Public Relations: The PR You Can Do Yourself Before You Call in the Pros

If you’ve ever headed up the marketing department at a B2B tech company, there is a high probability that you’ve already flirted with PR in some capacity. Issued a few company press releases? Pitched to a journalist or two? Dabbled in bylined articles? And maybe, just maybe, you’ve walked away wondering: Why isn’t this having the impact I want?

Here’s the truth: PR isn’t a dark art, but it is a discipline. Like most things, you can DIY parts of it - to a point.

In fact, doing some groundwork before bringing in a PR agency can set you up for better results and a faster return on investment when you do. It involves managing the flow of information between an organisation and its publics, with the goal of building and maintaining a positive reputation. Additionally, PR plays a crucial role in influencing opinion, strategically shaping public perception and behavior through sustained efforts and effective messaging.

So what can you realistically do yourself? How do you know when it’s time to hand it off to the experts?

Here is some advice on what you can do BEFORE you bring in external PR support.

Start with Story: Nail Your Messaging

Before you even hit send on that email to a journalist, you need to have a crystal clear view and understanding of your message. If your pitch needs a supporting PowerPoint presentation, it’s not ready. Your proposition should be simple, sharp, and repeatable - internally and externally.

Can your CEO, sales team, and marketing assistant all explain:

• What you do?
• Why it matters?
• Who it helps?

In 50 words or less?

If not, press pause on PR and nail down a clear description of your business, who you help and why it matters. Vague, over-engineered descriptions either turn off journalists or even worse, leave them confused about who you are and what you do. They won’t chase you for clarity.

Use What You’ve Got: Repurpose Existing Content

If your B2B tech or software company is employing you, then you will already have some form of content that already exists. e.g. blogs, whitepapers, webinars, maybe a product brochure or two. The skill comes in turning that content into something media-worthy.

Start small:

• Turn a blog into a pitch for a future interview or bylined article
• Summarise webinars into a byline article, but remove the sales pitch!
• Use product developments or milestones to create simple media alerts

Not sure if your content is PR-ready? Here’s what makes something worth pitching.

Remember, it needs to be relevant. Relevance beats jazzy pitches every time in B2B PR.

Build Relationships (Not Just Media Lists)

One of the biggest DIY PR mistakes? Spamming 200+ journalists with the same generic pitch.

If you want any chance of landing earned media coverage, go narrow and personal:

• Identify 5–10 journalists who cover your space
• Read their work, follow them on LinkedIn and understand what they care about
• Only pitch when you have something that genuinely fits their beat

Journalists are busy, but they are professionals looking for great stories. Make their lives easier, not noisier.

This approach is at the heart of what we call B2B Digital PR. This built on relationships, not ‘spray and pray’ email blasts.

Understand What Won’t Work

It’s important to be realistic about your early efforts, and this can be difficult as you get to grips with positioning your message to a different audience that applies more scrutiny.

If your content sounds like marketing copy, then it simply won’t work with the media. If you’re announcing a “revolutionary new feature” that’s been live for two months, it’s old news.

If you proclaim you’re an “industry leader”, then the chances are you’re not. Simply because any industry leader rarely (if ever) has to proclaim they are.

If you send out a press release and expect the coverage to roll in, you’re going to be disappointed.

That doesn’t mean PR doesn’t work. It just means that DIY PR has limits.

The Tipping Point: When to Call in backup

There comes a point in every B2B marketer’s journey into PR where the juggling act of both disciplines becomes unsustainable.

You’re under pressure to increase visibility. You’ve got decent content, but it’s just not gaining traction with journalists. Maybe your leadership team is asking why your competitors keep getting coverage while your brand feels like the “industry’s best-kept secret.” All the while, you’re still building and managing multiple email campaigns, webinars, events, website updates and trying to hit your lead-gen targets. This is when PR will start to slip to the bottom of the to-do list.

That’s when it’s time to call in the backup and a professional B2B PR agency. Not one that talks in vague promises, but one with a proven process, one that can turn your insight and expertise into headlines, backlinks and coverage in the publications that actually influence your audience.

A good B2B Tech PR agency won’t just nod and say yes to any request. They’ll give you honest, strategic feedback on what’s genuinely media-worthy and what needs refining.

They’ll help you translate the existing content you have into journalist-ready stories. They’ll provide consistency and not peaks and troughs of success depending on when you have some news to release. Creating a strategic PR campaign that generates consistent results with reputable publications and journalists will build your brand authority over time.

The added bonus? If you’ve done some of the groundwork already, you’ve shortened the time it will take your PR partner to get these results.

What You Can Achieve Before You Choose Your PR Partner

Done correctly, your own PR activity can:

• Clarify your message internally and externally
• Lay the foundation for future media relationships
• Help you understand what stories resonate
• Give you confidence that yes, your business is worth talking about

Crucially, it sets you up for a more productive relationship with a PR partner where time isn’t wasted finding your voice or unpicking poor PR habits.

If you want to get even more from your early efforts, check out:

• Three Tips for B2B Digital PR Success
• How to Measure B2B PR
• Digital PR vs Traditional PR

Ready to Go from Invisible to In-Demand?

At ITPR, we help B2B tech companies like yours transform existing content into consistent, quality media coverage — with guaranteed results. We don’t just pitch stories; we deliver measurable outcomes, from backlinks to lead-gen lift.

If you’ve hit a ceiling with your own PR or you’re just ready to stop being the quintessential ‘industry’s best-kept secret’ let’s talk.

We’ll show you what PR looks like when it’s done right, how to measure outcomes and not outputs and what it can do for your business.

DIY PR Tips

While hiring a PR agency can be beneficial, there are also many DIY PR tips that can help you manage your organisation’s public relations. Here are a few:

• Identify Your Target Audience: Tailor your message to resonate with the specific needs and interests of your audience.
• Create a Press Release: Distribute it to relevant media outlets to share important company news.
• Leverage Social Media Platforms: Engage with your audience and share updates to increase visibility.
• Build Relationships: Connect with key stakeholders, including media representatives and influencers, to foster mutual understanding.
• Monitor Website Traffic: Use analytics to gauge the effectiveness of your PR strategies and make necessary adjustments.

Building Relationships

Building relationships is a critical aspect of public relations. It involves creating and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders, including media representatives, influencers, and customers. Here are a few tips for building relationships:

• Identify Your Target Audience: Tailor your message to meet the needs and interests of your audience.
• Engage on Social Media: Use social media platforms to interact with your audience and share valuable content.
• Network at Industry Events: Attend conferences and events to connect with key stakeholders and expand your network.
• Offer Exclusive Content: Provide exclusive interviews or press releases to key media representatives to build trust.
• Deliver Excellent Customer Service: Build trust and credibility by offering outstanding service to your customers.

Content Creation

Content creation is a vital aspect of public relations. It involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. Here are a few tips for creating effective content:

• Know Your Audience: Identify your target audience and tailor your content to their needs and interests.
• Diversify Content Formats: Use a variety of formats, including press releases, blog posts, and social media updates.
• Focus on Quality: Create high-quality, engaging content that adds value to your audience.
• Optimise for SEO: Use keywords and SEO techniques to ensure your content is easily discoverable by search engines.
• Repurpose Content: Maximise the impact of your content by repurposing and reusing it across different platforms.

By following these tips and laying a solid foundation, you can manage your PR efforts effectively and set the stage for a successful partnership with a professional PR agency when the time comes.

The link for when you’re ready.