We are Teesside-based PR experts SASS media Ltd.
We are Sarah Walker and Sarah Dale, directors of SASS media Ltd.
We are public relations professionals with more than 35 years’ experience in journalism and public and private sector and charity PR.
What exactly do we offer?
Public relations strategy
Are you a new business that needs some help working out your communications and public relations needs for the year ahead and beyond? Or are you a well-established public sector, private sector or charitable organisation undergoing a rebrand or transformational change? We will sit down with you and work out the key messages you want to get across, who you want to hear them (your stakeholders) and how best to reach those people. We will also discuss any reputational risks and how these might be managed, taking a proactive, rather than a reactive approach to any potential for adverse publicity. We will then work out a timeline for the delivery of key messages to your stakeholders to maximise the effectiveness of your messaging and communication. One example of where we have experience of this include working in an NHS trust, managing communication around significant changes to services that potentially had a perceived impact on patient care, including stakeholders who sought to challenge the changes taking place.
Have a no obligation chat and optional cuppa with us today to see how we can help.
Media relations
If your business has suddenly found itself the subject of media attention, you might be in unfamiliar territory and require some support with how to deal with journalists’ questions. As a business with a solid background in journalism, we are ideally placed to give you an excellent insight into what questions you’re likely to be asked and support you with preparing appropriate responses. Support might be particularly important to you if you are in a crisis management situation and experiencing negative media attention. We can help by understanding your situation before writing appropriate and well thought out press statements from the relevant people in the organisation.
If you’ve been contacted by the media and want some help with how to respond, get in touch.
Press release writing
We can also maximise the potential of positive news stories, ensuring they get the maximum coverage possible – providing the timing is right for your organisation and in the wider context of what is happening in your sector.
We believe all businesses have a great story to tell – so allow us to tell and sell yours to local journalists! Whether you’ve increased the number of staff you are taking on, are moving to new bigger premises or have developed a groundbreaking product or service to disrupt the market you are operating in, we can make sure you get maximum coverage for your good news story.
If you want us to look at developing a longer term plan which includes regular press releases that will grab journalists’ attention, we offer sensibly-priced monthly retainer fees or pay as you go options. Get in touch.
Website copy and other elements of the marketing mix
Whatever sector you work in, your website is like a ‘shop window’ instantly reflecting everything you have on offer, your brand and ethos. If you’re developing a new website or changing your existing one, we can write copy for this as part of a larger PR and marketing strategy or as a one-off project. We will usually advise private sector organisations to include a client case studies section, a news page and a blog section, which we can also regularly update on your behalf, through clear and effective communications with the right person or people in your organisation. These will help get your website higher up the google rankings. Public sector and charity organisations can also significantly benefit from having a regularly updated news and blog section on their website. We also work with trusted marketing professionals including website designers, SEO specialists, Google Ads and paid search specialists, social media marketing experts and graphic designers, so we can project manage an overarching PR and marketing strategy, if this is what you require.
Get in touch for more information.
Regular newsletters
We currently work with Our Hospitals Charity to project manage the production of a quarterly newsletter, overseeing everything from gathering and writing stories through to design and print. The newsletter is also available online and this can be a more cost-effective way to reach your subscribers and stakeholders. Whether online, in print or a combination, we work with trusted local suppliers to deliver high quality publications that meet your needs.
Contact us and we will send you some recent examples of our work.
So what is SASS?
Definition:
Although the name SASS comes from the fact we are Sarah and Sarah, the following definition also represents what we bring to the organisations we work with.
Sass (noun). Meaning: 1) an appealingly exciting, lively or spirited quality. 2) Boldness
Sassy (adjective) Meaning: 1) Lively, bold and full of spirit.
We are bold when it comes to our confidence in our ability to represent your organisation and ensure you put your best foot forward when communicating with your customers and other stakeholders. We use our skills as public relations experts, journalists and copywriters to take a confident approach to all your communications needs.
We are lively and spirited – we bring enthusiasm, creativity, ideas and action.
Our story
Sarah and Sarah met in 2006 at The Gazette on Teesside, where we covered business, news, local authority news, features and health as specialists. Despite taking different career paths on our journey to forming SASS media Ltd, we have remained firm friends for 16 years.
As a duo working with other trusted marketing professionals and freelance writers, we are well placed to help businesses, public sector organisations and charities with all their communications and copywriting needs, from writing blog posts and other content for their websites and social media, to wider communications and public relations strategies as described above.
Whether you want a one off press release for your business, a bigger communications strategy, or a rebrand, we can help you with a strategy that encompasses print and digital marketing materials from leaflets to social media and websites, media relations, stakeholder engagement or crisis management.
Contact us now for more information.
We believe all businesses have a story to tell.
Let us help you tell yours!