How to Launch a PR Campaign: The Complete Checklist

Start by establishing what success looks like for this specific campaign. Vague goals like "get more press" will not cut it. Your objectives need to be specific, measurable, and tied directly to business outcomes. Are you trying to drive website traffic, generate leads, build credibility in a new market, or support a product launch?

Set three to five key performance indicators that you will track throughout the campaign. Common PR KPIs include number of media placements, domain authority of covering publications, share of voice compared to competitors, website referral traffic from press coverage, and social media engagement on coverage posts. Write these down and share them with every stakeholder before moving forward.

Determine exactly who you need to reach with this campaign. This goes beyond basic demographics. Map out the publications they read, the journalists they follow, the industry events they attend, and the social platforms where they consume news. The more specific you are here, the more targeted and effective your media outreach will be.

Create audience personas that include media consumption habits. For B2B campaigns, identify the trade publications and industry analysts that influence purchasing decisions. For consumer campaigns, focus on lifestyle media, influencers, and community platforms where your audience discovers new brands and products.

Your narrative is the story that ties everything together. It should answer three questions: why does this matter, why does it matter now, and why should anyone care about your perspective? Strong PR narratives connect your announcement to a larger trend, industry shift, or audience pain point that journalists are already covering.

Develop a message hierarchy with a primary message supported by three to four secondary messages. Each secondary message should have proof points, data, quotes, and examples. Test your messaging internally first. If your own team cannot articulate the narrative clearly, journalists will not be able to either. Keep everything in a messaging document that the entire team can reference.

A targeted media list is the backbone of effective outreach. Start by identifying 50 to 100 journalists and editors who cover your industry, competitors, or the broader themes your campaign addresses. Use tools like Muck Rack, Cision, or manual research through recent articles to find the right contacts. Quality matters far more than quantity.

Segment your list into tiers. Tier one includes your dream placements at top-tier national publications. Tier two covers strong industry and trade publications. Tier three includes regional media, niche blogs, and podcasts. Customize your pitch angle for each tier because a story that works for TechCrunch will not work the same way for a local business journal.

Prepare a complete press kit before you start outreach. At minimum you need a press release, a fact sheet or backgrounder, high-resolution images and headshots, executive bios, and relevant data or research. If your campaign involves a product, include product screenshots, demo videos, or sample access instructions.

Your press release should follow standard formatting with a compelling headline, strong lead paragraph, supporting quotes, and a clear boilerplate. Our guide to press release services covers the structural elements that get journalist attention. Have everything reviewed by legal and leadership before distribution.

Timing can make or break a PR campaign. Map out your outreach calendar working backward from your target launch date. For embargoed exclusives with top-tier outlets, pitch three to four weeks in advance. For general media outreach, start one to two weeks before the announcement. For follow-up and second-wave pitching, plan for the week after launch.

Avoid major holidays, industry conference weeks when journalists are traveling, and days when competing news is likely to dominate the cycle. Tuesday through Thursday mornings tend to generate the best response rates for pitches. Build buffer time into your schedule because approvals, edits, and unexpected delays are inevitable.

Begin with your exclusive or embargoed pitches to tier one media. Personalize every single email. Reference the journalist's recent work, explain why this story matters to their specific audience, and keep it under 250 words. Attach or link to your press materials but do not overwhelm with attachments on the first touch.

Track every pitch sent, every response received, and every follow-up needed in a spreadsheet or PR management tool. Follow up once after three to four business days if you have not heard back, but do not be pushy. When journalists respond with questions, prioritize fast turnaround. Provide additional assets, schedule interviews, and make their job as easy as possible.

When coverage starts landing, your work is not done. Share every placement across your social media channels, email newsletter, and website. Tag the journalist and publication in social posts to build the relationship and encourage further sharing. Add a press or media section to your website where all coverage is aggregated.

Repurpose coverage into multiple content formats. Pull quotes for social media graphics, create a monthly media roundup for your newsletter, reference placements in sales materials and pitch decks, and use coverage logos in a trusted by section on your website. Each piece of coverage should generate at least five to ten additional touchpoints.

At the end of your campaign window, pull together a comprehensive report measuring performance against the KPIs you established in step one. Include the total number of placements, the combined audience reach, website traffic attributed to press coverage using UTM parameters, social engagement metrics, and any lead generation or sales impact you can attribute.

Calculate your estimated media value and compare it to the campaign cost. Use tools like Google Analytics to track referral traffic from each placement. Our marketing ROI calculator can help you quantify the business impact of your PR investment in concrete terms that resonate with leadership.

Schedule a debrief meeting within two weeks of campaign completion while everything is still fresh. Review what worked, what did not, and what you would do differently next time. Analyze which pitch angles resonated most, which journalists were most responsive, which publications drove the most traffic, and where the process could be streamlined.

Document your findings in a campaign playbook that future teams can reference. Update your media list with notes on journalist preferences and responsiveness. Archive all materials in an organized folder. The insights from one campaign become the competitive advantage for your next one.