Nottinghamshire businesswoman Louise Third is using the publication of her new book ‘PR ON A BEERMAT’ to support a charity working in the Teso region of northeast Uganda. She will donate £1 of every book sold to give assistance to the Teso Development Trust (TDT) in its relief and development activities.
PR ON A BEERMAT is a guide to public relations aimed at freelancers, entrepreneurs, and owner-managers of growing businesses.
The author draws from over 30 years as a business adviser and PR consultant. “I decided it was time to capture in print the advice I share through my mentoring and online workshops,” she says. “Everyone can do PR. It’s simple once you understand the basics, but it must be done well.”
Louise has worked closely with Mike Southon and Chris West, authors of The Beermat Entrepreneur (Pearson 2018). Chris comments: “Louise’s book is the perfect lesson plan for every small outfit seeking to get heard amid all the noise out there. It should be part of the desk-top clutter of any office; pick it up, scribble in the margins, have a go.”
Central to the book are the stories of smaller firms who use publicity to get noticed. Firms such as TEA REX teas, outdoor clothing company Alpkit, Tuneless Choir, retailer The Bottle Top and Lindhurst Engineering. Journalists from The Daily Express, The Times, the Daily Mail, and city paper Nottingham Post guide the reader about how to work with the media.
Given the increasing importance of online publicity, Louise drew on the expertise of the multi-award-winning digital marketing company, Hallam.
Tom Bestwick, Hallam’s Content Marketing & PR Consultant, says: “PR has changed significantly over the last few years and its importance to organic growth and visibility on search engines, like Google, has only increased. There’s a big opportunity right now for savvy small businesses and entrepreneurs when it comes to standing out digitally. I can’t thank Louise enough for giving me the opportunity to support her with the writing of PR ON A BEERMAT. I hope our readers will take some fundamental golden PR-shaped nuggets away that will help them, their business or venture, thrive online.”
Louise adds: “We have created a new website www.pronabeermat.co.uk to gather stories, comments and ideas from readers who are experimenting with PR. I want to hear from anyone whose experience we can share, or who might like to be interviewed for our podcasts. Seeing the lessons from the book come to life through thriving small businesses will make all our work worthwhile.”
Chris West will host an online webinar between 6 pm – 7 pm on Wednesday 10th November with Louise and guests who appear in the book. They will chat about how they have used PR in their companies and will answer audience questions.