Anyone who has ever tried to generate publicity for their business will know it doesn’t happen overnight; it’s more of a slow burn.
Of course there are ways to get noticed quicker, like pulling a huge publicity stunt like climbing up to place a banner on the Harbour Bridge for instance, but for those without that sort of bravery – or budget – a better way to speed up the process is to establish a great relationship with key journalists at the media outlets you want your business to appear in or on.
Here are seven tips on establishing and building a great relationship with the media:
- Tailor any press releases or pitches to the journalist and their publication. Don’t send a bulk email to every contact on your media list. This is a waste of the journalist’s and your time, and will not endear you to that contact.
- Respect the way the journalist wants to be contacted. Most prefer email, but some like over-the-phone pitches, information sent by fax, or a quick pitch via Twitter. Just ask them their preference and stick with however they respond.
- Follow up anything you send. Journalists receive hundreds of emails and calls every day, so make sure they notice yours by following up with them using their preferred contact method.
- Be available. If the journalist likes what you pitch, don’t make it difficult to contact you to find up more or organise an interview. Include several contact methods so they can get you while the story is fresh in their mind.
- Think about deadlines. Journalists operate to strict deadlines daily, weekly or monthly, depending on the media outlet, so find out when your contacts’ deadlines are and don’t hassle them about publicity while they are in it.
- Offer options. Sometimes a journalist might be interested in your business story, but not enough to take it further, so try to give three different ideas to show how your story can be used, i.e., a press release about winter hats could become a fashion article covering the season’s millinery trends, a business article about how and where materials are sourced or a part of a bigger fashion item on the hot colours for winter.
- Check your facts. If you are quoting someone or using statistics in your press release or pitch, make sure you have permission and the information is right. While a journalist will check facts, they won’t come back to you if you prove to be an unreliable source.
Yes, building a relationship with journalists still takes time, but think of the benefits of that relationship down the track when you call your media contact and offer them an exclusive for your latest news. If you’ve done your homework and it’s right for them, it saves you starting the process from scratch each time you work on your business PR.
