How to Get Media Coverage, According to Smart Entrepreneurs

In this article, we will talk about how to get media coverage.

As mentioned in Linchpinseo, media coverage means brand awareness and credibility.

This, in turn, generates more web traffic and social media followers.

11 Ways to Get Media Coverage

What follows are 11 tips to get more press coverage and get featured in large publications, according to experienced business owners.

1. Make Sure You Have an Interesting Story

As Lisa Zhou mentioned, the most important part of getting media coverage is to have an interesting story. After all, journalists want to write about things that get their articles shared and so your story must be interesting for them.

“To understand what makes a story interesting for a specific journalist, take a look at what they’ve written about before and use that angle to pitch your story” adds Lisa.

Lisa has been featured on large publications such as Forbes and Business Insider.

2. Use HARO

As serial entrepreneur Jeff Mains suggests, if you want to get media coverage, pitching journalists through HARO is a great place to start.

Make your pitches simple and straightforward to comprehend. Provide valuable information. Don’t use ambiguous terms. Pitches that are misleading are a big mistake for everyone engaged.

Be truthful and transparent with the facts you present, and provide some context for why it matters.

Too many pitches are deceptive, ambiguous, or erroneous; pitching comprehensive, clear, and succinct quotes will help you stand out.

3. Ask Yourself ‘Why Would the Journalist’s Audience Care?’

As Gian Moore, Marketing Director at Mellowpine, suggests, you should not only choose the right story, but also ask yourself, “Who cares?”, “Why would the journalist’s audience care?”

If you can answer this properly, you’re starting from a good place. Remember, just because you care about your business, it doesn’t mean anyone else does. The story needs to work. And people need to be interested in your story.

Recommended read: How to Start a Business Online, from Home

4. Choose the Type of Story

As Moore adds, you should also work out what type of story it is. Is it a feature? Fresh research? A
direct review by the journalist? Ask yourself these questions:

What kind of stories have your target publications covered before?
How does your pitch fit into this picture?
Does it offer another angle?
Is it a unique, standalone product?

Get this right and you’re over halfway there.

5. Use Twitter

“I scan Twitter a lot for link building opportunities. I’ve also been following Business Insider for a while now, as they have some great articles on people who have made passive income or built assets over time.
One day, one of the editors posted on Twitter an article about a woman based in the USA who made a certain amount of money through Airbnb income,” says Ravi Davda, CEO of Rockstar Marketing.

“The article related closely to my journey, so instead of sitting and waiting for them to contact me, I decided to email them. It took a lot of back and forth, but it worked. They featured me and even gave me a link to the Rockstar Marketing website. There was a lot of correspondence, I’m not going to lie, and the whole process took a couple of months. But it worked,” adds Davda.

Email the relevant outlet, find a similar story to yours, and let them know what you can offer them. And of course, be responsive at all times.

6. Respond Timely

As Lucia Jensen CEO of WeLoans mentions, if you’re using platforms like HARO or Terkel, it’s essential to respond timely and be among the first responses.

“Are the media houses calling out for responses through HARO, Terkel, or other platforms? Make sure to be among the first 100 responses. Every entrepreneur is gunning for such features on these sites and is always on standby to submit their opinions to them. My advice is to set aside a dedicated time to respond to their journalist queries within the first hour they send them out,” says Jensen.

7. Send Press Releases

As Shahid Hanif, CTO of Shufti Pro, mentions, the media can’t cover what they don’t know about, so a great way to let them know about you and what you’re doing is to send press releases.

If you don’t know how to do it, you can hire a marketing agency or press release specialist to do it for you.

8. Contact Specific Journalists

Anthony King, CEO of Transport Executive, contacts specific reporters.

“I seek out and engage with independent journalists to have my company mentioned in a piece. If you want a more in-depth item, such as an interview, or if you want a frequent contact with someone you can work on all of your company’s future announcements, this could be an excellent option,” says King.

“Getting a willing journalist is the difficult part. So, begin by investigating some of your industry’s top periodicals and contacting individual staff members,” adds King.

9. Make Sure to Establish Your Authority

As Yuvi Alpert, Founder, Creative Director, and CEO of Noémie, mentions, by establishing your authority through newsletters, blogs, webinars, and other sources, and then contacting journalists to offer your knowledge, you can get on their short-list of “go-to” people when they need an expert source.

“By creating and then offering your authority to journalists, you can not only make yourself more attractive to be used as a source, but also create long term relationships that will pay media benefits over and over again,” adds Alpert.

Yuvi Alpert was featured in Inc. Magazine.

10. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Networking

Tiffany Grant, owner of Money Talk with Tiff, is an example of this, she definitely knows how to get media coverage through networking.

“I have been featured in a few high-authority publications, and the opportunities have all come from networking. I tell my entrepreneurs and first-year college students that networking is paramount to success in anything they pursue. My first feature on CNBC came from someone in my local community I volunteered with, who referred me to the editor. When I had the initial phone meeting, I didn’t know who the article was for until she told me where to send my invoice,” says Grant.

“For the Yahoo Finance feature, I had a guest on my podcast that was connected to the organization that was able to get me on the Live show. My biggest tip is to always treat people with kindness and respect regardless of what you think they can do for you. You truly never know who knows who,” adds Grant.

11. Probably The Best, Most Interesting Way to Get Media Coverage

“Serving on the Forbes Communications Council allows me to share my insights in editorial pieces on Forbes.com while networking with other respected leaders in a private forum,” says Chris Gadek, Vice President of Growth at AdQuick.

“Expanding your thought leadership efforts is an excellent way to grow your audience, compelling them to check out your brand. Writing informative and helpful articles for industry-relevant magazines and websites will help you forge relationships with reporters, inclining them to turn to you when they need a quote for a story. The exclusive opportunities to publish on the Forbes website help set me apart as a bold voice in my industry,” adds Gadek.

Photo by Sam McGhee on Unsplash