PR is very much an underestimated Marketing tool in Sports Marketing, especially for smaller sports organisations in Northern Ireland. Over the past few years I have been speaking at a number of Sports seminars and I am surprised time and time again on the lack of time given to PR by sports organisations and events. May be it’s a question of poor understanding of PR, may be it’s a question of not knowing what needs to be done and what constitutes good PR.

In this article I will be outlining a number of key learnings that I have obtained during my time in Sport:

1. Think about good stories that could be turned into a press release. Why not put a section on your monthly team meetings that covers PR opportunities for the next month.
2. Make sure your press release covers the main points – who, what, where, when, why. Also ensure you have a ‘catchy heading’.
3. Get to know the reporters in your sport.
4. A good branded photo is key.
5. Build up a database of key sports journalists.
6. Don’t forget to think about online PR as well. .
7. Put your regular press releases up on your site one day after it appears in the local paper – this keeps your site up to date with good content.
8. Record all the PR coverage obtained so you can review, learn and adopt for the next time.
9. Offer prizes for competitions in your local newspaper.
PR does work and is a vital element in Sport. The key message is to take time to invest in this area.