Articles, interviews, news segments, or stories in newspapers, blogs, radio, or television are great growth tactics to drive awareness and positive public perception about your business. Many people believe that you need to hire a publicist or agency to get media attention, however, having strong communication skills and a sales background is all you need. Below are five easy steps to get free media exposure.
1) Identify what makes your story newsworthy This is the critical step in getting free media exposure. You need to be able to answer the question, why would the media outlet or journalist cover your story? What makes it newsworthy? Why would their readership be interested? If you can answer this question, you are well on your way to getting covered. Below are a few examples of newsworthiness to get you started:
2) Write a press release A press release is a mandatory action item in obtaining free media coverage. This is a critical step and can be a blog post in and of itself. The first component of a press release is a eye-catching headline with sub-headline. Basically, what makes your story newsworthy in one sentence. The first paragraph covers the who, what, when, where, and why of your story. The second paragraph will contains more details, and perhaps a quote to be used for the article. A paragraph of background information about your business should also be included. For more on this topic, check out this blog post from Hubspot. 3) Build a strategic distribution list This step is where strategy comes into play. A spray and pray tactic does not work in Public Relations. Just like sales, you need to brainstorm who is the ideal target for your business (or in this case, story). Match the topic or theme of your story with appropriate media outlets and journalists who focus on your topic. Just as an obvious example, if your story is about a new business launch, you don't want to send a press release to the movie reviewer. Build your strategic list, gather names and email addresses of journalists, and send out your press release in the body of your email as well as as attachment. 4) Follow up This step will separate you from a vast majority. Journalists and media outlets receive a lot of press releases, and I mean a lot! Pro tip: The day after sending out your press release, follow up with everyone to ensure that the press release was received and did not get lost in the daily shuffle. 5) Be ready to pitch! When you follow up on your press release, be ready to pitch your story. If you have followed these steps and have identified what makes your story newsworthy, then this should be simple. Try to add value to the person who you are pitching, for example, be ready to help with photos, interview availability, or even be willing to let your story be exclusive to the respective media outlet. Journalists are always hunting for content and unique stories, so you are actually helping to solve their problem, but always approach your pitch for their perspective, in other words, "whats in it for them." Follow these steps and I am sure that you will have success.
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AuthorJordan Kling is a Business Consultant based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Archives
March 2018
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