MEDIA MARKETING 101- Hinal Shah

 An important part of marketing a small business should be gaining press coverage. But attracting media attention can be an art in itself. Fortunately, there are some battle tested ways to get your brand in front of the media.

1. Know What The Media Outlet Covers

Every media outlet has a style all its own based on its audience. Even if they cover the same news, different media outlets will cover it from different angles. You can only learn these nuances by reading, watching or listening to the media outlet repeatedly.

2. Reach the Right Person

Part of a PR pro’s value is in finding the right person. Even here at Small Business Trends we have multiple editors and writers. An email to one won’t necessarily be seen by anyone else or go through the main contact form. Media outlets may use help desk software that routes communications to the right place based on drop-down menus or certain words in the message.

3. Target Regular Features

Does the media outlet have a regular feature? You can practically schedule your story to run in a print or online publication if you spend a little time to discover regular features where your company’s story would be a perfect fit. Media outlets are always looking for subjects for these regular features.

4. Create a Resource Center for Media

Make it easy on media to cover your business.  Create a media page where the press can easily grab your logo in color and black-and-white, screenshots, images of your top products, and headshots of key executives. Include high resolution versions. Also, include basic facts and figures about your business.

5. Tweet @ Them

Twitter is great for making connections with journalists. Follow journalists on Twitter. And tweet at them if you have something relevant to say, by including their @handle in your tightly crafted pitch tweet. If they’re mobile-savvy reporters, they’ll likely get a notification on their phones. Knowing that, you definitely don’t want to overdo this.

6. Invite the Media to Your Special Events

Never forget to invite the media to any special event you’re hosting. Customer appreciation day, company anniversary — whatever. Give them easy access and always remind the press that you’re available to speak to them on any press release you issue. At an event, hold special times where you can address the press or they can ask you questions and get information. 

7. Start With Blogs of Media Outlets

Some outlets have outlets of their own. For example, TV stations and newspapers often have blogs on their websites. While it may be difficult to get your business in the New York Times right out of the gate, perhaps you can get covered in one of its blogs by connecting with the bloggers. And you can still technically say you were covered on the New York Times website. 

8. Offer Exclusives (Sometimes)

If you operate your business in a competitive news market, offering an exclusive to one outlet may be a benefit. Press outlets in competition with each other are always looking for ways to get a leg up.

9. Offer Review Products But Not Gifts

For companies with products: get to know the journalists who do product reviews. Contact them and offer a demo, trial or temporary review copy of your products. Do not offer free products or send gifts to journalists, however, as that could violate ethics rules of their employers.

10. Be Philanthropic

Be a benefit to your community, especially in times of need. Help organize or contribute to charitable drives. Get your name and your business’s name out in the community attached to something other than your business. When the press covers these charities, they’ll often mention who’s involved in helping. Getting your name on that list gets the media’s attention — and the community’s too.