If you want to increase your company’s visibility or promote a new product, media coverage is an effective approach.
Although it may seem like a simple process, obtaining press coverage is actually quite difficult. It takes a lot of hard work and planning to be successful.
Calm down! I’m getting to that now! So here’s how to get media coverage for your startup or business, in these calculated steps.
1. Start with your story
Tell the world your company’s story in a way that is interesting and shows why your company is necessary. Your story should go beyond “I started this business because….” and show how your company is solving a problem or changing the world.
Developing a strong story is key to getting media coverage. Make sure your story is compelling and spend time on it to increase your chances of success.
2. Build your narrative using owned media
I’m referring to the media outlets that you own and have complete control over, such as your website and blog. This means making sure your internal messaging, branding, and in-house content is up to scratch. You may think it’s odd that a guide on how to win press coverage is focusing on the merits of owned media. But, trust us. It’s worth your while.
The first thing you should do when trying to establish your brand is to go through all the content you already have and make sure it accurately represents who you are, what you do, and what your values are.
3. Establish Goals – Reasonable Ones
It’s important to focus on what will help you achieve your objectives, not just on goals that make you look good. Be specific about what you want to achieve, and set goals that will help you reach your overall objectives. For example, rather than just setting a goal to “become famous,” set a goal to “increase brand awareness by targeting well-known publications,” or “alert potential customers to a new product by seeking coverage in niche publications that our target market frequents.”
SMART goals are: Specific Manageable Attainable Relevant Time-based.
If you have defined goals, you can tell if you are making progress and if you need to change your strategy.
4. Identify the most relevant journalists
It is essential to win earned media that is relevant to your business and target audience. There are guides on finding relevant journalists within your industry. Below is a quick summary. To start, identify the most relevant publications: begin with what you know and make a list of all the publications that report on your industry. Secondly, use tools such as Google News or Moz to view the publications your competitors have won media coverage in. Finally, widen the net to find related outlets by using Similarweb to find online publications that are similar to the ones you uncovered in the above steps.
After you have compiled a list of potential publications, research the most fitting journalists at those outlets to target.
The best way to find journalists that write about your business is to search for keywords that relate to your business or industry, and then look through publications for stories that include these keywords. Keep track of the journalists who have written these stories so you can contact them later.
Use the tools hey.press and Anewstip to search for journalists by keywords. Make a note of all the relevant journalists you find.
5. Setup media monitoring
When you break it down, media monitoring is quite simple. For example, at Publicize, they monitor their own brand, their competitors’ brands, and a bunch of industry terms such as: Startup PR; Tech PR; Silicon Valley PR; and Digital PR. Here are some tools you can use to media monitor:
Google Alerts
Talkwalker Alerts
Hootsuite
Quora
6. Define your PR tactics for winning press coverage
You can try to get your company name out there by writing articles for other blogs or websites in your industry. There are many ways to get media coverage by earning it, rather than paying for it. Here are some tactics you can use:
Guest Articles: You can try to get your company name out there by writing articles for other blogs or websites in your industry.
Press Releases are a type of earned media. A press release is a piece of content that you write and then publish under your own name on a third-party media organization’s website. Press releases can help you increase your credibility and exposure, and if they are done properly, they can also be great for SEO.
There is a belief amongst some in the PR community that press releases are no longer effective. It is true that if you only have something newsworthy to announce once or twice a year, then releases may not be the best use of your time. With the high volume of releases that journalists receive on a daily basis, competition is indeed high. Our suggestion is that you use releases sparingly and make sure that they are well-written and targeted at podcasts and media outlets that are likely to care about your story.
If you want to show the human side of your business and establish yourself as a thought leader, being a guest on a relevant industry podcast is a great way to do it. You can showcase your knowledge and expertise on the subject, and build up your reputation in the process.
Reviews are also a really easy way to get attention for your product. Getting positive reviews for your product is a great way to earn media attention. Reviewers typically focus on the specifications and benefits of your product, which can help promote your product if the review is positive. Newsjacking is also an easy way to get attention for your product.
You can use media monitoring to your advantage by looking for opportunities to share your perspective on current events in your industry. If you have a unique perspective or counter-argument on a news story, you can reach out to publications for comment or pitches. This is a great way to get exposure for your brand and build trust with your audience. You can also use interviews to share your thoughts on current events.
Podcasts and interviews are both great ways to show off your company’s backstory and human side. If you have an interesting story to tell, consider using interviews to get the word out there.
7. Build rapport with journalists BEFORE you need them
Before pitching to a journalist, you should engage with them ahead of time to establish a personal connection.
If you want to win press coverage, it’s important to make friends with journalists. You’ll have a much better chance if you start right away.
The key to successful media outreach is building and maintaining relationships with writers. Pitching news that the writers are interested in will increase the chances of getting coverage.
Start connecting with journalists
- Follow Them on Twitter – Most journalists can be found on Twitter; almost 60 percent have a Twitter account. So follow them, and engage in conversations about day-to-day life, a TV show they’re live tweeting, a sports event, or their daily coffee shop visit.
- Connect With Them or In-Mail Them on LinkedIn – Some writers prefer LinkedIn. If the writers you’re targeting are on there and the timing seems right, pick their brain about how they prefer to be pitched. Ask them what type of stories they look for and how much notice they prefer to have when covering your news or announcement.
- Connect Locally – If a journalist is local, it’s important to connect in-person. On a local level, attend events, conferences, or trade shows to get some face time.
- Make Their Life Easier – A great way to connect with journalists is by making their life easier. Help them with a piece they are working on, one that’s unrelated to your company, by referring them to a business or product that you know of. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is an excellent resource.
Don’t overlook how significant connections are. Make an effort to connect with journalists on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or in-person. Get to know them and build a relationship. You’ll be much more successful than if you just sent a random pitch.
8. Build the perfect pitch
It’s easy for startups to get excited about their own news, but it’s important to look at it from the media’s perspective. Ask yourself if the story will be just as exciting to them.
It is better if you do not have to pitch at all. If you have developed a good relationship with the person over time, you will know what kind of stories they are interested in. You can ask if you can share some news that you believe they will be interested in. If you have done your research properly, the person will be receptive.
9. Make sure you have a hook
When you’re trying to get a journalist to write about your event, simply saying “we’re having an event” is not likely to be newsworthy. However, saying something like “the event we’re hosting is the first tech startup network event in the city” is more likely to be interesting to the reader and thus more likely to be newsworthy. This is called a “hook” or an “angle”- something that grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to read more.
There are a few more guidelines to follow when it comes to interacting with the press:
Make sure what you’re saying is relevant.
If you don’t send journalists something that is relevant to them, you will upset them. Don’t try to get a guest post published on a website that doesn’t accept them.
If you don’t want to waste your time or annoy the editor, read the contributor guidelines before you pitch an article. Also, don’t pitch the same article to two different people at the same publication.
It’s okay to follow up once after a few weeks have gone by.
If you don’t hear back from someone after you’ve pitched them an idea, it’s totally fine to follow up a day or two later. But if you wait any longer than that, the person you’re reaching out to will probably not appreciate it. PR professionals will tell you that you need to get used to hearing “no” sometimes. Just accept it and move on.
10. Close the Deal
No one wants to be seen as pushy, as that would make them seem like the clichéd used car salesman. When working to get a writer to cover you, don’t be too aggressive; you’re only trying to confirm their interest.
When a writer responds positively to your pitch, make sure you’re available to give them everything they need to tell your story. If you’re launching, make sure your website is ready. If they ask for an interview, make yourself available for one. Have your press assets on hand: founder bios, photos or videos of the products in action, and your company story or media release. A few great pieces can be extremely impactful, so focus on quality over quantity.
If you act rudely, even if you don’t mean to, it can damage your reputation. So it’s important to keep your promises and meet deadlines. If you promise someone something, stick to the promise. Don’t change your mind. Be aware that how you act towards journalists affects how likely they are to work with you in the future. If you make things easier for them, they will be more likely to be helpful when you come to them with a story idea.
11. Following up on earned media wins
Check they’ve included a backlink
Backlinks are a key part of SEO, so it’s important that any media wins you get include them. If they don’t, don’t be offended, just send a follow-up email asking if they can add one.
Monitor the feedback too. Check out the user comments on the publication’s website and see what people are saying about the publication on social media. This will give you an idea of how the publication is being received, what areas need improvement, and give you ideas for your next earned media win. Don’t forget to check your own channels as well.
Make sure to post on social media as soon as possible, regardless of whether you posted it on social media first. Also, keep an eye on what your target audience is saying to get feedback.
Media Coverage Conclusion
Generating continual media coverage for your company requires developing relationships with members of the press. If they have featured your company in the past, they will be more likely to do so again in the future.
No matter what, you can’t forget how important it is to get your company’s name out there. Winning the right kind of press can make or break your company though.
If you have a good media strategy that is based on research, it will also help your business to improve its ranking on search engines and make it more credible in the eyes of potential customers. This will eventually lead to more growth for your business.