All writers need to publicise their work. Candace Markwell caught up with Megan Lloyd Laney, PR expert, to find out how to triumph in the PR world.

Megan Lloyd Laney, communications consultant, is an expert in managing public relations in the development community. Megan also conducts training internationally, helping organisations to develop their communication strategies. "To succeed in public relations you need to be fantastically opportunistic," she says. But that’s not all – here is her practical advice:

Know your audience

Knowing your audience is a very good first step. Ask yourself what it is that they want? You need to establish good will and understanding. You have to build trust by establishing communication and nurturing relationships. "The key to being a great communicator is to be able to look into the eyes of the people you are communicating with and write for them," says Megan.

Get the tone right

After knowing your audience, getting the right tone, is your next must. Do your audience research. Ask yourself the question. "What do people know?" Pre-testing your material is a good way of ensuring you have the right approach, make sure that you are aware of the social norms of your audience.

If there are visuals in your material, make sure those are tested as well. Megan told me a story about a campaign in Africa to raise the awareness of malaria that featured a bill board with a giant mosquito. The audience didn't make the connection between themselves and potential malaria because their mosquitos were a fraction of the size of the giant one with malaria. Sometimes you may need to promote one product in several different ways to appeal to different audiences – "it is very difficult to promote a product with just one set of messages," says Megan.

Get networking

Networking and relationship building are other ways of increasing your effectiveness. "Make entry points and find people that are members of lots of different constituencies," says Megan. "Also, try to achieve the 'stickiness factor' – find things that stick in people's minds.

An interesting consideration is location; think about where people are going to be when they hear your message - it may define what they do with it. It’s good to think in a creative way, and bring fresh ideas to your subject, but remember that they don't have to be the wackiest or the loudest."

Understand the organisation

When you are working with a particular organisation such as a publisher, it pays to gain an understanding of the organisation's commitment to your messages. Asking the right questions can help – such as how involved are they in the communication and are they putting their money where their mouths are?

Use charm and influencing skills to find allies in management and when you are interacting with influential people, let them talk; it is the best way of getting inside their heads. On the other hand, don't be afraid to challenge people and get them to take ownership. If you are concerned about organisational commitment, then say so. Without commitment, it will be very difficult for you to succeed.

Aim high

Look around at what other authors and publishers are doing. Who do you think has good PR? Who do you wish you were like? Who gets good media coverage and why? Try to gather as many facts as you can on how they achieve this, and start emulating these good examples. Good luck!