Getting the media to notice your new business can seem like an insurmountable task at first – here are some handy tips.
The world may have moved online, but that means media has too – and there’s no denying that print media still holds sway with many customers, especially in South Africa. So the question remains: how do you get your business in the spotlight?
Find the right person
Odds are, the editor of a major publication is not going to reply to your email, because they’re already getting many hundreds of emails like yours every day. But the features writer might have time to take a look – and if not, the features editor is still a better bet than the editor. If you’re talking newspapers, try to find the person in the relevant department (Health, Lifestyle, etc) so that you’re not wasting their time. Also think about joining HARO (Help A Reporter Out) which specifically connects reporters to ‘news sources’, i.e. experts in their field.
Be authentic
If your press release sounds like a press release, it’s very easy for journalists to delete it. But if you write a real, human email addressed directly to the journalist and referencing their publication, they’re a lot more likely to give you a minute or two. Better yet, send a taste of your product (if that’s possible) directly to them, with a handwritten note. In the world of overwhelming amounts of stuff to read, you have to make your words stick out – and the best way to do that is to be authentic.
Make it easy for them
No journalist is going to write a profile of a new business (unless it’s attached to someone famous) so don’t even bother suggesting that. What you can do is find out what kind of articles are usually featured in the magazine / newspaper / website and tailor your information to suit that angle. If the magazine in question only does in-depth interviews with women in their 40s, don’t suggest an interview with your 25-year-old male CEO. Make it as simple and straightforward as possible for them to say yes, and you’re more likely to see your name in print.
Find the juice in your story
Again, you want to make it as easy as possible for the journalist to say yes – and a great way to do that is by catching their attention. Be honest about your challenges, tell them how you worked your way from a corner in your garage to the corner office, share some of your business secrets or entrepreneurial wisdom. Find the juice in your story and they may just want to write a story about it.
It may not be the quickest way to getting a journalist’s attention, but keep these points in mind and you could actually get some meaningful press coverage. Do you have any suggestions to add?