Ever wondered how to get the press to notice the great work you’re doing?
Today, we’re taking a look at the press: how it works, how to get more of it, and how to make the most of it.
The press and most places that you want to be featured are in the content business. They’re constantly needing to come up with fresh, relevant stories, articles, and news to cover.
The more you can put yourself in the shoes of the people who create and curate this content, the easier it will be for you to be get coverage.
My Approach to Getting Press
Here’s my approach to getting press, and using it to your advantage.
1. Identify the places you’d like to be featured.
Just like with guest blogging, you need to know where you want to be published. Find out which publications are most read by your ideal clients, how much of a reach each show or magazine has, and go from there.
You can even rate each of the different places you want to be featured on by how much of a game changer they would be. If it’s a good market fit but it doesn’t sound glamorous, you might put it in the middle of your list, but if it’s both well known and a perfect market fit then you’d put it at the top.
2. Research their editorial policies, find their contributing writers and editors, and get clear on your game plan.
Different outlets have different ways of sourcing their content. If you’re talking about a TV show, you might need to get in touch with a producer to get your story told. If you’re looking at a magazine, you might want to submit an article to the editor.Still other places might not accept solicitations directly, and it might be easier to form a relationship with a regular contributor there.
Learn more about how to do this from Susan Harrow, publicity maven and soundbite siren.
3. Start building relationships before you need them.
I heard this all the time, and I never knew how to apply it. But what it really means is to get to know people who might be able to help you get press down the line, and to be a genuinely helpful person to them upfront without any expectations.
My friend Selena Soo talked about how to do this in an interview during a previous Off The Charts episode.
4. Come up with a newsworthy angle or something fresh for them to cover.
When you feel like you’re ready to go for it, it’s time to put your thinking cap on and come up with a fresh newsworthy angle or something relevant.
In my experience, producers and reporters are often looking for sources to fit into their existing stories. So if they know that you can help them with a certain topic, they’ll be happy for the help.
5. Submit your work and follow up.
It’s time to write your article, send in your side of the story by answering questions, and then get ready to follow up.If you’re writing for a publication, they’ll usually have guidelines for how long you can expect to wait before you hear back. In the television business, things move quickly so make sure to stay available for questions and changes to the schedule.
Sometimes you have a more general announcement to make, and you just want to make some noise via a press release that gets distributed across different news wires and networks. These can also be picked up by other news outlets and lead to more interview opportunities.
6. Publicize your press, and repeat.
Finally, once your quote is posted, you’ve got your article published, or snippets of your news story make it onto television…it’s time to celebrate!It’s also time to make the most of the press you just received.
I know that many people think getting mentioned on television or having an article in a magazine means they’re business is set for life. But in my experience, even getting onto television for a major morning show does not guarantee that anyone is going to type in your website or even remember your business after breakfast.
But that doesn’t mean that publicity is useless, you just happen to get most of the benefits out of publicizing your own press.
You get to lovingly brag about your accomplishments across your social media sites, on your press and home pages, and in your biography.
Lovingly brag about your press mentions to make the most of media exposure!
So if you’ve been featured, it’s time to add a logo to your “As seen in” section on your website, and share it proudly with the world.
After all, if you’ve been featured in mainstream media it gives you more of a legitimate feel, and it also inspires more trust and confidence in new visitors to your website.
Now it’s just time to rinse and repeat!
I’d love to know what results and successes you’ve had with being featured in the press. What tricks have worked wonders for you? Leave a comment below and let me know, so we can celebrate your successes together!
