Public Relations - How to Find Clients

If you're thinking of setting up as a freelance PR consultant, the most vital thing you're going to need is clients! In this article I'll explain the best way to go about getting them.

In fact, finding clients who can benefit from your services as a public relations consultant is not a difficult task. The whole process of attracting clients can be summarized as follows...

1. Write a 'master' letter which outlines the service you are offering. Point out to the reader how effective a public relations consultant can be in raising the profile of an individual, a company or a specific range of products and services.

2. Create a list of companies, individuals or organizations which you think would benefit most from having you as their PR consultant. You will probably find that your personal interests attract you to certain types of clients. For example, if you are an avid computer games player, you might want to approach computer games developers. Or, if you love music then you may prefer to approach up-and-coming musicians, bands, and so on.

3. Now send a copy of your master letter to each potential client on your list. Of course, you should amend each letter to be directly relevant to the client concerned, but the majority of the text will be the same in all cases, hence the creation of the master letter in the first place (to save you getting a nasty case of RSI typing the same things over and over again!).

All you can do now is wait for the phone to ring. In the meantime, create another list of potential clients and repeat the whole process. Remember, success comes to those who try, try and try again. If your first mailing isn't successful, don't quit. Just target more potential clients and keep on going until you succeed.

Of course, there is one more way of attracting clients in your locality, and that is...write a press release! Write a piece about how effective PR consultants can be for raising the public profiles of local businesses and individuals. Tell the readers how PR consultants have helped other companies and individuals to become more successful. Then tell them (in the third person, of course) how you have just launched a PR consultancy business which is currently accepting new clients. Finally, complete the piece by including your contact details.

Once you have done this you can send the press release to all of your local newspapers. If your release does its job, details of your service will soon be in print for all to see, and it shouldn't be long before your second client (you were your own first client, don't forget!) gets in touch.