7 Tips to Get Media Coverage For Your Business
You’ve got something that your company wants to announce. You make all the preparations and pull together a media coverage. You’ve sent it out to lots of journalists and……
Nothing!
No coverage!
Nada!
So, what went wrong?
Read on and we’ll cover our top 7 tips for getting media coverage for your business. Don’t forget, if you need any help along the way, why not get in touch and see how Aura PR can help you get the media coverage you deserve.
What Is Media Coverage?
Ok, before we get into our top tips, the first thing we need to clear up is what exactly is media coverage. Quite simply, it’s anything gives your business attention, whether it’s in a printed magazine or newspaper, a digital media platform or even TV and radio interviews. Each one has slightly different purposes and results. You should align your chosen media output with your communications and marketing plan.
To give it a very short description, here is a quick guide:
- Media Coverage– a written piece of communication that creates a buzz about news, information or an event. Typically, these are only about 400 words in length and should be to the point about the news – don’t add too many details. Think of the who, what, where, when, why and how.
- Feature/article – is a written piece of communication which gives an opinion or informs about a subject. Think of it more of telling your story and can also be used as thought-leadership pieces. These are longer in length and give you the opportunity to explain your product, service or event in more detail.
- Radio / TV – an interview/conversation between you and the interviewee which allows your business to get your story across. These can be either live or recorded for later broadcast.
For this blog, we are looking at how to get media coverage for your press release.
1. Ta-da!! Has your news story got a hook???
We know you’re incredibly excited about your big announcement and it’s a big buzz for your company but that doesn’t always mean that magazines or media outlets are going to feel the same.
Not everything is newsworthy enough to get free coverage. For example, if you’re announcing a new product or launching a new event then it’s usually seen as sales-driven news releases and, if you want guaranteed coverage, you are best paying for an advertorial or advert. That’s unless the new product is a ‘hot’ topic, or your company is big enough to be its own talking point (think the launch of a new Apple product and you’ll see what we mean). Alternatively, a compelling story can sometimes win you placement such as a problem-solving case study.
So, how do you get media coverage without having to pay for it? You have two choices. It’s all about creating media coverage which hits current events such as politics, economy, technology and sustainability. Alternatively go for human interest stories – get that first-person news that has a positive impact.
2. What type of media outlet are you choosing?
When it comes to magazines and newspapers there is a huge choice out there and the media coverage you deserve depends a lot on their popularity.
Of course, we’ve all heard of the big ones like The Guardian or BBC News or The Sun. Everyone wants to get coverage in these titles, but they will usually prove the hardest challenges. They are only going to want ‘hot topics’, those key discussion points that are of peak interest such as rising energy bill costs, climate change or how AI will take over our jobs. Naturally, the competition to get featured is fierce.
Next are local newspapers and magazines. They are mostly looking for nationwide stories that have a local angle or news that is community-led.
Finally, you have specialist interests and trade magazines. These titles are relevant to a specific topic area such as lifestyle or an industry such as warehousing. They usually use features that cover national stories or key areas relevant to their industry.
3. Are you reaching the right media outlets?
You’ve got the news release nailed and you’re confident it hits the newsworthy criteria but it’s still not getting coverage.
It’s time to go back a step, do some research and check which magazines and newspapers you’re hoping to feature in:
- Are they relevant to your industry, company or the news you’re discussing?
- Has the magazine featured similar stories before?
- Are there specific sections in the media title which relate to your topic?
- Have you got in contact with key journalists to win support for your story?
- Does your news release hit the mark with the tone of voice for each media title – it might need changing for different outlets?
- Have you chosen a wide range of titles? One magazine or newspaper might not have room for your story, but another might.
4. It’s all in the details
Don’t forget to check what deadline the news desk for your chosen magazines and newspapers are working to. It’s no good sending out a news release in November about a Christmas-themed product if the magazine compiles the December magazine months before.
The magazine may also have requirements on the word count, format and number of images – this is particularly the case if it’s a paid placement.
What writing style does the magazine or newspaper use? It could be a corporate tone or a chattier style. You should also check their readership demographic and make sure the news release style fits with the ideal target audience.
If you are trying to capture free news coverage whatever you do, don’t go into a full sales pitch which promotes the expertise of your company – it’s not going to work!!
5. It’s good to talk
In this digital world where everyone communicates electronically, it can be easy to send out a load of emails and never follow up. But build relationships with journalists and it can really help later down the line. Even if they don’t use your media coverage this time, you never know what opportunity might appear later.
Talking to journalists is a process which should happen continuously:
- Before you even think about sending out new coverage, it’s a good idea to connect with your list of journalists and editors and see what topic points they discuss. Comment on their stories and try and start a conversation.
- When crafting your pitch try and subtly bring in the articles or topics they discuss and reference how it relates to your product, project or service.
- Once the pitch has gone out, pick up the phone or drop them a DM to find out if they received your news release and their thoughts. Although the news release might not be for them right now, they’ll usually give you hints and tips for getting covered in the future.
6. Time to pitch!
First, let’s explain the pitch. This is your way of grabbing the attention of an editor or journalist. They’re busy people and trust us when we say they don’t always have time to read every email that hits their inbox. It’s also a good idea to email a good time before their upcoming deadline – leave it too late and they won’t have time to fit in your news story.
That means your email pitch needs to grab their attention quickly. Start with email title – if you can’t grab their attention and tell them everything they need to know in five words, you’re going to make it harder to get your email opened. If the relevant journalist then opens your email, now’s the time to tell them all about your great article and why the magazine or newspaper should run it. Whatever you do, don’t go overboard with a lengthy email, make it succinct, highlight the main points and make it sound appealing.
Pitching is not a one-size-fits-all approach instead you need to personalise each email you send. Tailor the email message to make sure you’re hitting their audience needs, creating newsworthy content and match the magazine or newspaper style. At the very end, add in a Call To Action (CTA) making it very easy for the journalist to get in touch.
Whatever you do, don’t forget to attach the news release and supporting images to the email!
7. Track the results
Newspapers and magazines will not always tell you if they’ve used your news release. If you don’t know the response, how will you alter your approach next time?
When doing your initial media research, it’s a great idea to create a list of your ideal titles which should include the title, specialism area and email address and contact details for the journalists. Include on this list a results and comments column so that you can record your successes, outcomes and any feedback the magazine gives you.
If you do get coverage, don’t forget to share the good news on social networks. You can create a social media event by announcing when it will be released, show a copy of article in the newspaper or magazine and then follow up a month later with a version of the article as a blog on your website. Not only does it maximise your coverage but it also boosts the profile of the magazine.
Why Is My News Not Getting Media Coverage?
If you’re still not getting the desired results, it might be time to take a step back and review why it’s not working.
The news release isn’t newsworthy enough
Not everything can be hard hitting news items that talk about national issues. Sometimes, you just want to launch a new product. If that’s the case, why not take out a paid placement. If you’ve not heard of the term before it’s basically a way to guarantee seeing your press release by paying for a space in the magazine or newspaper. These are incredibly common, especially in trade magazines, and they allow you to control the news and tone of voice. Prices can vary largely based on their popularity within the industry and reach.
Your news, isn’t news
Although you can make a news release as long as you want, in reality the golden rule of thumb is to keep it at a maximum of 400 words. Any more than that and it’s an article or feature. Pitching for articles in a magazine or newspaper is very similar to the approach you take for a news release. You can also pay for advertorial space to guarantee coverage.
Pro Tips for Getting Press Coverage
If you’ve not got a big enough budget for paid placement and your news item still isn’t getting coverage, try a different approach.
Tip 1: Go for a blog post which answers the questions asked by your customers and hits the correct SEO terms can easily gain coverage.
Tip 2: Share your blog across your social media platforms. They are also a great way to get in touch with journalists and if you head out on to X or LinkedIn, search for hashtags like #journorequest where journalists will reach out and ask for help filling their planned stories. If you’re in a niche industry, it can be time-consuming but once in a while, the right opportunity will pop up. It’s also a great idea to follow your list of media titles to see what they are discussing.
Tip 4: Consistency is the key. In most cases, one news release is not going to get you the coverage you want. Instead, you need to go for regular communications using a combination of blogs, articles, posts across a range of social media channels and news items.
Tip 3: Have a plan! Of course, consistency in your news items will only work effectively if you set clear and specific goals on the type of message you want to get out. For example, rather than saying ‘we want ICF to be famous’ it may work better to say something like ‘We want to increase ICF recognition in the construction industry as a solution on the issue of energy efficiency’. Having clearly defined objectives will help you stay on-track and identify when to adjust the strategy.
Work With a PR Agency
Feeling overwhelmed by managing it all on your own? Why not let a PR agency step in? As experts in the field, we handle PR every day and know exactly how to craft the perfect pitch and story. With access to top PR tools and industry insights, we can help you create a compelling hook, develop the right strategy, and connect with the ideal media outlets.
If you’d like help in maximising coverage in magazines or newspapers, why not drop us a line and see how we can help your business.
See some examples of media coverage we have done here:
https://www.flipsnack.com/E59F88BBDC9/the-maintenance-management-guide-2024/full-view.html
