Position yourself and your company for success by conducting a PR refresh

Regardless of whether you follow the age-old mantra “new year, new me,” a new year brings a fresh perspective for many people in both their personal and professional lives. The start of the year is a good time to reflect on where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going. 

From a professional standpoint, it’s a great time to ensure important PR and marketing materials are up-to-date. As interviews, thought leadership content or company awards arise, help your team prepare to seize these opportunities by reviewing and updating the following: 

Executive bios and headshots 

With a new year comes new possibilities for executives to lead the charge within their communities and industries. Before pursuing external opportunities on behalf of your leaders, ensure their bios and headshots are current. 

Bios should include recent recognitions and awards, current responsibilities and priorities, and any recent speaking engagements or media interviews that underscore the executive’s expertise. In addition to completing bio updates, schedule a session for updated headshots if the one on file is outdated or simply needs to be refreshed. We typically recommend a new headshot every 3-5 years. 

Company boilerplate and “About” page 

Review company boilerplates and “About” pages on websites and social profiles. Add recent awards the company has earned, highlight major company milestones and anniversaries, and double-check that all descriptions are relevant and accurate. 

When distributing press releases, one of the first places journalists and external contacts reference to learn more about a company is the announcement’s boilerplate or the about section of the website (Google Analytics consistently ranks “About” pages as one of our clients’ top visited website pages). Ensure the most important and timely information you want your audience to know is highlighted in both of these places. 

Executive LinkedIn profiles

Once executive bios are updated, ensure the same changes are completed on their personal LinkedIn profiles. This keeps touchpoints consistent and allows executives to leverage their profiles for search engine optimization (SEO). When reporters look for story sources, Google indexes LinkedIn profiles at a higher rate than other websites, so update profiles frequently and include industry-relevant keywords and phrases as appropriate.  

Website 

Conduct a comprehensive audit of current website pages and flag any changes and updates needed. Share recent company awards on a “Careers” page or in a banner across the top of the website homepage, highlight new certifications in the footer or on a designated page and update team member information and headshots, including individual certifications or bio changes. 

Content calendars 

Lastly, plan for the year by creating a comprehensive content calendar. Note important holidays along with any potential content needed to support them, determine industry and conference events team members should attend and develop content and social media campaign strategies based on planning conversations with leaders in the company. 

Pausing and refreshing external marketing materials and touchpoints at the beginning of a new year not only creates a cohesive message across all communication mediums, but it also lessens the burden of urgent updates when they are inevitably needed. Set time aside to meet with your team and discuss priorities, or engage a PR and marketing agency to help guide the process.

Bri Carlesimo is a Senior Account Manager at Pierce Public Relations.