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Public relations has come a long way from being just a sales strategy to an art form. And today, it also has become more and more popular as an inbound marketing and SEO strategy.

Bigger, more established businesses hire a PR firm to make sure they look good. But as a small business owner without the means to hire a PR firm, that should not cut you off from the opportunity to look good as well in the eyes of the public.

Do these six tips to improve your public relations without spending or sleeping on it. Guaranteed, you will be well on your way to getting more press mentions and coverage soon.

1. Get More Testimonials

Testimonials are the holy grail of businesses. Marketers know well that word of mouth can help propel your business forward, fast and easy. But did you know? Testimonials matter a lot to your PR outreach.

Like customers, editors and readers do not care so much about what you have to say about yourself. But they do care what others have to say about you. Your past and current customers’ testimonials add credibility to your PR.

All you need is 10 minutes and balls to ask your customers.

2. Newsjack

Newsjacking is a popular PR practice wherein businesses or PR companies align a brand with a current event to attract media attention and boost the brand’s exposure. In simplest terms, newsjacking simply finds a way to make a company relevant to the hot topics of the day.

For instance, the Cambridge Analytica scandal. As a cybersecurity company, you can give your insights into what’s happening and things like that. That said, it’s important to stay up to date in your industry.

All you need to check the news is 20 minutes a day and you know what’s happening.

3. Pitch journalists on HARO

HARO, which stands for Help A Reporter Out, is a sourcing service aimed at connecting journalists and bloggers with relevant expert sources. It’s a great platform to pitch and potentially gain press coverage.

You can pitch journalists who are looking for sources or asking questions for the stories they are working on. When pitching, include your answer to questions and your or your client’s bio and contact details.

All you need is 20 minutes to find and submit a good pitch.

4. Apply for awards

Awards and certificates validate your business one way or another. Whichever award it is, whether directly or indirectly related to your business, make you look legitimate in the eyes of your clients.

Do a little research about which awards in your industry are the biggest and most trusted. Read their guidelines, and send in your application. Although, note that some awards have entry fees, which varies from a few hundred dollars to thousands.

You can do it in 20 minutes a day.

5. Write updates every day

Press releases aren’t dead, and yes, reporters and journalists still depend on them. Press releases do not mean media coverage out of the park.

And that means double down on distribution. Put out at least one press release a month to increase your chances of getting covered. But do not send press releases for distribution’s sake.

Take some time to write updates every day and write a press release about the important updates. Make sure your material stays relevant and interesting. Otherwise, you are going to hurt your chances of getting covered.

All you need is about 20 minutes a day (or about 4 hours a month) to make it all work.

6. Follow a reporter

Social channels are an indispensable tool among Journalists and editors today. They are all over Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and other social media platforms to keep up with what’s happening and break the news.

Follow journalists and editors covering your industry. But don’t just follow them, engage with their posts or tag them in their articles. Can you imagine the number of press releases journalists are receiving via email each month, yeah? Social media is a great way to cut through the noise and catch their attention. Use Muck Rack to look for journalists to follow.

It only takes 10 minutes to share and engage with them.