Top 25 PR Tips According to 10 Best PR

#1 of 25 Best PR Tips The road to hell and failure is paved with good intentions. Strategic goal plans must include chronological steps, milestone markers, quantifiable improvement metrics and regular audits. Yet too many glorious plans depend on mantra and back-slapping to the exclusion of data. But is not seeing believing? No list of top PR tips is complete with quantifiable data analysis, and the best way to analyze tomes of information is visual organization. Use paretos, scatter plots, trendline graphs and pie graphs to chart progress. Consider using computer-generated dynamic charts and interactive graphs to engage audiences.

#2 of 25 Best PR Tips A handshake says a lot about a person. So does LinkedIn. So stop using LinkedIn like Twitter and realize that LinkedIn is a gladiatorial arena, fraught with blood and business, and only the sharks survive. Optimize headlines and profile summaries for industry-specific keywords. Upload a head-and-shoulders professional photograph. Include a few client recommendations and testimonials, and post regularly in industry groups. And of course, one of the most relevant rules members of the 10 Best PR team has to offer, however simple, is this: Prooread. Proofread. Proofread.

#3 of 25 Best PR Tips Socrates' famous admonition, "Know thyself," can only be superseded by the aphorism, "Know thy audience." Identify the target audience of every pitch: rebellious youth, wealthy Baby Boomers or frazzled middle-aged mothers, and adjust the message accordingly. Demographic data is worth its weight in gold, and every message should be tailored to its recipients.

#4 of 25 Best PR Tips Steven Hook, PhD, suggests that most sales pitches should follow a simple formula: Problem – Solution – Action. In this manner, after establishing a common ground with the audience in the Problem section, you can "nudge your audience from comfortable familiar territory into the strange and new." Yet too often, memos and e-mails and speeches provide heaps of information but forget the million dollar question. Ask for a yes! According to 10 Best PR, every web page should include a "Buy it now" button or "Contact us" link; every press release should end with a phone number. Be specific what the call to action is. Put the reader on a one-way street, not a 12-lane highway.

#5 of 25 Best PR Tips Customer feedback is the most important metric of ROI. But short of enraged callers, customer feedback can be hard to come by. It must be sought. Thankfully, there are several venues by which you can glean audience response. Launch a customer focus group, conduct an audience perception survey, or allow comments on your Facebook profile page. Encourage an open-door policy.