Almost all organizations eagerly seek positive media coverage, with tactics ranging from news releases to promotional stunts. Passive approaches can succeed if done correctly, while some situations call for more aggressive, direct approaches.
The following suggestions provide effective strategies for obtaining journalists’ attention:
Improve Your Website
Reporters typically turn to search engines to research stories and find sources, so make sure your website is tailored to the media with accessible, engaging information about your organization.
Secure Online Coverage
Online coverage often leads to coverage in print and broadcast media. The more online visibility you have, such as blog posts, guest posts and opinion pieces on relevant subjects, the more journalists you’ll interest and the more coverage you’ll gain.
Direct Approach
Track which journalists and bloggers write about your niche and what subjects they’re covering. Contact them directly with a tailored approach if you think you have something that will interest them or could provide a valuable insight or comment.
Join Associations
Reporters often ask professional associations and group for experts who are knowledgeable and articulate about a particular topic. Being active in associations in your niche can pay media coverage dividends.
Construct an Online Corporate Newsroom
Corporate media centers and online newsrooms are both essential for journalists, as they provide quick access to a wide array of information. The best corporate newsrooms contain links to past media coverage, company press releases, executive bios, photos and videos.
Email Messages
Use a descriptive subject line and include a concise press release, or a link to one, in the body of your email. Journalists won’t bother sifting through a wall of text, so it’s imperative to grab their attention as quickly as possible.
Include Multimedia
Many journalists are more likely to read and publish a news release if it includes multimedia elements, such as photos, logos, audio and video files. Visuals also encourage the publication’s audience to open the article.
Respond Quickly
When reporters seek experts to explain a current issue, they’re typically working on a tight schedule. Prepare your spokespeople so that they can respond to reporters with timely, detailed information.
Monitor the Media
You can identify media relations opportunities by monitoring media coverage in your niche, including mentions of your organization, competitors and general industry issues. Subscription monitoring services save your staff time by organizing media clips in an online database, with some providing customizable dashboards and media measurement data that can reveal important insights.
Bottom Line
The fundamental requirements for securing favorable media coverage are to build relationships with journalists and provide them information or commentary that is relevant and useful to their audiences.
Adapted from an article written by William Comcowich, founder and CMO of CyberAlert, a media monitoring company headquartered in Connecticut. The original piece included information from an article written for the PR Coach by Debbie Leven, and independent consultant in the UK.
Current Issue - May 2024