Generate Your Own Small Business Stimulus: 3 Tips for DIY Media Relations

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Generate Your Own Small Business Stimulus by David Dean Menzies writer marketer seo copywriting
Published on LinkedIn April 22, 2020

by David Dean Menzies

If you’re a small business owner scrambling to increase engagement with customers in these challenging times, consider adding media relations to your marketing toolkit. High-profile publicity of your small business can add a spark to sales in the short-term, while increasing your market share over time for continued growth. The trick is knowing how to attract positive press in a cost- and time-efficient manner to realize a strong return on investment.

What is Media Relations?

At its core, media relations is a method for convincing someone else to deliver your marketing content to their audience—consisting of your customers and prospects—without paying them to do so. This could be a newspaper or TV reporter, a blogger, an opinion columnist, or even a social media influencer. Since this is not a “pay-to-play” type of arrangement, you’re going to have to take a personalized approach to soliciting news coverage. Here are three tips to help:

Step 1: Target the Right Media

Writing a press release and sending it to every single news outlet under the sun is not media relations—it's spam. You'll never truly know who is getting your release, and you'll spread yourself too thin for any meaningful media relations. The better approach is to spend some time researching what media outlets your target audiences go to for their news and information and set up a “Top 10” list to focus on.

Industry magazines and mainstream news outlets publish editorial calendars. (These are produced each year, usually in October for the following year.) They list topics to be covered in each monthly/weekly issue, along with deadlines. You'll likely find these in the advertising info section, and you may have to enter an email address to view or download. You can oftentimes find editorial contacts in these calendars, if they aren’t listed in the "About Us" section of the news media website.

Look for a reporter or editor with a “beat” matching your business, products, or services, along with upcoming topics. These are the people you should be reaching out to. 

Step 2: Make Introductions

When I was a newspaper editor, I appreciated small business owners who called or emailed me to introduce themselves, ask how I would like to receive information on their businesses (which email address, how often, etc.), and show at least a basic knowledge of my publication and readership. These were the businesses I would lean toward covering right away, and using as resources for future articles on an ongoing basis.

Reporters get a ton of email, so picking up the phone is a good way to differentiate yourself during initial introductions or as a follow-up to an introductory email. Keep in mind that news media consolidation has led to newsroom contraction, and reporters and editors are busier than ever. You may not get through to the reporter covering a specific beat right away, and editors are even tougher to get hold of.

That said, a concise, informative voicemail or email is a great start, with appropriate follow-ups on a weekly basis until you hear back. 

Step 3: Plan for Success

If you pick up the phone to contact a reporter, be prepared to discuss your business, value proposition, and call to action right then and there, along with why you think your business would make a good story. Remember, you’re always on the record with a reporter, so stay focused on your strategic messaging.

A good way to do this is to prepare a media alert/advisory—a short, sweet version of a press release focused on the who-what-where-when-why-how of the story you are trying to get across. You can reference it while speaking with a reporter over the phone, and it's great to have on hand when contacting a reporter via email; if he or she replies to your right away, email a copy to them while you have their attention.

As soon as your business is mentioned in a news article, report, blog, or social media post, people are going to start clicking on links to your website or searching for you on Google. Make sure your SEO game is on target and your online presence is up-to-date with details on products and services, contact information, and ways to capture visitor emails, data, and analytics. 

Ready to Take Your First Step?

Done correctly, media relations is an inexpensive and effective way for you to build buzz in respected news outlets frequented by your prospects and customers. Be careful, though; once you start experiencing success, you may not be able to stop.

David Dean Menzies is a writer and marketer with a passion for innovative and inspiring people, places and things. He is also a published fiction author on Amazon.
Location: Wilmington, NC, USA

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