brand support — incrementally changing consumer behaviors via a steady stream of relevant and candid communication to both “media” and “consumers.”
3. Good PR celebrates the client’s customers in an inclusive, non-exploitive way.  And, good PR welcomes the input of “neutrals” and especially “critics,” and adapts strategy accordingly.
4. Good PR is proactive in idea generation and responsive in a crisis.  Good PR finds the balance.
5. Good PR is measurable.  (And yet also hard to measure, since most clients want to measure different things.)
6. Good PR leverages pre-existing relationships with influential people — relationships built on trust and credibility earned over years of service.
7. Good PR doesn’t need to know Larry Ellison or Kevin Rose or anyone in particular in the media, either.  Even though such relationships can come in handy, good PR almost always “gets ink” because a good story has been well-told to the right people.

That last sentence, “Good PR almost always ‘gets ink’ because a good story has been well-told to the right people,” really hits the nail on the head. We’ve made the same point many times at Prezly, mostly because it bears repeating: if your story isn’t creating meaning and value for the right people, no amount of spin or press attention will help you.

What do you think of this list? Is there anything you disagree with or any points you’d like to add?

We’ve distilled the four main lessons below:

1. Good PR Does Not Substitute for a Good Product

PR exists to build momentum. PR gets your name out there, letting you showcase what you’re doing well and driving awareness of your offering… PR is no substitute for having a great product. Nor is it a guarantee of sales, sign-ups, or funding—if anyone promises you otherwise, be wary!

The lesson: PR alone won’t catapult your company to instant success, but combined with a great product, it can dramatically widen your reach and help you gain momentum faster.

2. You Want the Press That’s Right for You

If you’re a new company trying to get users to sign-up for your services or download your app, the best press you can get is digital press. Think about it: It’s rare that someone is going to read the morning paper, see the name of your company, run to the computer, double-check the story to get the URL right, and go to your site. But if you’re featured in an online tech publication, readers will be able to click straight to your product home page—and that’s much more likely to translate to exactly the type of exposure you want.

The lesson: Know your audience, and know where they get their information. A story in the daily edition of the Wall Street Journal won’t help you much if your target audience gets all their news from Mashable.

3. It’s Better To Be Successful Than Sexy

Don’t try to be cool, try to be successful… More importantly, don’t use PR to try and be something you’re not.  If you built a tool that you thought was going to be the great new thing used by every social media enthusiast, but it turns out it’s actually better suited to be a super-functional internal tool for large companies? Awesome. Ditch the “we’re the next Facebook” angle, and shift your focus to getting your name in front of large, corporate audiences.

The lesson: Don’t get too attached to your own ideas about success (social media sensation vs. useful corporate tool, for example). Instead, let your company’s early successes guide you toward finding your niche.

4. Launch is a Crapshoot

It’s impossible to guess how many people will actually read about your product on launch day? Nobody. But that’s the way it is… With so many new companies, and only so many spots to get media coverage, it’s tough out there.

The lesson: If your launch isn’t as successful as you’d hoped, don’t let it get you down. Launch day alone won’t make or break your company. It’s how you create and sustain value after the launch that really matters.

What would you add to these tips?

Your origin story is a powerful way to create an emotional connection between consumers and your brand. And if you do it well, you don’t just tell this story once – you can reference it again and again in your PR and marketing efforts as a way to reinforce your company values and deepen consumers’ emotional attachment to your brand.

Here are three brands with great origin stories, and the lessons you can learn from them:

1. TOMS Shoes: The idea for TOMS Shoes was born when founder Blake Mycoskie was in Argentina in 2006 and witnessed the struggles of children growing up barefoot there. He wanted to help, so he founded TOMS and the One for One Movement (for every pair of shoes sold, another pair goes to a child in need). TOMS has since given over 600,000 pairs of new shoes to children around the world. The lesson? Connect your origin story to a greater movement, and inspire your customers to build that movement with you.
2. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook in his college dorm room and later dropped out of Harvard. At close to one billion users, Facebook has now grown into one of the most powerful and influential companies in the world. Whether you love Facebook or hate it, its origin story is as inspirational as it is unlikely, and journalists love to tell it. The lesson? Find the inspirational and unlikely elements of your origin story, and lift them up for the press.
3. Amy’s Kitchen: Amy’s Kitchen was founded by a husband and wife who were frustrated by the lack of healthy, vegetarian food that was easy to prepare. They decided to create their own line of vegetarian frozen meals and are now a leading brand. The lesson? Amy’s Kitchen offers a story we can all relate to – the desire for healthy, convenient food that tastes good. Think about your own audience and the things they care about, and speak to those things in your own origin story.

What is your brand’s origin story, and how do you weave it into your PR and marketing efforts?

Now what?

If you think you can just sit back and let the press inquiries roll in, you’re probably in for a big disappointment. Your press release is just the beginning of the story you wish to tell in the market. Here are three things you can do to gain momentum after your press release has hit the wire:

1. Follow up. A quick email follow-up to your press contacts a couple of days after your release can make all the difference. Be polite, not pushy. Most importantly, be helpful. Journalists are very busy, so you need to prove that your story is worth retelling. Understand their pains and the things they write about, and show them how your release fits into their regular beats (and if it doesn’t, you shouldn’t be pitching them anyway).
2. Utilize multiple channels. In the days and weeks following the release, use other channels to tell your story from multiple angles. Some examples might include writing a blog post on a leading publication or your own company blog, speaking at an industry conference, or publishing a white paper. Don’t go about it haphazardly, though. Make sure that everything you publish is relevant to the original story you’re trying to tell.
3. Enlist your biggest fans. You don’t have to do all the work. Enlist your biggest fans to help you tell your story, and reward them for doing so with public praise and recognition, or perhaps an exclusive perk or two. It isn’t as hard as it sounds – if you aren’t sure where your best fans are, your social media channels, account managers and even your customer support team can help you find out who’s engaged and passionate about your brand.

How do you follow up on your press releases? What successes have you had?

This got us thinking – where does that leave PR, one of the most traditionally risk-averse industries out there? Here’s how you can apply the lessons from Generation Flux to your PR initiatives:

1. Accept uncertainty. The “new economy” isn’t just a passing fad. Social isn’t going away. The pace of technology isn’t going to slow down. Your next big PR crisis could be just around the corner, completely unforeseen. Accept that you have no crystal ball (no one else does, either), and open yourself up to uncertainty.
2. Look for order (and opportunity) within chaos. The world is chaotic, but that doesn’t mean it’s random. Always be on the lookout for new patterns and trends, both inside and outside your industry, and think about how they might be relevant to your PR efforts and your business at-large. A new social technology might hold an opportunity to gain customers in an unexpected way. Changing consumer behaviors could offer a new perspective and context for your latest press release. Once you learn to spot trends within this seeming chaos, you can treat them as opportunities.
3. Embrace agile PR. Gone are the days of big, once-a-year announcements and predictable product cycles. Your PR team needs to be agile and ready to turn on a dime, should need or opportunity arise. Try a mixture of traditional PR, social PR and a handful of new things that just might be crazy enough to work (or fail spectacularly). On that note, don’t be afraid to fail (because you will). In fact, celebrate failure! Just fail quickly, and use your failures as a way to learn, iterate, and get better.
4. Invest in curiousity. Your ability to continue learning and acquiring new skills is the single most important thing you can do to thrive in a state of flux, both as a business and as a professional. On the business side, invest in people who are curious, and empower them to follow their curiosity. If you lead a team, build a culture of curiosity by embracing new ideas, sharing information and encouraging exploration, even when (not if) it occasionally leads to failure. And of course, lead by example and start by investing in your own curiosity.

How have you adapted to a world in flux? Is your organization comfortable with chaos or are you still struggling to navigate it?