Haystac’s former National Head of Strategy, Haylie Marchant (pictured) has launched The PR Toolkit – an online resource and DIY PR platform educating and empowering small and medium sized businesses to do their own PR.

Offering a mix of free resources and easy-to-use how to guides, the one-stop-shop for DIY PR covers media relations, media training, influencer engagement, issues management and much more, all designed to support Australian SMEs in building their profiles and promoting their businesses in a highly cost-effective way.

Also coming soon is a 6-week online course providing a personalised masterclass in media relations, with additional courses set to be launched later this year.

Marchant, who established the Haystac Brisbane office and served as its General Manager for six years before moving into the Head of Strategy role, says that while she felt inspired to use her experience to help SME’s for some time, it was Covid-19 that gave her the real motivation to establish the DIY platform.

“It’s no secret that the past few months have been difficult for many people, and that is especially true for SMEs who have really felt the impact of Covid-19. “The vast majority (97%) of Australian businesses are small and they account for 33% of Australia’s GDP* – which is why it’s so worrying that 63% of small businesses have been negatively impacted by Covid-19, with 91% concerned about the viability of their business in the next four to six months.

“There’s a lot of work to be done to help rebuild the economy and re-establish businesses, but the reality is, many SMEs simply can’t afford to engage a PR agency to help them.

“That is why I’ve taken my years of experience building and managing PR agencies, and working with both major brands and small businesses both in Australia and abroad, to create easy-to-use toolkits and free resources that offer absolutely everything SMEs need to know about PR,” she says.

The information available on The PR Toolkit comes direct from the real-world and serves as a curation of knowledge and expertise developed over decades of consulting and PR practice.

“It do hope that the information and insights provided can empower SME’s during these difficult times, and provide them with the tools and confidence to have a go at using PR to promote their businesses. “But it’s my ultimate goal that they realise the benefits of good PR and how it can positively impact their bottom line, helping them not only survive, but thrive in a post Covid world,” she adds.