5

Five Tips for Getting Journalists and Bloggers to Pick Up Your Story

Five Tips for Getting Journalists and Bloggers to Pick Up Your Story

Media coverage––online, print, and social––has the potential to launch your start-up or established business from obscurity to buzz-worthy. But without a glitzy PR firm on retainer (yet), how can you garner the attention of journalists?

First rule of thumb––journalists typically want to make some sort of difference. Their mission is to tell a unique story that spurs action, inspires, or achieves killer scoop status. So help them separate themselves from the pack. Do your homework, and glean a thorough understanding of the type of content featured across their publication––blog or site. Then offer a few of these things: breaking news, provocative content, or the chance to showcase a cutting-edge product, person, or idea. In other words, if content is king, give them a crown jewel. Here’s how:

Five Tips for Garnering (and Keeping) Media Attention

1. Choose a current, relevant, unique topic

Is your story relevant? You’re in a hurry to sell your product or idea, but with an endless supply of media outlets competing for eyeballs, your story’s got to have teeth. Ribbon cuttings? Maybe. New locations? Meh. But a product developed by a veteran amputee for other amputees? Now that’s an interesting backstory.

2. Nix the canned press releases

Journalists have to mine through scores of these to uncover the diamonds in the rough. Instead, scan industry journals, blogs, and websites and determine who’s covering the type of story you want to tell. Connect personally via phone, e-mail, or Twitter, and make your pitch worth their time. (They’re busy trudging through weak press releases, so make yours stand out.)

3. Build Strategic Relationships

Many journalists are people who enjoy interpersonal relationships, so make connections. Post a recent article they’ve written via social media and compliment their work. In other words, figure out what you can do for them first. (Try submitting a personal pitch to their editor and request a journalist by name. Yes––flattery gets you everywhere!)

4. Consider their audience in your pitch

What type of content gets robust responses, “Likes,” “Shares,” or “Follows”? Pay attention. Prepare your pitch ahead of time, and deliver it succinctly. For example: “I enjoyed your popular piece on how a small-town hospital beat their biggest competitors on achieving EHR Meaningful Use. Our company has a story we think your readers would love––it’s about refusing to give up after failing a dozen times first before we won a local robotics grant competition. Would you have a few minutes to talk over coffee?” Give them just enough to whet their appetite.

5. Offer sources, information, quotes, links, and samples

Many writers love building stories but loathe research. Make their jobs easier––send statistics and sources, links to relevant articles, samples of your product, and videos or photographs they can use to draft the story.

Once your story has printed, posted, or aired, send the writer a personal thank-you note via good old-fashioned snail mail. Most of them remember paper fondly––give them a reason to call you in the future!

Follow Adam on Twitter: @thebizguy

Comments are closed