How to get press coverage for your business

Business newspaper

One plug in the newspaper or on T.V. and your business could literally take off overnight.

It doesn’t take much.

But it isn’t a walk in the park either.

To get press coverage, you need something worth talking about and most people don’t have anything worth talking about.

Journalists are bombarded every moment of every day with requests from businesses and wannabe entrepreneurs – that unless you have something that stands out – you’re unlikely to get coverage.

Rule #1 On How To Get Press Coverage

The topic of interest you send over must make the journalist look good.

It goes back to the saying of – “what’s in it for me?”.

And what’s in it for the journalist is for him or her to look good to their peers and the public at large.

When they publish a piece of content related to the topic you sent across, the journalist wants to be perceived as someone who writes about either interesting, exciting or awe-inspiring articles that are going to get their own name out there.

If they publish a boring article, they risk being ridiculed which is a human-beings biggest fear in life.

For example, at school, the person who was the most interesting or fun was put into the popular group and those who were boring were subject to the nerds.

Fortunately, we mature later on in life in to understanding adults who value a multitude of topics that many of us find interesting rather than just sports like it was when we were at school.

Rule #2 On How To Get Press Coverage

Turn your boring product or service into something that inspires awe in people.

It’s not always the product that is the most exciting or fun that gets the press; it’s the one that is “perceived” as being the most exciting or fun.

Keyword being: perceived.

Coke has made a drink (a tasty drink, but nonetheless, a drink) into a fun product where 90% of their adverts are not even about the product itself.

The perception of a can of coke is that when you open it, you’re going to turn into the happy child you were when you were younger.

One other example of a company that done this is the Dollar Shave Club which turned a boring product such as shavers into a video that had people on the floor with laughter.

If men were going to buy razors, they now wanted to be associated with a company that is playful and youthful.

So, don’t be put-off that your product or service is boring and you’re selling second-hand tyres.

For example, turn those second-hand tyres into something that turns heads by adding a fun element to your service that gets people talking about your business.

You never know, a journalist from the press may get in touch to ask you a few questions about the service you offer and feature you in the middle-pages of an established newspaper.

(Warning) Rule #3 On How To Get Press Coverage

Think of the consequences of getting press coverage for your business.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows getting featured in newspapers and T.V.

You may do your business more harm than good.

For example, it may be a risk for your legal practice to inject a fun-element into your practice because people are looking for reliable, professional people who can solve potentially life-altering events.

Not only do people get carried away with attention, but so do businesses and it’s important that you have a good grasp on what will benefit and negatively affect your business.

Especially in today’s environment where people are finding a plethora of things that they find offensive to post about to their social media followers, you need to think of all the possible ways your message could be turned against you.

Conclusion

Getting your PR in place can sky-rocket your business and it can also ruin it. Combining this with a strong Digital Marketing strategy, then you have a winning formula.

However, if you are not careful, your desire for attention can have serious negative long-term implications for your business.

People are more susceptible to being offended because we have large numbers of opinions going into important debates in today’s society.

Keep the journalist and their motives in mind when contacting the press, think about what’s in it for them and then brainstorm ways in which your idea could be flipped back on you – do that and you’re giving yourself a large upside and a small downside.

The Good Marketer is a Marketing Agency in London which drives more traffic, generating conversions and increases sales for Small-To-Medium Sized Businesses.