133 ways to become a media magnet

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133 Ways to Become a Media

Magnet

Get the media profile your

business deserves


133 Ways to Become a Media Magnet

For many, the media spotlight is just a dream. You might have aspirations about creating media profile but feel that big budgets are necessary. That is simply not true. You can compete with the larger organisations. And, in many cases, you’ll have a huge advantage in that you will be able to respond more quickly to media enquiries. Often, journalists prefer to speak to those involved in, or running, the business or organisation rather than press offices, PR consultants or agencies. That puts you in a strong position.

So, if other businesses, or organisations, are getting media profile, what’s their secret? Well, I’m glad to tell you that it comes down to something quite simple – understanding what journalists want and giving it to them. Here, I’ve listed 133 ways to help you do just that – ways to identify the right journalists, attract their attention and engage and manage relations with them. Good luck, and let me know how you get on: [email protected]

Research your target press and media – work out who to target and what they are interested in

1. Immerse yourself in the press and media – it’s one of the best ways to help you ‘tune in’ to the news agenda and what journalists are interested in.

2. Monitor, regularly, the press and media that are important to you to stay in touch with the issues that matter.

3. Pull together a list of the key press and media you want to target – then analyse them in detail for tone, style, content, format and opportunities.

4. Use search engines to hunt for relevant subjects and news stories and find journalists reporting on topical and relevant issues.

5. Track key journalists on social media – follow what they report on and what they chat about.

6. Take the opportunity to connect with key journalists online and engage with them.

7. Seek out journalists at events you attend and get chatting to them. 8. Regularly monitor the key hashtags on Twitter that are pertinent for your

organisation and sector – you need to know what is being said and who is saying it.

9. Set up Google alerts for relevant key words specific to your sector, business and to your competitors.

10. Telephone target journalists to find out the best ways to contact them, what they are interested in and the deadlines they work to.


Engage with journalists and become known to them in advance of pitching an idea or story

11. Post comments on news and sector specific websites in response to articles. 12. Follow journalists on Twitter and tweet, and link, to their articles that are of

interest. 13. Respond to their tweets and provide useful information and comment. 14. Open up debate on Twitter about a story written by the journalist. 15. Comment in response to Facebook postings by journalists. 16. Track Google Plus to see if updates and comments are posted by your target

journalists, and comment on them where appropriate. 17. Reference articles and news stories journalists have written in your blog, and

highlight that to the journalist. 18. Make yourself available and respond to journalists on and off line. 19. Be helpful and point journalists towards information and other experts who can

help them. 20. Showcase your news, and your expertise, on your website. Just like everyone

else, journalists use search engines to find information and experts.

Package your news story to give journalists what they want

21. Check your story for the key ingredients of news – human interest is key. 22. Sum up, in one sentence what your news story is all about – that is how you

will pitch it to journalists. 23. Ensure that you build in the other ingredients of news that journalists look

for. 24. Check that your story is timely. 25. Ensure the story is relevant to your target journalists and the press and

media they represent. 26. Tailor your news story for the different types of press and media – national,

specialist, local etc, tweak your press release to suit. 27. Use the inverted pyramid format to write your press release – with the

essence of the story up front and supporting information further down. Make your first paragraph count so that if only that paragraph were re-produced the story would make sense and could be used stand alone.

28. Include a quote in your press release if at all possible. 29. Answer the key questions of your story in the press release – the who, what,

why, where, when and how? 30. Include a named contact in the press release and ensure that they know

about the story and are available to take follow up calls and make comment. 31. Double check all facts that appear in the press release. 32. Draft a key facts note to support media interview preparation, particularly if a

number of different people are going to be doing interviews. 33. Include a ‘boilerplate’ in the ‘notes to editors’ section of your press

release i.e. a short paragraph that summarises what your business does and gives some basic background information.


34. Use the ‘notes to editors’ section for any detailed explanation needed in relation to the news story.

35. Focus your press release on the impact your news has on people – think benefits, not features.

36. Think in pictures about the image, photography or filming that you can use, or offer, to support the story.

37. Use third party endorsement in your press release to help support your story. 38. Speak to the journalist about the story in advance of sending it. 39. Offer case studies to journalists to support your news story. 40. Never send a press release to a journalist as an attachment to an email. 41. Never send a photo to a journalist on email without checking with them first. 42. Offer an exclusive to one journalist at a time. 43. Give journalists plenty of notice if your story relates to a specific event that is

coming up. 44. Offer journalists background briefing notes to help give context for the story

and provide additional information but don’t overload them.

Look at a range of ideas for creating profile and news angles

45. Carry out some research – but have in mind the ‘news’ angle before doing it – think about what findings would spark debate.

46. Challenge current thinking on a topic, be controversial. 47. Put out a call to action. 48. Get involved with your local community. 49. Support a local charity 50. Offer to sponsor a local group or organisation. 51. Sponsor an event or an award. 52. Pick out any up and coming significant dates that you can use to highlight

something about your business. 53. Look at seasonal opportunities that give you scope for news announcements

and comment opportunities. 54. Do something unusual for your customers that has never been done before. 55. Set up a collaborative forum to explore, or try to tackle, a sector issue. 56. Co-ordinate a stunt. 57. Set up a process for capturing unusual stories about the organisation. 58. Make an attempt at a world record. 59. Generate discussion by hosting a debate on a hot topic in your industry –

invite industry-known figures, influencers and others who will be interested. 60. Tap into significant anniversaries – your 1st, 5th, 10th, 25th year in business. 61. Highlight milestones – your 1,000th customer, the results of a staff initiative. 62. Hold a competition. 63. Enter an award. 64. Create and launch your own awards scheme. 65. Link up with a local school in a joint project. 66. Be the first in your industry, or sector, to do something. 67. Go the extra mile for a customer. 68. Seek out speaker opportunities.


69. Piggyback on the back of current trends. 70. Set up an awards scheme for your employees. 71. Announce partnerships and new contracts or associations. 72. Seek out profile opportunities for you or your organisation – what makes you

different, why have you been successful? 73. Warn your target audience about up and coming issues that you can help

with. 74. Approach the local paper to offer an advice column or to answer questions

from readers. 75. Approach a specialist magazine offering an expert column. 76. Produce a ‘how to7’ guide on an area of your expertise and promote it. 77. Announce news of your business expanding, new appointments, awards. 78. Use ‘stunning’ statistics to provide a news angle for a story. 79. Register as an expert on www.expertsources.co.uk and

www.findatvexpert.com as well as other free journalist databases. 80. Approach online publications with ideas for articles you can write yourself. 81. Approach press and online media with ideas for feature articles you can

contribute to. 82. Track the press and media and offer yourself as a case study to relevant

journalists. 83. Use customer/client stories as case studies and approach target press and

media with them. 84. Study your press and media for one-off opportunities for comment. 85. Write a letter to the editor. 86. Take part in a radio phone-in. 87. Be the first to pick up the phone to a journalist on the back of a breaking news

story to provide comment. 88. Offer article ideas on the back of a news story. 89. Target press with ‘ten top tips’ in your chosen specialist area. 90. Approach publications to see if they have listings of up and coming planned

features that you can capitalise on. 91. Make yourself an expert – pitch direct to a journalist highlighting successes,

experience and areas of expertise. 92. Include an area on your website for press and media and provide a press

kit. 93. Suggest a follow-up piece to an article just published that builds on that

article or expands on a related angle. 94. Host a seminar. 95. Write a book. 96. Write a blog on your experience relevant to your audience. 97. Start a campaign and call on others to sign up – make a public stand about an

issue that affects local people, your sector etc. 98. Demonstrate how your business or organisation is an example of a national

trend, or illustrates the points made in a national news story. 99. Highlight how your business or organisation bucks a trend. 100. Shout about your successes. 101. Produce a calendar of PR ‘hits’ that brings together all the ideas

discussed and maps them out in a timeframe.


Know how to handle media enquiries and showcase your knowledge

and expertise

In response to a press release

102. Be prepared for media enquiries on the back of a press release and keep a copy with you, just in case you receive a call when out of the office.

103. Write down the difficult questions a journalist might ask you about a story before you issue your press release.

104. Ensure you have any supporting facts and figures, or further examples, to hand.

105. Let people within your organisation know that a press release has been issued and who to forward calls onto.

106. Be up-to-date with news in your sector in case you get asked for your opinion about a current topic.

107. Be prepared with additional material or information you can offer the journalist to support the story – interviews, case studies, photography.

In response to unexpected enquiries

108. Never speak to a journalist off the cuff. 109. Use a media enquiry form to capture key information from the journalist. 110. Get the key information and agree to call the journalist back. 111. Always check to see who else they have spoken to, or plan to speak to. 112. Identify, clearly, what the journalist wants – information, an interview,

contact details for someone else. 113. Weigh up carefully whether this opportunity will help you to achieve your PR

objectives. 114. Decide whether you are the best person for the journalist to speak to. 115. Check whether your chat is being recorded. 116. Capture all contact details for the journalist. 117. Ask how they came across you.

Perform in a media interview and encourage the journalist to approach you again for interview or comment

118. Take as much time as possible to prepare for the interview. 119. Work out your answers to the most obvious questions. 120. Work out your answers to the most difficult questions. 121. Always double check the logistics for any interview. 122. Check who else might be interviewed in relation to the story. 123. Remember to ask whether the interview is live or recorded. 124. Watch/listen/read the relevant press and media in advance. 125. Write down your three key messages for the interview. 126. Ensure you have double checked the relevant statistics you want to use in

any interview.


127. Think about, in advance, the examples to use to support your views and comment.

128. Remember never to use the phrase ‘no comment’ 129. Don’t ever say anything ‘off the record’ 130. Remember never to say anything you wouldn’t expect to see, or hear,

reported. 131. Think one step ahead at every interview opportunity about how you might

engage with the journalist, or follow up with them, regarding another idea or story you have.

132. Leave your business card with the person who set up the interview and highlight any other topics you’d be happy to speak about.

133. Follow up after the interview with your contact to see if they have all the information they need.

Become the go-to source for journalists

It’s important to keep in mind that meaningful PR does require effort and takes time to build. This list might seem overwhelming but focus on just a handful of the points mentioned and you will be well on your way to achieving great PR results. If you get to know journalists. and take time to understand how they work, then your efforts will be rewarded. And, most important, put in the effort, learn from it and keep doing it.

In a nutshell: be visible, be accessible, be consistent, be reliable and always aim to provide value.

What’s next?

It’s now a case of getting stuck in and taking action.

Please do let me know what you thought of 133 Ways to Become a Media Magnet and how you get on with using the tips. You can email me at: [email protected]

Do also connect with me via social networks:

• Twitter: @debbieleven

• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/debbieleven

Other PR tools and resources are available via the website: www.prcoach.co.uk and also on slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/debbieleven/press-release-scorecard

If you found 133 Ways to Become a Media Magnet useful then please feel free to share with contacts and colleagues.

© Copyright, Debbie Leven, 2013

133 ways to become a media magnet

Business