How to Get Free Press Coverage

From a distance, getting press coverage seems like a simple step in a brand’s marketing plan. Because journalists are more or less inundated with new pitches, however, the reality is that you’re going to have to work a little harder to make your brand and product stand out from the crowd.

Whether you’re an established business, or just getting started, it’s never too soon to strategically let people know about your product. Still, choosing the best outlet to promote your brand is only half the battle, with the rest being forming the right strategy to get the attention of your target influencer or journalist. Here’s a guide to help you plan your next steps.

Bypass traditional outlets

Getting traditional press coverage is something of a fool’s game these days. Journalists and editors are typically overloaded, day and night, with pitches from brands, products and influencers clamoring for a spot in the paper.

Get a better return on your time investment by instead contacting blogs that are targeting your niche, rather than pitching your product to a traditional news outlet. These are often far less saturated avenues to pursue.

Often, blogs have a page that invites you to submit product tips. Mashable’s Submit news page is just one example - and it’s completely free!

Find Top Bloggers and Influencers

Leverage the power of Google to make your life much, much easier. By doing a simple Google search for sites related to your product or niche, you will be able to find blogs, journalists and influencers who will be able to spread the word about your product.

Some 92% of buyers trust recommendations and products from people they know, and a further 70% trust opinions and reviews found online. This gives online coverage an excellent opportunity for you to secure new customers or followers.

Here are some examples of search strings to use:

• X influencers
• X product influencers
• top X bloggers
• blogs like X
• X product reviews

Target Product Blogs

A surefire way to get press coverage is to secure a feature on a blog that specifically writes about new or interesting products. These include Uncrate, Cool Material, and Supercompressor, but there are countless product blogs you can target to drive traffic and sales to your online store. You might also like to try:

• In Stash
• The Awesomer
• Shut up and Take My Money
• I Waste So Much Money
• Wanelo
• Bless This Stuff
• Thrillist
• Fancy
• Gear Hungry
• Gear Patrol
• Shopkick
• Cool Hunting
• The Manual

Be Inventive

At the end of the day, the creative bird gets the worm. Can’t figure out how to track down a blog curator? Find businesses that have been featured on the blog, and contact them directly to get an insight into the blog’s curation process.

Find writers on LinkedIn and send them a connect request, or Tweet at them directly. Followerwonk is another great service that can help you dig up this kind of information.

Happy hunting!