“Publicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front-page ad.” - Richard Branson

Introduction:

Securing media coverage is a brilliant way to raise the profile of your business and reach a wider audience but how do you actually get your story featured?

If you’ve sent press releases to journalists before and been ignored, it can be pretty soul destroying. Then again, you may have wanted to pitch a story to the media, but you kept putting it off because you weren’t quite sure what to do with it or who to send it to.

Either way, here are some top tips to help you increase your chances of getting yourself in the media.

1. Identify a Newsworthy Story:

Your story is the crux of being successful. Look at your business and write down what makes you different. What are you offering? What’s so special about it? How can you help the people in your target market? Are you doing something to help your local community? Whatever it is, you need to make sure that it will be of interest to the journalist you are sending it to and to their readers, listeners or viewers.

2. Research Media outlets:

Work out where you would like your story to appear. Research the relevant newspapers, magazines etc to see the types of story they cover. See who the journalists are and what they like to write about. You can then tailor your press release and pitch directly to them to improve your chance of coverage.

3. Build Relationships with Journalists:

Research journalists who cover your industry or sector. Find out where they hang out on social media, engage with their posts and share their articles. By building a relationship with them, you are more likely to come to mind when they are considering future stories.

4. Write a Press Release:

When you have a newsworthy story, write a press release and distribute it to your chosen media outlets. Make sure you keep it short, to the point and, above all, relevant to their readers, listeners or viewers.

5. Include images and video:

The whole idea is to make it as easy as possible for a journalist to use your story, so don’t forget to include relevant images, video and/or relevant data to enhance their coverage.

Remember, consistency is key when it comes to PR. Businesses need a constant drip-drip effect of media attention to keep themselves at the forefront of people’s minds - and if you follow these steps you will surely increase your chances of securing media coverage.

If you would like to find out more about getting yourself in the media and increasing your visibility or if you are already doing PR and need specific help with strategy or writing a press release or identifying newsworthy stories, book a 'Pop Up PR' session.

Good luck!