Getting media coverage is often a hard thing to ensure, and even harder when you don’t have the budget that many big business owners do.
Phoebe Netto has given us three tips for getting the best possible chance at securing media coverage, all the while sticking to a budget.
Transcript
My name is Phoebe Netto, and I’m going to share with you three ways to get media coverage. Grabbing media attention can be an expensive exercise, but it needn’t be. While the media loves to cover grand gestures and publicity stunts, these expensive acts aren’t the only PR tool in the box. Here’s how to save money while still achieving excellent reputation-building media coverage.
The first tool is to choose your media targets wisely. Understand why you’re seeking media coverage, and make sure your activities and the media that you’re targeting align with your ultimate goal. Why waste time and your PR spend on media coverage that fills your media coverage report but isn’t relevant or influential? Many businesses also made the mistake of having a big media target that they spent all their budget trying to court, only for that opportunity to fall through.
Instead, consider aiming for several smaller pieces of coverage to increase the chance of something being picked up. If the content of the smaller pieces of media coverage is strong, you can then use those pieces as marketing tools and you can build momentum over time for the bigger pieces.
The second tip is to pitch newsworthy angles, rather than generating hype. Working on good angles will generally cost less than starting up the hype machine and is usually more effective. A strong media angle is not: ‘Why this business is good’. Instead, put the audience first. What are they interested in? Why would what you have to say be important to them?
Offer advice, case studies with measurable before and afters, or compelling firsthand experiences, emotive photos to find unique, controversial, timely, new perspectives, or strong comments on what you do.
And finally, stagger your stories. An old rule of marketing is that it takes seven mentions of your brand or product before a customer remembers you. Others quote a much higher number, which means it’s often more effective to have several pieces of coverage over time instead of one big bang. Over time you can become memorable and contribute multiple nudges to attract your ideal customer to guide them into your sales funnel or motivate them to act.
