Quick answer
Creative PR is earning attention by doing something interesting enough that people share it and journalists cover it, rather than paying for adverts. Small brands can use it well when the idea is true to the business, local, visual and cheap to run: a bold product, a community project, a useful local survey or a clever response to news.
What creative PR is
Traditional PR often means press releases announcing news: a new hire, a new product, an anniversary. Creative PR starts from the other end. It asks: what could we do, make or say that people would genuinely want to talk about? The coverage follows from the idea. Big brands do it with stunts and campaigns; small brands can do it with imagination, a local angle and a good photograph.
The professional body for the industry, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, publishes guidance on PR practice and ethics if you want to understand the discipline more formally.
Ideas that work on a small budget
- A product with a story. A bakery makes a loaf shaped like the town’s lifeboat for its anniversary appeal. A brewery names a beer after a local character, with the family’s blessing.
- A community project. A garden centre gives a forgotten roundabout a makeover. A café runs a free breakfast for exam students.
- Useful local data. A letting agent surveys tenants on what they want from landlords and shares the results honestly.
- Expert reaction. A heating engineer explains what a cold snap means for boilers, ready the day the weather turns.
- A bold choice. A shop that closes on Black Friday and explains why, or a firm that publishes all its prices when competitors hide them.
What makes an idea work
| Quality | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| True to the business | Stunts unrelated to what you sell confuse people |
| Local or specific | Local media need local stories |
| Visual | A strong photograph doubles the chance of coverage |
| Timely | Tied to a season, an event or the news |
| Simple to explain | If it needs a paragraph, it is too complicated |
Pitching it
Find the right person, not a general inbox: the local paper’s news desk, a reporter who covers business or your sector, a regional radio show or a popular local blog. Write a short email with a clear headline, the story in two sentences, why local readers will care, and one or two good photographs. Offer someone to interview, with a phone number that is answered. Send it in good time for the publication’s deadline, and follow up once, politely.
Be accurate. Anything you claim may be printed, and the press regulator IPSO holds publications to an editors’ code; journalists will check facts. Survey results must come from a real survey, honestly reported.
The risks
- Stunts that backfire. Anything that could look insensitive, wasteful or mocking will be read that way by someone.
- Claims you cannot support. If PR turns into advertising, such as a promotion or a product claim, the UK advertising code applies.
- Using people without permission. Get consent from anyone featured, especially customers and children.
- No follow-through. A story that brings attention to a website that does not explain what you do wastes the moment.
Make the coverage work twice
Coverage on a news site often includes a link and a mention of your business, which helps search engines judge your website’s credibility; links earned because a story was interesting are the kind they value most. Share the coverage on your own channels, add an “as featured in” note to your website, and write the story up as a blog post. Our guide to content marketing for small businesses explains how stories like this feed a steady content plan, and our DIY SEO versus agency guide covers where earned links fit.
A worked example
A small independent bookshop in a market town noticed that local children rarely visited after the library’s opening hours were cut. It started a free Saturday story hour run by volunteers, photographed the first session with parents’ permission, and emailed the local paper and the community radio station with the story and two photographs. Both covered it. The coverage brought new families into the shop, links to the shop’s website from the paper’s site, and a steady stream of social posts as parents shared photographs. The cost was some chairs, some time and a box of biscuits.
Planning it into the year
The best small-business PR is planned around moments you already know about: anniversaries, seasons, local events and product launches. Note three or four in your one-page marketing plan and start thinking about each a couple of months ahead.
Getting help
If you want help turning ideas and stories into regular content for your website and social channels, our content marketing and blog writing is £199 a month. Our guide to measuring marketing return helps you judge what PR brings in, and all our prices are on the pricing page.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does creative PR cost? +
It can cost very little if the idea uses what you already have: your premises, your product, your staff and your local community. Costs rise with production, such as events, stunts or commissioned research, and with agency fees if you hire help. Many effective small-business stories cost more in time and imagination than in money.
How do I pitch a story to local press? +
Find the right journalist or news desk, write a short email with a clear headline, the story in two sentences, why it matters locally, and good photographs attached or linked. Offer someone to interview. Keep it factual and timely. Local newsrooms are busy; a story that is easy to run is more likely to be used.
Can creative PR help my website's SEO? +
Yes. Coverage on news sites and blogs often includes links and mentions of your business name, which help search engines judge your site's credibility. Links earned because people found your story interesting are the kind search engines value. It is not guaranteed, but it is one of the safest ways to earn links.
