Whether a company is looking to raise its public profile or just hoping to get the word out there about a new product/service, media coverage is still one of the best tactics to get noticed. But, trying to obtain press coverage is not as easy as creating pitches, sending it out, and hoping for the best. To get successful media publicity, it needs proper planning and is a result of hard work.
To stand out in any target market these days, companies need to devise a plan to achieve the best media coverage. In this article, we will look at:
· How to develop a media coverage strategy
· How to find and contact journalists
How to develop a media coverage strategy
Step 1: Start Coverage with a compelling story.
The secret to getting press coverage isn’t a secret at all; it all boils down to doing something that will get the media’s attention. However, media outlets get continuously pitched, and the best way for a startup to get into the press is to have a fantastic story that will help them stand out from the crowd.
Not only should a company have their startup story, but they also need to develop their personal story. This helps a company add a level of human interest, which is very important for making the news. The world needs to see why a company exists by mentioning what problems they are trying to solve and what the company is trying to do to change the world.
Step 2: Establish Reasonable Goals for media Coverage
Setting clear and reasonable goals is the next step to get media attention. Having clear objectives allows companies to make sure that they are on-track with everything they need. Choosing journalists and publications that fit the target market is essential because they are the ones that will help companies reach their publicity goals.
Step 3: Establish a relationship with journalists before it is necessary for coverage
When companies plan to pitch to the press, they are essentially asking them for a favor to write about their company. Generally, people don’t ask favors from strangers, so before pitching to media outlets, companies need to develop a relationship with them ahead of time. The best chance of getting media coverage correlates with the relationship that companies have with the writers they are trying to pitch to. By having a relationship, it helps them provide news that the writers are interested in.
Step 4: Build the perfect pitch.
While companies see every achievement as necessary, they need to look at that information from a media perspective. They may have seen the information presented before and, therefore, would not want to write about it again, which is why an effective pitch needs to be something that they had not seen before or had a different spin.
Step 5: Close the deal
Once the pitch has been sent out, it is a waiting game to see whether media outlets will write about the company. Patience is vital because, as mentioned before, getting media outlets to write about a company is technically a favor. They do not need to write anything if they don’t find it interesting. Doing a follow-up should only happen two or three days after the original pitch has been sent out.
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If a writer is not interested, it does not mean that the information is not essential. It might just be that the timing is off, or the story is not the right fit for that specific publication. However, if they are interested, companies need to be available to provide additional information if necessary. They need to make sure that all the information is on hand and provide quality information over quantity.
How to find and contact journalists
The objective of getting an article written by media outlets is to get the company’s message is to get it in front of their target audience. Companies need to find and contact journalists that match their target market and audience for that to happen.
Companies should start by making a list of publications that they know their buyer personas would read to find the appropriate media outlets. They need to think about their industry-specific and mass-market publications. However, finding and creating an effective media list can be difficult, which is why public relations agencies like Pressfarm exist. Pressfarm will create press releases, email pitches, and press kits for companies and create a media list with appropriate media outlets depending on their target publication/audience.
Companies who choose to create their own media lists need to search every kind of media outlet for keywords regarding their business or industry. Once they have found the relevant journalists, they should add it to their database. It is not enough to find out the name of the media outlet and find out the name of the people responsible for the particular audience that the company is targeting. They need to find their contact details, which should be their email address first rather than their social channels.
Where to look for contacts
1) In the publication
One way of looking for media contacts is through the actual publications; these mastheads are generally near the publication’s front or back. Radio and TV shows also list their staff online so that companies can search online for all the contact info.
2) On social media
Many journalists and editors are on social media, and companies can just add the publication or program they are interested in into the search. It is a good idea to create a list of journalists on their target publications and check daily to see what they are posting and talking about. Companies can understand the kinds of stories they are interested in and can start building relationships by sharing content and replying to their tweets.
3) By phone
This is the quickest and most effective to get journalists’ contact details. Companies might be able to get information about lead times and what they are working on in the future.
Conclusion
Creating a significant press release is the first step to being able to contact media outlets. Contacting media outlets and relevant journalists is essential for getting the word out there, but it needs to be done effectively; otherwise, all the effort that has been put in creating the press release and a media outlet will be worthless.
Apart from this, if you are interested to know more about Benefits of Vehicle Insurance Coverage then visit our Education category.
