Self-Made

15Harnessing influenceThe power of PR and celebrity gifting

In the words of Oprah Winfrey, ‘One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that celebrities are human beings. They're just people like you and me who happen to be famous, and they have the same flaws and insecurities as everyone else.’

I really want to break PR down as much as I can for you, as I still think there is some uncertainty around what exactly PR is. Most women I mentor think of PR as working with a PR agency and getting your brand published in articles. And yes, while this is one form of PR, it is only one form. Most PR (if not all) can be handled by you or your team. I am hugely passionate about PR. I went to university when I was 30 to study it. (Side lesson, if you didn't finish high school or get the end score you wanted, there are other pathways later in life.)

Let's start by looking at some of the different forms of marketing and PR. You may find you've already been doing some of these types of PR or marketing for your brand.

Media relations

This is a key aspect of PR that involves building and maintaining relationships with journalists, reporters and other members of the media. Your goal with media relations is to generate positive publicity and coverage for your business to build your profile. You do this by providing journalists or editors with newsworthy stories, expert commentary and other content that will be of interest to their audiences. This may involve creating press releases, arranging ...