The Relationship Franchising has with PR

By Sarah Dyer, Managing Director of Coconut Creatives

PR has often been the best kept secret to franchising success. But use it carefully, says Coconut Creatives.

Many franchisees have used press releases very successfully to launch their franchise operation and to give a trusted / valid interest in what they offer.

Only if it’s Newsworthy!
It is often very tempting for new franchisors to bash out press release after press release and swear blind that each and every word that has been written is nail bitingly newsworthy. Often it is the case that others (especially members of the media) may not agree and this can result in doing more harm than good. Every press release should include something that has ‘just happened’, something that might be ‘new’ and something that someone of some importance has said about it. A good example of shouting about something new is the first ever Fair Trade franchise being launched this month from new franchisor; Shared Earth.

The Power of Images
Never send out a press release without an image or even better, two images. By adding an image you are increasing your chances of getting something newsworthy actually printed.

Relationships with Editors
Editors receive copy from lots of different people and companies everyday. You will therefore need to make sure that you stand out from the crowd by befriending them. While I’m not quite suggesting that you take them to the pub, it is always a good idea to give them a call from time to time to see if your story might fit with what they are doing.

Know your Media
It is often beneficial to tailor your press release depending on the type of media it is being sent out to. The tone, types of wording, length of sentences and quantities of images and quotes can vary enormously between different publications.

Get hold of Feature Lists
Most publications know what they will be concentrating on over the coming months. Most even know 12 months in advance. It is very beneficial if you can get hold of their features list for the next few months and try to think of how your franchise might be able to tie in with this. For example; if one of January’s features is about charity events, concentrate on a story surrounding the charity that your company supports and how your franchisees all around the country come together to raise money. You will still be promoting your franchise and your story will fit with their features list and so be more likely to be viewed as newsworthy.

Timing, Timing, Timing
It is sometimes worth holding a good story back by a few days or even a few weeks to avoid clashing with major events (like the World Cup final) as there will be more room in the paper for you when there is less going on that will be viewed as more newsworthy.

Selective timing also works in your favour, especially when franchise exhibitions are concerned. By launching a new franchise or a range of franchise products around the same time as the major franchise shows (like the National Franchise Exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham usually around September time) you will be more likely to be able to ride off the momentum created by the exhibition organisers and their PR team.

PR however is only one marketing tool so next month we’ll be discussing the importance of using a solid integrated national marketing strategy.