One of the most potent ways to get mainstream media coverage in Indonesia is by announcing your business achievements via a well-crafted press release. While it sounds deceptively simple, it is indeed a great way to get the attention. But there is just one catch. You need to have something truly interesting to share.
So what exactly is the best thing to shout from the rooftops? The answer: Your business metrics.
Reporters love data. Brands should not be shy about sharing noteworthy internal data for your industry. This could include numbers about your turnover and sales. You can also share information about new product launches or market expansions. Note that you will need to share concrete data points to get the right results with this strategy. Journalists will usually know if you’re trying to deceive them with misleading numbers.
You can tell the media that your brand has succeeded in selling 10,000 products this year. However, if you are not comfortable sharing such explicit intel, you can always describe your growth in terms of a percentage. Instead of sharing the exact number, you can say that your sales have increased by 135% in the past quarter, and give other clues that put the audience in the right mental ballpark. While this is not as good as sharing data outright, it can still give the public an idea of where your brand is headed.
Now, who will be interested in reading this kind of content? Investors and business people, for starters. Stories that contain valid data can be valuable references for potential partners and allies in your market. Investors will want to know about business constellations in certain industries before making their bets. Your stats will be useful in helping them understand the bigger picture. However, other firms may also want to observe and monitor the development of their rivals. That is why you should also be careful when executing this strategy.
Case Study: Zomato Indonesia’s Media Blitz
At the end of 2016, we collaborated with Zomato in Indonesia. At that time, we wanted to announce the brand’s achievements from the entire, as well as highlight its unique strengths against competitors.
It took a lot of confidence from Zomato to share its numbers for the sake of public attention. Fortunately, the company was open-minded and bold. It decided to publish: the total investment it had received to date, the fact that Zomato had reached its break-even point at the beginning of 2016, its total number of users and restaurant listings, as well as its overall monthly traffic. This information was treated as a golden reference point by the local media.
We managed to get Zomato more than 25 pieces of coverage from mainstream media such as Detik, Liputan6, and CNN Indonesia. Other media such as Viva and Republika wrote more than one article because the release had a lot of interesting information for various points of view. For example, the first article was written to emphasize business achievements, while the second reviewed Zomato’s latest features.
Content Collision implements performance-based public relations service. This means that clients like Zomato participate in determining which media they want to target, and only pay if the target media covers their news. In cases like this, the client will only choose publishers that it believes are relevant for business development. With the quality of the press release, Zomato Indonesia still had the potential to get more coverage if it had chosen to target more media.
Dos and Dont’s
What needs to be considered when implementing this PR strategy?
First, announce significant achievements of your business. If you are going to announce the launch of a minor feature on your mobile app, the reporters may end up just ignoring it. But if you’re going to announce an entirely new product launch which has lots of unique value to unpack, then they may likely be interested.
Second, don’t try to deceive journalists. Announce legitimate business metrics only. If you happen to be a one-year-old startup that claims to have millions of users every month, then savvy editors will make sure they run due diligence to make sure your claims are credible. If the estimated traffic of your site on SimilarWeb is too far below the numbers you’re announcing, the media will probably sniff it out. This could make your strategy backfire.
Third, your information will be recorded on the public record and cannot be deleted. If you believe your brand will continue to grow in the industry by presenting this data, then feel free to continue. If you’re not confident, please bring your questions to us first.
The impact of telling your business data can lead to many interesting things. Potential investors may contact you. Customers may become interested in trying your services. Those are great scenarios.
Why do you need to utilize PR?
PR is still relied upon as one of the most effective ways to generate public awareness. It is a useful tool to bolster your brand’s image in the eyes of your audience.
When your brand is covered by Kompas organically (not with an advertorial label), it means that Kompas believes your firm is genuinely interesting. Readers who trust in the media will also be more confident to assume that your brand is unique among rivals.
Positive image and public trust become the oil for your brand’s sales funnel. Prospective consumers will be more open-minded to names they recognize. As such, your digital ads will also have the benefit of getting better conversion rates if potential customers already trust and believe in you.
We’re happy to share PR best practices that are suitable for brands like yours. If you want to discuss further about effective PR weapons, please complete the form below. We will immediately get back to you for a coffee chat.
