Tips on achieving press coverage

Small and start-up businesses often feel that getting press coverage is out of their reach, but that’s not necessarily the case. It’s just a matter of knowing what journalists want and the best way to present what you have to offer. Here are some tips for getting press coverage from SmallBusiness.co.uk and Debbie Leven, director at PR and marketing company Profile Matters:

Understanding what journalists want - There are some essential ‘ingredients’ that make a news story and these are what journalists will look for in a press release. Human interest is key – journalists often want the people angle – the personal story or the impact the news has on people.

Journalists also look for new developments and research to support or challenge thinking; extremes – the biggest, highest and so on and change that has an impact on people. They may also look for conflict in a story – your job is to give them positive ingredients that support your press release and avoid the negative elements.

Know the audience - Stories must be relevant and of interest to the publication’s audience. There must also be a ‘peg’ or a reason for the story. Usually, it concerns something that has just happened. You can create a peg by linking your story to, for example, anniversaries or forthcoming events. It’s important to review copies of publications you want to target to get a feel for the types of stories that will be of interest, as well as the profile of the readership.

Building your press list -You’ll probably be familiar with many of the publications that are relevant and there are several resources to help you add to your listing. The Guardian Media Directory is a useful reference – it lists the contact details for 10,000 individuals and companies in the press and media including digital television, magazines and regional newspapers.

Researching your press contacts - Approach your target publications to check out the most relevant person for you to contact and send information to. You need their contact details and their preferred method of receiving information. It’s important to find out deadlines and publication dates. This helps you avoid annoying journalists by phoning them when they are up against their deadline. Don’t be afraid to contact journalists to check if particular topics are of interest.

Issuing press releases that have punch - Your press release must answer six questions: Who? What? Why? Where? When? How? It should be presented in a way that makes it as easy as possible for a journalist to use it – that means following some basic rules:

• Capture the essence of the story in the first paragraph
• Avoid jargon
• Use statistics to back up your story where possible
• Avoid ‘puff’ about your business
• Include contact details at the bottom of the release and be available for follow-up calls.

Supporting the press release - It’s useful to give some thought to how you can support any press release or approach you make to a journalist. Offering an interview, case study, third-party quote or photograph are all worth considering. Your research will give you a good idea of what will be appropriate.

Tailoring what you offer - It can be tempting to go for a ‘shotgun’ approach and issue one press release to all your target press contacts. This will certainly save you time but won’t be as effective as taking a tailored approach. Also, you can risk annoying journalists by sending them information that is not relevant – not the best way to try and build an ongoing relationship.

Building relationships with journalists - if you can provide journalists with news they can use time and again, deliver on your promises and make yourself available for interview and comment, then you will build a reputation as a useful contact. Don’t feel intimidated by the thought of approaching a journalist. If you research your target press thoroughly and package your news and ideas to suit, then you put yourself in the best position to secure positive press coverage.

[Source: www.smallbusiness.co.uk - June 2007]