I have some tough advice for you that I wish more small businesses understood. Their marketing and public relations would be much more effective if they heard this.
So I hope you can handle the truth…
Media coverage is not free advertising.
I’ll say it again: media coverage is not free advertising.
Media relations requires that you give the media ‘newsworthy’ information. If your message is something that you would normally use an advertisement to say (for example, announcing that your business is having a stocktake sale or that you are better than your competitors), then this is not newsworthy.
Can I be honest with you for a second?
No one cares that you believe your business is “awesome” or “leading”. A journalist is not going to share information like that with their audience who took time out to read/listen to/view the media outlet.
Would you enjoy reading about how your competitors claim that they are “the best”? I thought not… Enough said.
So what is newsworthy? Over the next few weeks I will answer that question and also give you guidance on what value to expect from media coverage, and how to maximise the benefits of good media coverage.
In the interim, post your questions below and I will either answer them in the comments section or in another blog post.
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P.S. For more helpful advice on small business, marketing, public relations and how the three work well together, sign up to the Good Business Consulting newsletter here.
