How To Get Free PR For Your Business & Be Paid For It Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Debbie Kingsland
On receiving this book to review, I did wonder if it was more geared to professional PR experts and therefore a little out of my depth.
How wrong could I have been!
As a former recruitment consultant and a seasoned sales professional who decided to take a year out for “me time” before transitioning into the e-learning industry in my mid-fifties, I have always had a passion for relationship-building, learning, and seeking new opportunities in both my career and personal life.
With a mantra of “You do not know what you do not know” (which I much prefer to “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”), through this book Helen opened my eyes to an entirely new way of expanding my audience and discovering the best avenues to reach them. Whilst I do not work directly in PR, I can already see how her insights could significantly enhance my role in sales and marketing.
Helen’s PR/Media started career as a consumer expert after identifying a gap in the market for effectively addressing poor customer service and unsatisfactory outcomes from businesses when complaining via her blog “The Complaining Cow.” This resulted in her writing her bestselling consumer advice books 101 Habits of an Effective Complainer and How to Complain. Through recognition of her expertise she began obtaining local media coverage which grew to national coverage from both TV and publications. This now gives Helen both an income stream and free PR, and this book shows how it is done.
I read the Foreword by Jeremy Vine in “How to Get Free PR” who had interviewed Helen numerous times over the years. He put Helen’s advice to the test after a bad experience with a faulty buggy while his wife was in the late stages of pregnancy, resulting in an outcome that far exceeded his expectations.
I decided to put this to the test when a glass shelf from a very expensive fridge freezer shattered.. After getting nowhere with their customer service, I wrote to the CEO via LinkedIn. Fast forward less than 24 hours I received a reply to say a replacement was in the post. If that worked so well, let us see how Helen’s advice on expanding PR (or client base and sales, as in my case) can work. I read with interest and fond memories about how her first article was written in a free newspaper in Waltham Forest where I spent my entire childhood. The said newspaper was at the end of my road, and I remember how it evolved from using metal letters to an electronic option over the years.
By page thirty-one, I had to stop for a breather. The PR and media suggestions from her professional experience and expertise – how, what, why, where, and who – had already left me with ideas and a mountain of notes. I am already planning to put these into action within my 2025/26 business and marketing plan.
Whilst unlikely I will be appearing on TV anytime soon I was able to take some great tips from chapters 2 and 3 regarding preparation and dressing for the occasion etc. of which I will use some of when next on a stand at exhibitions. Getting paid on chapter 4 was also a bit of a revelation too. I would have not thought about asking to be paid for interviews whilst I do not do many I will be asking in the future.
Building your media contact list in chapter 6 is also something I had not thought of in the past. As a salesperson I always concentrate on building relationships with potential clients so this is something I will work on in the future too.
The end, and what a read! I have joined groups and hashtags I had never heard of, asked customers, networking and media groups if we can do some posts and stories together and they are all as excited as me to collaborate. As I mentioned in this review “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks”. After reading this book I can categorically say I feel like a Jack Russell puppy with a box of new toys.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £15 (Paperback) / £9.99 (Kindle)
Available to buy from Amazon here