What are key messages? Does one need key messages in PR? Do they help?
What happens if you don’t use key messages in your communication?
“It is not the beauty of a building you should look at, but the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time” – David Allan Coe
Allow me to share with you this anecdote.
I was once referred to this US returned smart young entrepreneur by a friend who works with a wire service. My friends brief was simple, the founder is very sharp when it comes to Tech but he does not have a clue about PR!
I thought it was an exaggeration by my friend but one meeting with this young man was all it took to understand the fact that the art and science of PR was lost on him.
While I was trying to understand the key messages he was too impatient and wanted to know precisely which publications will I get coverage for his Mobile App. He even expressed his concern about me taking too long as Start-Ups don’t have the luxury of time!
On my way back from this meeting I decided to write this blog. To explain why it is important to spend the time to develop key messages? To answer someone (probably a start-up who is in a hurry) who might ask “Is it really worth the effort?”
My response would be: “You bet! Key messages are the foundation for great PR. If you want to communicate the right message, then get your key messages right. Think it through, bounce it with a couple of friends and strengthen your supporting content too!”
Creating key messages helps to:
- Ensure clarity & consistency
- Measure and track success
- Stay focused during a media interaction
Key Messages help branding efforts. With repeated usage in every written and spoken communication, Key messages stay in the minds of people much longer.
If your business should be perceived in a certain way then your key messages need to reflect it. If customers need to remember your business and refer you to their friends, then key messages come into play. If you want to establish employer branding then your employees need to believe it and repeat it to their friends who may want to join your company!
So to sum it up, key messages can be described as:
- An elevator pitch – it is the essence of what you want your business to be known for.
- It is something which engages people.
- It sums up what your business does and what your values are
I hope my friend the young tech start-up CEO understands the need for Key messages and creates them!