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deconstruct your campaign and try to figure out that hook or angle that defines your campaign. can you say this in one sentence? if yes, great because this is precisely what you will be communicating to the publishers.
we know how much it hurts when after all the hard work, a campaign fails to deliver returns and falls flat. for a marketer, there no more a fatal poison like a failed campaign. it is in these moments that you need to hold on to the hope. because all is not lost! everyone deserves a second chance and so does your campaign.
below mentioned are 5 steps to rejuvenate your dead campaign. for reference, we will be talking about a content campaign which includes interaction with journalists and pr personnel.
be realistic: so your content has not received enough traction despite being kick-ass. possibly you have chosen wrong publishing platforms. depending on the industry that your content caters to, target the publication that is centered around and functional in those industries. it is here that you will receive the traction.
less is always more: you have a list of prospective list of let’s say 800 contacts and have had sent them outreach emails earlier. but none of it materialized. it is in cases like these that quality takes over quantity. you should rather have a list of 50 people on first name basis and are familiar with their latest work. you know that they will be interested in your content. reach out to these people because it will definitely increase your chances of success when you relaunch.
so, what is it that lacked the first time? why didn’t the content work? deconstruct your campaign and try to figure out that hook or angle that defines your campaign. can you say this in one sentence? if yes, great because this is precisely what you will be communicating to the publishers.
now, to make it easily comprehensible, let us take an example of a statement versus a story for a recent campaign that we did for a professional construction equipment handling client of ours.
statement: client a found that the most dangerous roads in india are b, c, and d.
now for the story, let’s spice it up a bit.
story: new data reveals that 8 out of 10 of the most dangerous roads in india are in himachal pradesh as truck accidents have reached an all-time high.
the difference in both is a no-brainer. for the story, the statement is latched with something that holds importance to the society.
this one is fairly important when you think of bringing your campaign back from the dead. create a package! the content distributors majorly journalists have their own share of kpis to follow when it comes to churning out blogs and articles, hence it makes sense to give them everything they need to cover your campaign.
expert opinions: depending on the industry for which you have written the content, it would be beneficial if you could go ahead and find an expert who could give a comment for free.
press releases: get well-written press release or supporting copies well ahead of the relaunch so that it could be passed to the journalists. they can use these copies, adapt and create their own versions to back up our campaign.
new designs: prior to the relaunch, in case you have worked on new designs and images, share them with the press in time. they can use these visual elements to support their articles.
exclusive material: in case you have an important statistic, a comment from the ceo or any other exclusive content, it can be shared with the journalists who ask for something exclusive for their publication.
you have a set of journalists that will cover the creative content campaign for you but would suggest to try and indulge with freelance journalists or influencers prior to your relaunch. ask around in these networks for feedback on your campaign. the feedback could be on any aspect of your campaign. to know whether your hook angle, data, design, and images or launch timings need contemplation again means no harm. you cannot afford to go wrong the second time!
did you actually pay attention to the timings when the campaign was launched the first time?
if not, this is the time and if yes, then it becomes absolutely essential to understand why the went wrong the first time.
world events: keep in mind, if there is anything to do with elections or natural calamities, it would mean that the press already has its cup full. you would want to avoid days like these for your re-launch.
important international days: be sure to check days like, labour day, national proposal day, national disaster management days or anything that could somehow be tied to your campaign. you can use it for your leverage since there would already be talk around it, the press would be talking about it and it could act as a way into your content.
festivals and holidays: until and unless your campaign is related to any of the festivals, or you intend to capitalize on the trends of the festival, it is advised not to launch any campaign that might fizzle out amidst the already hyperactive plethora of campaigns capitalizing the feel and trend of the season.
if you follow these abcs closely, you can most certainly relaunch your dead campaign again and enjoy the return that missed reaping the first time. feel free to comment below and let us know what you think or if you wish to add another step to it. we would be more than happy to hear from you.