A lot of small business owners think you have to buy ad space to get media attention. You don’t.
Before setting up Design Kompany I wrote for two newspapers. One was a small alternative community paper, the other a Seattle business daily. As a staff reporter I’d get a lot of press releases, and soon began to recognize the names of people writing them.
If people show they know what they’re talking about, they can get their story published more easily. For free.
Since so many of Design Kompany’s clients are small business people on a budget, I held a seminar this week on how to get a positive mention in the media without having to pay for it. To prepare, I put this question to a handful of media professionals*:
What advice would you give a small business owner on how to get a positive mention in the media?
Here are some of their tips.
Have something to say. To get press, you have to have a story. To get an editor or reporter interested in your story idea, you have to pique their curiosity with something newsworthy. Do you think readers of their publication will really care that your business turned 25 or 100 this year? Probably not, as it’s not especially unusual. But if you have an intriguing person at your company who has a good story to tell and has done something people can learn something from, the press is more likely to pay attention. According to the eighth edition of the Missouri Group’s “News Reporting and Writing,” “news” is stuff that’s either relevant, useful or interesting.
Be in touch. Send out periodic press releases about new products and services. Make contacts with people in different kinds of media, like blogs, community papers and TV stations in your area. You don’t have to be shy about calling or e-mailing an editor, especially at a small paper. Or, find a reporter whose work you admire and e-mail them directly. They want to know about what’s going on, and you’re a potential source for a story. Send well-composed, high-resolution photos along, too. Keep sending stuff, respond to calls or e-mails promptly, and deliver on your promises.
Be an expert. Make yourself known to reporters as an expert on a topic. If they see what you know, they might be able to ask you for an expert opinion sometime when they’re writing a story. A mention in the body of an article will get you much better exposure than a paid box ad. You could offer to write a guest column or article on a subject you know well. Letters to the editor are a good place to start.
Be honest. When writing a press release, it’s really important to be up front. Try not to exaggerate or brag, it will deter people from reading on. Stay away from using the jargon of your industry, and don’t make the assumption that people who work in different fields know what you do.
Target. Think carefully about which publications would most likely be interested in your products or services. Someone in your office might want to start picking up magazines and newspapers and keeping track of the kinds of stories they like to run. If you do your homework, and can send something in their writing style, it’s more likely they’ll listen when you pitch a story or send a press release.
Blog. Some companies might consider starting a blog. But it’s important to make sure there’s a real personality behind the blog, too. A writer should be able to express ideas freely, so the writing doesn’t sound corporate and canned.
*Special thanks to Kathleen Warren of Parsons PR, Bruce Rutledge of Chin Music Press, Jeb Wyman of Seattle Central Community College, Marc Stiles of Nyhus Public Relations, Heather Reynolds of Vander Houwen Public Relations, and John Ryan and Maude Scott of the Daily Journal of Commerce.
Does anyone know where I can find free online grant applications?