Looking to get media coverage for your brand? Then you’ll need to get yourself noticed by journalists. Due largely to publications cutting resources on their news desks, PR professionals outnumber journalists five to one. That means journalists have less time to work on their own stories and rely more on PR contributions. However, it also means that their inboxes are flooded with emails from brands wanting to get news coverage.
Journalists welcome, and rely on, content written by businesses and PR professionals, but to get yourself noticed, you will need to stand out from the crowd.
We are dedicated to helping our clients achieve great coverage across all types of media and have years of experience in securing articles in top titles. Here’s how businesses can get the coverage they deserve:
Create a media plan
Be where your audience is. Conducting research to find out where your target audience consumes information is vital. Journalists want stories that are relevant to their readers, so make sure you’re giving it to them by targeting outlets that are related to your brand.
It’s at this stage that you will discover whether you need to focus more on traditional print media, digital media, or a combination. A combination is often best – but every brand is different, and the media you target needs to be led by your audience.
Once you know where you want to achieve coverage, you can build a media list of contacts in the outlets you want to target.
Build relationships
Building relationships with journalists, bloggers and influencers is key to getting coverage, so make sure you only send them stories and information that will be helpful. Doing your research and providing credible information is essential – otherwise you will most likely end up on a journalist’s email black list!
One of the best things to do when first getting in touch with a journalist is to provide them with information about how you could help support articles they are writing. For example, researching the outlet’s forward features list for suitable opportunities that match your expertise, or giving journalists a taste of the topics you could provide comment for.
Start with a story
You’ve got to know what you want to say. Everything you do needs to align with your brand, so start by defining your brand values. Why does your brand exist? What do you bring to your customers’ lives that they can’t get elsewhere? And what are the things that set you apart from your competitors and ‘make you, you?’ Every story you tell through your PR should feed into these ideas.
From there, you can then devise specific stories that journalists will want their readers to know about – from product launches, and business news press releases, to thought leadership articles and news about a community outreach project.
Spelling and grammar matters
Imagine turning up to a job interview in dirty and torn clothes. Your qualities and experience might make you perfect for the job, but if you don’t present yourself well, you probably won’t get the recognition you deserve.
Sending a poorly written article is the same – you might have a great story, but if it’s not well written, you’re unlikely to reap the rewards of good coverage.
Journalists are busy people. They want to receive content that is of publishable quality, and they don’t have time to correct spelling and grammar mistakes, remove waffle, or turn a poorly written article into something more readable.
Know your lead times
Different publications have different lead times, and it’s crucial to be mindful of this if you want to execute a successful PR campaign and stay in journalists’ good books.
Traditional media will have longer lead times than digital media (and influencer campaigns have a whole schedule of their own).
Want further guidance or need help crafting content you can be proud of? Book a free 30-minute consultation to talk all things PR, or call us on 01403 458118.
