How to make the media notice you

If you want media coverage, you may think writing a press release is the only way to get journalists to notice you and feature your business – but it isn’t. Here are four things you can do right now that will help you get featured in the media.

1. Use Twitter hashtags to find journalists looking for help

Type the #journorequest or #prrequest hashtag into the Twitter search box and you will find dozens of requests from journalists and bloggers looking for help with specific articles or programmes on every possible topic you can imagine. You should find at least one request that applies, so just tweet them back and introduce yourself.

Don’t be afraid to put yourself forward for articles that are not an exact fit for your business right now. When you do have a story to pitch about your business, not only are they more likely to remember your name, they will be more likely to read your email or take your call. It’s all about the relationship building.

2. Sign up to a media inquiry service

Services such as Response Source, Gorkana, Journolink, Ask Charity, Help A Reporter Out or Sourcebottle connect journalists with relevant expert sources. Sign up and you will receive regular email updates from journalists who are looking for experts and case studies to feature in their work. Some are free and some offer free trials, so you can start building your media contact database immediately.

3. Make yourself easier to find on social media

Many journalists use Twitter like a search engine, particularly when they are looking for people to talk to for stories they are working on. So having an up-to-date profile (ideally with a contact number), regularly sharing content that relates to your area of expertise and using hashtags – which group together posts on a similar topic – can all help you get noticed. If there is anything you are keen to raise awareness of, you might also want to add a pinned post at the top of your feed.

Journalists also look for people to talk to on LinkedIn, so it’s a good idea to have an up-to-date profile – with examples of your work or a short video of you talking or presenting. If it’s immediately obvious that you know your subject – and are a good talker – journalists are more likely to want to connect with you.

Take particular care with your professional headline (the one-liner under your name). While it’s tempting to put your title, for example, “Director of leadership coaching company” or “Financial services strategist”, this will mean nothing to a busy journalist. Explain how you help people instead, for instance: “I help women become CEOs” or “I help writers make better decisions about money” and you will have more chance of grabbing their attention.

4. Newsjack

Journalists often find fresh angles on topical news stories and use this to create another piece of media content, such as an opinion piece, interview or feature that explores the topic in greater depth. This approach is often referred to as newsjacking and the good news is, you can do it too.

Set up a Google alert for key words that relate to your area of expertise and you will receive regular updates on relevant news stories. If you spot a story where you think you could add value – in the form of expert comment on radio and TV, or by writing an opinion article – you can contact journalists and let them know that you are available to help.

Let’s say you specialise in developing software to manage nuisance calls. You wake up one morning to find the topic is headline news, due to an announcement that the government is planning to introduce harsher penalties for companies that cold call households. You could contact radio and TV shows you think will be covering the topic, to offer expert comment. You could offer to write an opinion article for an industry publication or even a national newspaper. Here’s more information about how to pitch an idea to a journalist.

Don’t be daunted by the prospect of calling a newsroom. Ask to be put through to the programme you would like to appear on, explain that you are an expert in whatever it happens to be, are available to comment on a particular story and ask to put through to the relevant person.

But do be aware that timing is everything. In a 24/7 news culture, where social media is driving the news agenda at breakneck speed, you need to act fast. So if you wake up to a breaking news story that relates to your area of expertise, you can’t afford to wait until you have had your breakfast, dropped your kids off at school or written your weekly blog post. You need start emailing or calling journalists straight away or you will miss the opportunity.

Janet Murray’s book: Your Press Release is Breaking my Heart (A Totally Unconventional Guide to Selling Your Story in the Media) is out on 7 July.

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