By Gina Cuclis

This is republished, and slightly revised, from the final issue of PR Tip of the Month. After five years, Cuclis PR has decided to cease publishing a monthly e-zine to focus on this blog. An upcoming blog post will discuss how and why Gina Cuclis made that decision.


Why Have a Communications Plan

A couple of the initial 2005 issues of PR Tip of the Month discussed communications planning. I'm discussing that again, because I've seen what happens when organizations don't have a plan. They complain about not being known in the community. Business owners wonder why a competitor keeps being quoted in the newspaper as an expert, and they're not. Nonprofits wonder why they can't grow their donor or volunteer base.

You Need a Consistent Strategy

Sending out an occasional press release and creating an underutilized Facebook page is not a plan. A plan starts with asking the questions: with whom do we want to communicate, why, what do we want our target audience to know about us, and, more importantly, what do we think they want to hear about from us? Ask these questions to develop your message and strategy. After you've defined a strategy, decide which tactics and channels will best reach and engage your desired audience. Create a calendar identifying which communication activities you will do each month.

Where to Find More Information

Read this back issue about how to write a PR plan.

Have You Written a Communications Plan?

If you have experience with writing PR and communications plans, please share your advice. What do you think is the most important thing to keep in mind? Who did you involved in the process? Thanks for sharing.