I’d be the first to tell you that PR firms can be pricey and good ones will be demanding on your time. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing because done well, the right PR can flip your unknown brand into a media superstar and create tremendous credibility for your business. However, if your company is too small to invest in a PR firm, or it’s just you making those cookies behind closed doors, you need to be more creative about how you go about garnering media attention for your business.
Here is a quick checklist to help you help organize your media efforts:
- Identify the right audience – Make list of top 10 publications your brand our company belong in. Start a spreadsheet.
- Identify the appropriate writers and editors who cover your subject area in these publications to fill in your spreadsheet.
- Find these contacts online: google them, social media, LinkedIn profiles, their blogs. Many journalists have their own websites, you would be surprised — there is a lot of information that is public. Also, Google “how to find anyone” and behold what is revealed.
- Reach out to the contacts you’ve identified and introduce your brand, product or service in just a few sentences (unique offer, price, website, contact info). Keep your correspondence short and to the point, journalists want to receive a pitch in just a few sentences.
- Ask if they want a sample and/or simply send it out. If it’s not a product, give them some story ideas.
- Lastly, follow up by email and/or phone. Phone is often the best way to follow up today simply because the current generation of Millennial editors and writers simply is not expecting it.
By Paula Conway