How to Improve the Effectiveness of Your Press Outreach Efforts

Garnering attention for your business is part of your job as an entrepreneur. Whether you are a startup founder or a small business owner, getting media personnel to notice your company can have a significant impact on your growth rate. But how do you increase your odds of ongoing press coverage? You create a press-acquisition strategy and work on your strategy on an ongoing basis (not just when you want coverage). If you want to increase your press outreach ROI, integrate these five tips into your business-building strategy.

1) Build relationships with local journalists and bloggers. Attend local events where media personnel might be present. Send tips to local reporters and share their stories on social media. The more you build a connection with people in the press, the better your chances are of garnering press coverage when you need it.

2)Connect with relevant press people on social media. Share their stories on your Facebook page. Create a Twitter list of your favorite reporters. Make a Pinterest board featuring major journalists in your business’ niche. Don’t just focus on tech bloggers; find reporters who cover your industry in trade publications or write in other languages. The more diverse your social media connection strategy, the more likely it is you will be able to secure coverage for your business.

3) Be strategic in your approach to getting press attention. Don’t send press releases to media outlets that have nothing to do with your industry or target audience. Waste a reporter’s time and you will earn a place on their list of spammers. Neal Kwatra, founder of Metropolitan Public Strategies (MPS), stated, “Coverage from a niche-specific reporter is worth far more than a general blog post on a site your target customers don’t read.”

4) Speaking of blog posts, consider reaching out to bloggers with smaller websites. Some up-and-coming bloggers have huge followings on social media. A quick email or a mention on social media could be all it takes to garner the interest of a blogger. If your business is relevant to their audience, they might consider writing a blog post about your brand. If you do get coverage from less well-known bloggers, be sure to thank them on your social networks and be grateful for their time and effort.

5) Focus on the needs of your target audience if you want journalists to write about your company. Journalists are responsible to their readers. If your business is relevant to a reporter’s readers, there is a greater chance they will want to share your story with their audience. Frame any journalist outreach in a manner that addresses the needs of their audience.

Learning how to build better press relationships is easy if you are willing to put in the time and effort. Discover how journalists work and how they determine which stories to tell. Once you understand how they work and respect their time and talents, your chances of achieving press coverage exponentially increase. Will you be using these tips to improve the effectiveness of your press outreach efforts?