Public relations is a major part of any global brand. It can also be thought of as creating PULL demand, as part of the classic PUSH/PULL marketing model.
It is also the acid test of your key messaging, be it for a new product, thought leadership, social pursuit, or as part of a broader brand awareness campaign.
There are numerous platforms to assist with targeting key media outlets and tracking results, however I still find that the best approach to securing a high quantity of high quality media coverage is to build personal relationships with editors and reporters.
At Genscape, we had an independent audit calculating that we secured over $5M in "free media coverage" in 2016, and at FLIR Systems, we likewise obtained near-saturation positive PR.
Here are two links to some great press I've helped my employers capture:
