So, you want to read about your business in the news, great, I don’t blame you. Media coverage can be a great boost for your business, and can help to build credibility, awareness and conversion rates. Therefore it’s understandable that business owners see the benefit of media coverage.
But how do you go about getting some media coverage for your business, there’s hundreds of thousands of businesses all looking to get their names out to the public and there are thousands of media outlets looking for news, but just the thought of that can feel overwhelming. You might have PR on your to do list and it has turned into a task that you are constantly putting off. Or maybe you’ve tried to secure some coverage for yourself and not had much luck. Well here are five tips for you.
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Is it newsworthy?
I’m a straight shooter, so I’ll get straight to the point, before you spend lots of time on trying to do a big PR push, firstly let’s look at what it is you want to tell the media about. Asking yourself if your story is news worthy is the first point of call. What may interest you might not interest a journalist and their readers.
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Research
Spend some time going through your local newspaper or the relevant publications in your industry to see what kind of stories they cover and see if you can create something similar for your business. Research media outlets that cover your industry and your competitors.
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List building
Following on from your research start to build a mini media list for yourself of those outlets that cover your area. You can always introduce yourself to local media so they know they can come to you on particular stories.
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Think of the readers
Most of the time when clients come to me they are relying on my expertise to highlight relevant media. However, I have come across a few that have their media wish list of titles that they want to be featured in. This can be fine if it fits, however on a couple of occasions the outlets have been a total mismatch for the business. Make sure you are pitching to the right audience and at the right level.
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Don’t be salesy
We don’t like the cheesy sales reps so don’t turn into one yourself, if you have a story idea pitch it to the journalist, be honest and helpful – don’t overdo it and don’t pester. If you send them an email, you can chase up, but don’t turn into a stalker.
Have any tips you can think of? Leave your comments below and don’t forget to check out this video on how to get media coverage.
