the-dark-side-of-pr-pay-to-win-tactics-you-should-avoid
As someone who has worked in the public relations and personal brand consulting space, I have seen many slimy and unethical tactics being leveraged. I wanted to take a few minutes to write this post so you, my fellow entrepreneurs and owners, know what to avoid and run away from. By "Pay to Win" tactics, I am talking about anything that is done by leaning on instant gratification, emotions, and ignorance.
For simplicity, I’ll bullet this post out.
1. Fake Followers, Bot Accounts, Engagement Farming
This is especially prevalent on Instagram, and although they have tried to crack down on it, it’s simply not enough. Anyone who approaches you offering to sell you followers, likes, or comments should be an instant red flag. It goes against Instagram’s terms of service and can actually put your account at risk of removal. Build your following organically or run ads before trying to portray yourself as something you are not.
2. Fake or Low-Quality Press
Don’t concern yourself with the "Get featured in so and so's top 10 Business Owners" or the advertisements that offer to put you in front of 200+ news outlets. Most of the time, these sites have no domain authority and will generate nothing for your business. In terms of the 200+ placements, all that is, is an up-charged newswire press release. Rather, submit your own press release via one of the many services. You weren’t featured on Fox News; you were featured under a small section on Fox31 out of Nebraska. It is possible to land high-quality placements by pitching reporters and using software like Featured or Qwoted. On top of this, anytime someone offers to get you in Forbes or Entrepreneur, go in the opposite direction. These outlets frown upon any paid posts, and you will get scammed out of $5k to $10k dollars doing this. It is also illegal as they are not disclosed as "paid advertisements" in the FTC’s eyes.
3. Google Knowledge Panel Services
A GKP for short is what shows up in Google for a notable entity. Search up your favorite celebrity or myself as an example. There are people charging thousands of dollars, guaranteeing they can create you a panel, and it’s nothing but lies. You can only influence Google, not force it. A Knowledge Panel is automatically generated when you have enough information out there on you or your business. It is, in fact, different from a My Business Listing.
4. Wikipedia Page Creation
Wikipedia has strict rules in place against paid-for pages, disclosure policies, and half the time, their moderators will delete pages they believe are created with bias. I know this is a major goal for many of you, but keep building your business and personal brand, and one may be created for you organically over time.
5. If Something Sounds Too Good to Be True...
Always do your research, ask for testimonials, and when in doubt, don’t risk it. Credibility is earned, not bought.
I hope this helps you in your decision-making. If you have any questions or have been scammed, comment on this post to ensure others don’t make the same mistakes.
Hit the share button too, to bring this information to those in your network.
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