Building Authority in all the Right Places

“I want to be featured in The New York Times.”

I hear that many times from creative agency leaders before they even put a PR strategy in place. While it’s a good goal, most of the time it’s the wrong one. Why? Because it fails to consider the wider scope of what PR can do and what goes into building momentum based on the strategy.

The better question is: how do I begin to build authority and recognition with the right customers who value my services and will sing my praises to the sky? That’s the right kind of thinking. It’s about knowing your ideal clients, what they want, and how you can reach them.

Remember, PR is a process, not a quick fix. There are many factors that contribute to the approach and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. 

There are, however, two basic steps that help you build authority and catch the eye of prospective clients. First, you craft a solid strategy to determine who your ideal clients are and how best to get in front of them. Then, you grow your profile through carefully curated and placed thought leadership that addresses your potential client’s challenges.

Your value to them will skyrocket if you can show your ability to solve challenges such as:

• What is my target audience grappling with now?
• What is keeping them up at night?
• What is my take on that problem?
• What story can I share to address what they care about?

After addressing those, put yourself out there and build your authority in the right places and in front of the right audience. The “right” place could be any number of publications and media outlets. Extensive research should wrap around good strategy to help you develop a hierarchy of places where your voice will make the most impact. Those are the building blocks that will establish thought leadership and get you closer to being quoted in The New York Times.