Any business, whether it’s big or small, can gain a lot from just a little press coverage. As the old saying goes, no press is bad press, and while that’s true in most cases, it’s always better to have the press on your side when building your brand. Developing and cultivating relationships can take time, yet can lead to big things in terms of press coverage. Scottsdale public relations firms who have already established relationships with the press are a great place to seek help in media coverage management.
Developing Relationships with the Press
If you have the press on your side, no matter what the story is you will get the benefit of the doubt, which is huge in terms of branding. In order to build a healthy relationship with members of the media, start slow and be consistent. Think of this process as the Tortoise and the Hare. While the Hare will race to meet every media member available and rush into conversations about press releases and press coverage, the Tortoise will cultivate these relationships before making a business move.
Don’t go after every member of the media in the beginning. As with building links for Search Engine Marketing, or strategically planning your advertising platforms, seek out members of the media who have written or spoken about your industry, who have a well received audience of their own, and who have good reputations. As with seeking out social media influencers, if this person is going to represent your brand you’ll need them to be perfect for the job.
Everyone who is in the business of business doesn’t do something for nothing, if you catch my drift, so offer assistance and friendship to this member of the media that you’re building a relationship with. If they ask a favor of you, try to make it happen, and don’t ask for anything in return until you’ve established a strong relationship.
Pitching to the Media
Once you’ve cultivated that relationship, over a matter of weeks or months, and you feel that relationship is strong enough, offer them your story. One of the main reasons that so many business professionals turn to public relations firms is simply due to the fact that those individuals will have spent many years building relationships with members of the press.
Even if you have a strong relationship with the reporter and feel comfortable enough to pitch a story, don’t expect that reporter to jump on it if it’s just like everyone else’s story. As with everything else in advertising and marketing, you must be creative and unique. Your story is your brand, and it must convey the right message.
Understand what questions that reporter will ask before you pitch the story. Questions such as who will this story appeal to? How will that audience react? Make sure that you do your due diligence to have all of the answers the reporter will need. By making their life easier and having the information, you will have a greater chance of getting your story told by the media.
Getting reporters and members of the media to accept and ‘run with the story’ is difficult, which is why many leave it to public relations firms who have years of experience with this process. However, it can be done with enough time, dedication, patience and energy.