6 Tips On Being Newsworthy
What kind of question is that, ‘Is Your Business Newsworthy?” We all feel our businesses should be in the news because you work really hard to provide a service that solves a problem or makes people happy. The question really should be ‘what would a journalist/reporter/influencer’ find newsworthy about your business. Basically, what is there for someone to write about?
Of course there is! It’s all in the pitch. You just need the right approach. Here are a few ideas to keep you and your business interesting and newsworthy.
1. Share customer/client stories
Your customers/clients are the single most valuable tool to enhance your external communications. While it always brag worthy when you have a big brand client or your company or service has been touted by a big brand, any number of customers/clients stories can make for an exponentially more compelling pitch to a reporter than you just advertising or talking about being the ‘best ever’.
2. Pay close attention to the calendar
Just like how publications create editorial calendars a full year in advance, you can do the same with your pitches based on your customers/clients and service offering. A summer camp can pitch suggestions for unique summer activities to reporters towards the end of winter, for instance. Holidays and known major events can be great starting points for creating pitches months in advance. Great PR takes planning ahead, even if you’re planning during slower times, and not around a product/service release cycle.
3. Be topical to current events
There’s no shame in piggybacking off of hot-button news stories when your company has an interesting perspective to share. When Covid-19 shelter-in-place started, personal care businesses were not considered essential. Polished Nails, an award-winning nail salon in Oklahoma City, knew their clients would be frantic to remove worn out nail products as their nails grew. They went into action and created packages of everything you need to do it yourself. She used her social platforms to inform her clients and then dropped off the thoughtful packages to clients front porches all over the city and in Edmond. She received press too, piggy-backing off of a hot-button news story. Was this planned PR? No! But, she was on top of it.
Think you could find an angle to get covered? Find reporters who are writing about the story, and propose how you’re a topical choice for inclusion in the next story.
4. Know each and every problem your company solves
Don’t just know what your company does; know what problems it solves. It sounds simple enough, but it’s a mistake made all too often. Use these solutions to guide your story during times of slow PR, then find the reporters and publications most interested in the solution you’re presenting because it benefits their readership.
5. Don’t ignore niche publications and blogs
When you understand the multiple pitch angles developed by understanding every solution you solve, the next step becomes finding relevant publications. Even if what you’re offering is old news, publications looking to help their readers understand the best ways to solve a problem are still going to find your company relevant if you’re a good fit. They’ll care more about what’s valuable than what’s current.
6. Form editorial partnerships
One added benefit to building both your own blog and social following is using it for negotiation. Chances are, there are other great companies out there looking for the same type of exposure and might even have a robust blog and customer base of their own. If what they offer is relevant to your customers/clients as well, why not suggest cross-promoting each other? The reality is, some company blogs are going to get your company more eyeballs than major publications, but they’ll be pitched at a fraction of the frequency. Use the opportunity to get your brand’s story told.
We hope these tips helped! Comment below if you have any questions we can address.
Parts of this article were curated and repurposed from Https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/social-media/media-relations-perspectives-generating-press-when-youre-not-newsworthy/. We use curation from reliable sources to provide the best information that is useful.
~ Margaret Croom, The Media Insider
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