6 ways PR is like grilling out

1. Select a cooking method.

What’s better, gas or charcoal? The answer likely depends on who you’re asking and their preferences in regards to flavor, convenience and cost. An initial step in forming a communications strategy is to identify audiences and consider their values and priorities, as well as how they prefer to consume information.

2. Don’t forget to preheat.

Heating up the grill 15-25 minutes before starting to cook kills bacteria and ensures properly-cooked food. Similarly, planning ahead and allowing enough time for target audiences to get fired up and excited is often essential to PR success. A preheated grill sears food immediately and improves flavors through caramelization. Likewise, if you hit people with a carefully-crafted campaign that took some preparation, they’ll love it first bite and won’t forget it.

3. Marinate.

The best ideas often rise to the surface after hours of brainstorming. Allow time for ideas to soak and develop the best flavor, just as meat and veggies taste best when left to marinate for a while before being tossed on the grill.

4. Measure the temperature.