For mission-driven small businesses and non-profits, pr & visibility is a resource for helping you amplify your voice and maximize your impact. Through authentic brand storytelling and strategic online visibility, marketing becomes more than just promotion; it becomes a movement. But how do you cut through the noise and get your message heard? We’ll show you how to use BrandVoice to amplify your impact, even if you have no prior experience.
Key Takeaways
- BrandVoice’s “Story Spark” feature helps you brainstorm compelling content ideas based on your organization’s mission and values.
- The “Visibility Booster” tool within BrandVoice allows you to identify and connect with relevant journalists and influencers, increasing your chances of media coverage.
- Using BrandVoice’s analytics dashboard, you can track the performance of your PR campaigns and visibility efforts, measuring key metrics like website traffic, social media engagement, and media mentions.
Step 1: Setting Up Your BrandVoice Account
Creating Your Profile
First, head over to BrandVoice and click the “Sign Up” button in the top right corner. You’ll be prompted to enter your organization’s name, website URL, and a brief description of your mission. Be as specific as possible – this helps BrandVoice tailor its recommendations to your needs. Next, you’ll select your industry and sub-industries from a dropdown menu. For example, if you’re a non-profit focused on environmental conservation, you might select “Environment” as your industry and “Wildlife Preservation” and “Climate Change Mitigation” as your sub-industries. Make sure you use the correct categories – BrandVoice uses these to connect you with the right media outlets and influencers.
Pro Tip: Take the time to craft a compelling “About Us” section. This is your first impression, and it needs to grab attention. What problem are you solving? Why are you passionate about your work? What makes you different?
Connecting Your Social Media Accounts
Once your profile is set up, the next step is to connect your social media accounts. This allows BrandVoice to track your social media engagement and identify opportunities for cross-promotion. To do this, navigate to the “Settings” tab in your dashboard and click on “Social Media Connections.” You’ll see options to connect your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) accounts. Simply click the “Connect” button next to each platform and follow the prompts to authorize BrandVoice to access your accounts. This is a critical step – don’t skip it!
Expected Outcome: A fully populated BrandVoice profile with accurate information about your organization and connected social media accounts. This will serve as the foundation for all your future PR and visibility efforts.
Step 2: Brainstorming Content Ideas with Story Spark
Accessing Story Spark
One of BrandVoice’s most useful features is Story Spark. To access it, click on the “Content” tab in your dashboard and then select “Story Spark” from the dropdown menu. This tool helps you generate fresh and engaging content ideas based on your organization’s mission, values, and target audience.
Using the Idea Generator
In the Story Spark interface, you’ll see a series of prompts and filters. Start by entering a few keywords related to your organization’s work. For example, if you’re a non-profit providing job training to underserved communities in Atlanta, you might enter keywords like “job training,” “Atlanta,” “poverty,” and “career development.” Next, select the type of content you’re interested in creating – blog posts, press releases, social media updates, or video scripts. Finally, choose a tone that aligns with your brand – informative, inspirational, humorous, or urgent. Once you’ve entered your keywords and selected your filters, click the “Generate Ideas” button. Story Spark will then provide you with a list of potential content topics, along with suggested headlines and talking points.
Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different keywords and filters. The more specific you are, the more relevant and compelling your content ideas will be. Also, pay attention to the “Trending Topics” section in Story Spark. This will give you insights into what’s currently capturing the public’s attention, allowing you to create content that’s timely and relevant.
I had a client last year, a small non-profit in the West End focused on youth literacy, who was struggling to come up with fresh content ideas. We used Story Spark and, by focusing on local Atlanta issues like the digital divide and summer learning loss in Fulton County, we generated a whole month’s worth of blog posts and social media updates. It was a huge win!
Refining Your Ideas
Once you have a list of potential content ideas, it’s time to refine them. Which ideas resonate most with you and your team? Which ones align best with your organization’s mission and values? Which ones are most likely to capture the attention of your target audience? Select the ideas that you feel are most promising and then brainstorm ways to make them even more compelling. Can you add a personal story? Can you include data or statistics to support your claims? Can you create a visually appealing graphic or video to accompany your content?
Expected Outcome: A prioritized list of 3-5 compelling content ideas that are ready to be developed into full-fledged blog posts, press releases, social media updates, or videos.
Step 3: Identifying Media Contacts with Visibility Booster
Accessing Visibility Booster
BrandVoice’s Visibility Booster tool is your secret weapon for getting your story in front of the right people. To access it, click on the “Outreach” tab in your dashboard and select “Visibility Booster” from the dropdown menu. This tool helps you identify journalists, bloggers, and influencers who are most likely to be interested in your organization’s work.
Searching for Relevant Contacts
In the Visibility Booster interface, you’ll see a search bar where you can enter keywords related to your organization’s industry, mission, and target audience. For example, if you’re a small business selling organic skincare products, you might enter keywords like “organic skincare,” “beauty,” “wellness,” and “sustainable living.” You can also filter your search results by location, media type (print, online, broadcast), and social media platform. Once you’ve entered your keywords and selected your filters, click the “Search” button. Visibility Booster will then provide you with a list of potential media contacts, along with their contact information, social media profiles, and recent articles or posts.
Pro Tip: Don’t just focus on the big names. Sometimes, the smaller, more niche bloggers and influencers can be even more effective at reaching your target audience. Also, pay attention to the “Relevance Score” that Visibility Booster assigns to each contact. This score is based on a variety of factors, including the contact’s past coverage of similar topics, their social media engagement, and their overall influence.
As you browse through the list of potential media contacts, consider how to nail your press outreach by adding the ones that you feel are most relevant to your media list. To do this, simply click the “Add to List” button next to each contact. You can create multiple media lists based on different topics, target audiences, or media types. For example, you might create one list for local Atlanta journalists, another list for national bloggers, and a third list for social media influencers. Once you’ve built your media list, you can start reaching out to your contacts and pitching them your story.
Expected Outcome: A targeted media list of 20-30 journalists, bloggers, and influencers who are likely to be interested in your organization’s work. This list will serve as the foundation for your PR and media outreach efforts.
Step 4: Crafting Your Pitch and Reaching Out
Personalizing Your Pitch
Now, here’s what nobody tells you: generic pitches are a waste of time. Before reaching out, research each contact on your media list and craft a personalized pitch that’s tailored to their interests and audience. What have they written about in the past? What are their areas of expertise? What are their social media followers interested in? Use this information to create a pitch that’s relevant, compelling, and newsworthy. Explain why your story is a good fit for their audience and how it will benefit them. And most importantly, be clear and concise. Journalists and bloggers are busy people, so get to the point quickly and make it easy for them to understand why your story matters.
Pro Tip: Start with a strong subject line. This is your first (and sometimes only) chance to grab their attention. Make it clear, concise, and intriguing. Avoid generic subject lines like “Press Release” or “New Story Idea.” Instead, try something more specific and attention-grabbing, such as “Local Atlanta Non-Profit Launches Innovative Job Training Program” or “New Study Reveals Surprising Benefits of Organic Skincare.”
Once you’ve crafted your personalized pitch, it’s time to send it out. BrandVoice allows you to send your pitches directly through the platform. Simply select the contacts you want to reach out to, enter your subject line and body text, and click the “Send” button. You can also track the status of your pitches to see who has opened your email and who has clicked on your links. This will help you follow up with the contacts who are most interested in your story.
Expected Outcome: A series of personalized pitches sent to your targeted media list, with a clear understanding of which contacts are most engaged with your story.
Step 5: Monitoring Your Results and Measuring Your Impact
Accessing the Analytics Dashboard
The final step in your PR and visibility journey is to monitor your results and measure your impact. BrandVoice’s analytics dashboard provides you with a comprehensive overview of your PR campaign’s performance, including website traffic, social media engagement, media mentions, and overall brand awareness. To access the analytics dashboard, click on the “Analytics” tab in your dashboard.
Tracking Key Metrics
In the analytics dashboard, you’ll see a variety of charts and graphs that track your key metrics over time. Pay close attention to the following metrics:
- Website Traffic: How much traffic is your PR campaign driving to your website? Which pages are people visiting? How long are they staying on your site?
- Social Media Engagement: How many people are liking, sharing, and commenting on your social media posts? Which posts are performing best?
- Media Mentions: How many times has your organization been mentioned in the media? Which publications are covering your story? What is the overall tone of the coverage?
- Brand Awareness: How is your PR campaign impacting overall brand awareness? Are more people searching for your organization online? Are you seeing an increase in social media followers?
To really amplify your campaigns you will need a clear understanding of your PR campaign’s performance, including which strategies are working and which ones aren’t. This information will help you refine your approach and maximize your impact in the future.
How much does BrandVoice cost?
BrandVoice offers several pricing plans, ranging from a free basic plan to a premium enterprise plan. The cost depends on the features you need and the size of your organization. Check their pricing page for details.
Can I use BrandVoice to manage my social media accounts?
No, BrandVoice is primarily focused on PR and media outreach. While it does allow you to connect your social media accounts to track engagement, it doesn’t offer full-fledged social media management capabilities. You’ll still need to use a separate social media management tool like Hootsuite or Sprout Social for scheduling and publishing posts.
How accurate is the media contact information in Visibility Booster?
BrandVoice strives to keep its media contact information as accurate as possible, but it’s always a good idea to double-check the information before reaching out. Journalists and bloggers change jobs frequently, so it’s important to verify their current contact information and areas of expertise.
What if I don’t have any PR experience?
That’s okay! BrandVoice is designed to be user-friendly, even for beginners. The platform offers a variety of resources and tutorials to help you get started. Plus, their customer support team is always available to answer your questions and provide guidance.
Is BrandVoice only for non-profits and small businesses?
While BrandVoice is particularly well-suited for non-profits and small businesses, it can be used by organizations of all sizes. The platform offers a variety of features and pricing plans to meet the needs of different types of organizations.
By leveraging BrandVoice and focusing on authentic brand storytelling, mission-driven small businesses and non-profits can significantly enhance their pr & visibility is a resource for helping them achieve their goals. And remember, PR for good can help boost visibility and build trust. Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with different strategies. The key is to stay persistent, stay authentic, and stay true to your mission. What are you waiting for? Start building your authentic story today!
