Public Relations for Massage Therapists —
"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."
—Sir
Winston Churchill
Public relations (PR) is about generating good will toward your business.
The good news is that you are probably already doing it. Whenever you
do good things for others, you are involved in public relations. Because
the foundation of your practice is building relationships with others
based on care and trust, you generate good will everyday. If someone
begins to take better care of themselves because you talked to them
or gave them their first massage, you have created successful PR.
The purpose of making a concerted effort in public relations is to
help you reach out and promote a good relationship between yourself
and the larger community. Do you give away free services to fundraising
auctions, offer free chair massage at certain times, or talk to people
about the benefits of what you do? These are natural ways to market
your practice you may already be doing— and it’s also PR.
Simply generating understanding of the benefits of what you do is a
public service — because you know that what you offer helps people
reduce their stress, improve their energy and feel better.
People often refer to public relations as what a business does to communicate
with the public through the media — newspaper, radio and television.
We’re going to refer to that as publicity. If, in the process
of doing good things for your community, you spread the word via the
media or any other entity, that’s publicity. Publicity is one
of the arms of public relations. It is good for the community and your
business because it gets your name out to people who aren’t yet
reaping the benefits of what you do.
One great thing about publicity is that it can actually spread the
word about you more effectively than advertising. And the cost is nothing
more than your time. Getting the word out through the media also establishes
you as credible, professional and expert in your field.
The media is looking for unique, interesting news, but journalists
have to choose from the flood of information that crosses their desks.
You need to have a hook, something that really grabs attention. So look
hard at why anyone but you would care about the information you want
to publicize.
Some public relations activities are newsworthy, and some aren’t.
Having an ongoing drawing in your office or joining a networking organization
wouldn’t warrant publicity efforts. Here’s how you can determine
which are worthy of a PR effort.
Start by taking a look at your clients. Who are they? What are their
problems? How are you helping them? What kind of results are you getting?
If you are helping your clients live more comfortably with fibromyalgia,
not only will people want to know about that, it also makes you a credible
expert. If you’re finding that more kids with sports injuries
are coming into your office and getting help, the same is true. And
so on.
To be newsworthy, information should directly benefit your community — it
should fulfill an unmet need, make people’s lives easier, or be
new or unique. Your work probably meets more than one of these criteria.
The fact that you give massage to a certain kind of people is not news.
However, the information that people with arthritis get better with
a bodywork technique you provide could be news. You can mount a newsworthy
PR campaign around it by giving a presentation, giving away free massage
to an arthritis support group or helping to organize a fundraiser for
the Arthritis Foundation.
In another example, the fact that you are opening a business is arguably
not really news. It might get you a small notice on the business page,
but you should ask yourself what benefit to the larger community can
be found in your new business. Are you expanding into a new location
where you can help more people? Are you hosting an open house where
people can experience free demonstrations, meet your staff and learn
how your services can benefit them?
Volunteering for charity events is definitely newsworthy and can make
your generosity more visible to the community at large. You could participate
in a charity gala that benefits children or those with a condition you
work with, or you could volunteer or sponsor a team for a Special Olympics
event or walk-a-thon fundraiser.
Once you’ve publicized an event such as a health fair or presentation,
you can further promote your business with a drawing or by giving out
brochures, self-care tips or newsletters. If that doesn’t feel
appropriate for an event, say if you are giving massage to people coping
with a community crisis, simply having your business cards available
or getting a mention as a volunteer in the media can help spread your
name around as someone who really cares.
The main tool of publicizing your public relations efforts is the press
release. If you are serious about publicity, you should know how to
use it. The press release allows you to grab the attention of busy journalists
at your local daily or weekly newspapers, the publisher of your area’s
specialty newspapers, such as those that focus on alternative health
modalities, or the staff at radio and television stations. If you don’t
already use them, click here
for how to write a press release.
If you want to consider radio as a possible source of publicity for
your PR event, click
here for information on getting a radio interview.
You could also submit your own article to editors looking for entertaining
and educational information. First, make sure you know the purpose of
your article. Maybe you want to introduce a new technique to your community
or write about new research showing the benefits of what you do. Maybe
you want to write a how-to, such as how to give a simple foot massage
or reduce stress. Just remember, it has to stand out to get published,
so make sure you get a friend or two to read it, and rewrite it several
times so that it is easily read. Then proof it again for spelling and
grammar errors. Target your article to the right person. Send a sports
massage article to the sports editor, your Reiki article to the lifestyle
editor. You could even offer to write a monthly or weekly column on
bodywork, stress or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) — which
would establish your credibility even more as an expert.
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