There doesn’t seem to be a week that goes by without a different PR stunt hitting the pages of our newspapers; PR stunts are a great way to grab the attention of the media and can provide a great catalyst for any PR campaign, says PR, social and search agency Punch Communications.

“This week Alton Towers was the latest brand to hit the headlines with the latest stunt for their new ride, which opens next month” says Kirsty Shaw, account manager at Punch Communications, “the key to any publicity stunt is to gain the attention of key target audiences and the media, ultimately meaning an increase in sales and awareness of a brand.”

Kirsty continues “there are a number of ways to ensure your PR stunt goes without a hitch which every brand should consider before starting to plan a stunt.”

Here are some top tips for creating a successful PR stunt:

• Make it relevant and timely: research what is popular with the key target audiences and form the stunt around this, that way brands can grab their attention and make it more likely to be noticed.
• What is the potential for word-of-mouth? When deciding on what a stunt is going to be, always thing about the potential for people to talk about it. Ensure that there is the ability for people to take photographs, tweet or even film a video of your stunt and upload it via social channels.
• Cover all bases: think about how your stunt will be received by all of the media. Online media may have different agendas to print national newspapers so ensure there is an angle or appeal for all.
• Anticipate the response from the media: what do you want the stunt to achieve? Whether this be anger or laughter it’s important to keep this at the front of your mind at all times and keep referring back to the original goals.
• Preparation is key: ensure you have an armoury of assets before you start the stunt in order to ensure post-stunt activity runs as smoothly as possible. This may include imagery, video, blog posts, expert commentary and a catalogue of social media posts.

Punch Communications is a public relations agency with experience spanning consumer, corporate, business-to-business and technology PR. For more information, please visit www.punchcomms.com.