All businesses and business owners want press coverage. Yet, very few actually understand what it takes to reach out to a journalist and frame a story in a way that will attract the journalist’s and their audience’s attention. When businesses don’t gain media coverage, they have a hard time building their credibility, exposure, and awareness, which are vital foundations that businesses have to lay down from the very beginning.
New businesses have to get creative when thinking about getting media coverage because the traditional methods don’t usually work for them.
One of the main things that new business owners have to learn initially is to understand who they’re trying to reach out to. Businesses can’t pitch products to consumers without understanding consumer needs first. Similarly, they have to understand what motivates the journalists and what gets their attention before attempting to contact them.
An essential in understanding this is knowing that journalists’ main job is to serve their readers, which means they’re constantly looking for insights or stories that will bring value to their audience.
This means the best way to get the attention of a journalist is to study their work – by carefully reading their previous work, the way they share stories, and the information they provide, business owners can gain a lot of insight on how they should be pitching the story to that journalist in particular. Then, framing the business’s story in a way that’s going to fit the journalist’s needs can increase the chances of getting media coverage.
Before reaching out to media outlets, business owners have to understand why they need media coverage in the first place, and the answer should be really good. Some good reasons include increasing its profile before approaching new investors or driving awareness for a new product.
Meanwhile, some business owners look to gain media coverage simply because they think the business needs it. They believe the company has already earned it, or even because they want to see its name in a certain publication. However, media coverage is a business and a marketing tool that should be used just like any other business and marketing tools and should only be pursued when there’s a clear need for it.
Not all businesses require a PR agency or a publicist, especially when they’re just starting. Although these companies and people can save a lot of time and effort because it’s their job to tell the company’s story to relevant journalists, they don’t really control whether the business will actually get media coverage.
However, it’s important for those looking for a PR agency or a publicist to know how to choose the right one. Those who are good at what they do won’t have any issues in explaining the work they do, connecting the business with precious clients, and communicating over the company’s story itself.