What strategies do you use to promote your local small business? Probably a little social media, email marketing, maybe even refrigerator magnets? Have you ever considered adding a powerful PR strategy to the mix?
Public relations (PR) isn’t just for big companies. This set of practices can improve brand awareness, boost your reputation, and ultimately increase sales. Moreover, it can help you build trust and credibility, attract investors, and position your business for success.
Customers want to know that the brands to whom they’re loyal share their values. In fact, 89% of consumers say that they’re most loyal to brands who share those values.
Any organization, regardless of size or industry, can benefit from PR. Think of it as a strategic communications tool you can use to reach more customers, protect your brand image, and stay competitive. Companies may also leverage media coverage to improve brand positioning, inform and educate audiences, and deal with negative press.
One of the most important steps to building a PR strategy is reaching out to journalists, bloggers, and media outlets. You want to develop strategic relationships with people and organizations that resonate with your audience. You’ll get brand mentions, press coverage, and positive publicity if you do it right. You’ll know your campaign was successful if the brand mentions and positive publicity from those campaigns lead to an increase in leads, more website traffic, and organic attention to your brand on your primary social media channels.
But what is PR outreach in the first place? Most importantly, what can you do to increase media outreach and gain exposure for your small business? Let’s find out.
What is media outreach?
Public relations can be a cost-effective way to get media coverage for your startup or small business, explains Forbes. Press release distribution, content creation, and other PR strategies are often cheaper and more effective than traditional advertising. A 2020 Nielsen study commissioned by AI content marketing platform, InPowered, concluded that digital PR campaigns are 90% more effective than traditional advertising campaigns, and expert content increased familiarity with a brand 88% better than branded content.
In addition, a well-planned PR strategy can also help with search engine optimization (SEO), making it easier for prospects to find your company’s website or blog.
Building relationships with the right people in the right context is necessary to achieve these goals. That’s what PR outreach is all about.
For example, you may want to connect with local reporters, influencers, or popular bloggers in your niche. Another option is to have your brand story published in magazines and newspapers. Inc., Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fortune, and Harvard Business Review are all great choices, but you can also target niche publications like Make Magazine, Men’s Health, or PCMag.
The purpose of PR outreach is to generate media coverage, but you may also use this approach to:
- Increase website traffic
- Boost your SEO efforts
- Build your reputation
- Establish yourself as an industry expert
- Educate, inform, or entertain your audience
- Deal with negative press
- Address customers’ concerns
- Gain media coverage for new products or services
PR outreach is different from advertising. First, you must earn trust and build lasting relationships to get positive coverage. Then, the media decides if your story is worth sharing.
Advertising, on the other hand, gives you full control over what you share. You pay for an advert, blog post, or article, provide creative direction, and tweak your message to fit the target audience. Simply put, it’s paid media.
As you would expect, journalists receive hundreds of pitches each week. Some are irrelevant to their target audience, while others are too generic or vague. Of course, pitches that are overly promotional or have misleading titles won’t make the cut either.
About the worst thing you can do with a PR pitch is to use automation and fail to take care when including fields to be filled in by the contact’s name, or the name of the company.
Here’s an example of when it can go terribly wrong:
Hi [Name],
I’m with Software Company A which helps businesses like yours streamline their operations to be more efficient. I really enjoyed the article from [Company] blog and was hoping we could create some original content for your site.
Honestly, the rest of this pitch doesn’t matter much because you’ve already lost the contact’s attention as soon as you mess up the automation.
Here’s an example of how to use that same pitch style more effectively:
Hi John,
I’m with Software Company A, and I thought you’d be interested in this study we completed which shows that companies which install standard operating procedures in their businesses are 85% more productive than those who do not.
Would you like to see the full study?
Let me know and I’ll send it over.
See the difference? In the good example, you’re providing free information that’s backed by a study to the recipient rather than asking them for something you want. When you provide value, that value tends to be reciprocated, and you’re more likely to get the PR coverage you’re looking for.
Not sure where to start? Follow these steps to build a media outreach plan that drives results.
Define your target audience
First things first, make sure you know who you want to target and where they fit into your PR strategy. Your audience may include magazine editors, journalists, bloggers, strategic partners, influencers, and so on, but you can’t just send random emails and hope to get a reply.
For starters, consider your industry and marketing goals. Next, look for individual journalists and media outlets covering your industry. Check out their work, follow them on social media, and research their publications.
If, say, you sell fitness apparel and accessories, you could reach out to:
- Health and beauty magazines
- Lifestyle magazines
- Fitness influencers
- Bloggers in the health and wellness space
- General business magazines
A business magazine like Forbes or Inc. can be the perfect medium to tell your brand story. Think of it as an opportunity to expand your reach and get your name out there. You may also contact niche publications, such as health magazines, and offer to share expert tips, educational content, or industry insights.
Build a media list
You may already have a few names in mind, but do you know how to reach those people or companies? Probably not.
News outlets, magazines, and media companies employ hundreds of people, each with specific duties. Your best bet is to contact the lead editor or whoever is in charge of the publishing process.
First, make a list of journalists and media outlets covering your niche. Then, check out their websites and LinkedIn pages to determine who you should contact.
For example, Forbes has nearly 5,000 employees listed on LinkedIn. Visit the company’s business page, click “People,” and type “editor,” “writer,” “journalist,” or “reporter” in the search bar. You could also narrow your search by country or area of expertise, such as travel, business, or startup life.
Another option is to type “site:forbes.com + your target keyword (e.g., fitness business)” into your browser’s search bar to find articles on specific topics. See who wrote the content and research their work before sending your pitch.
When you start to think about subscribing to a platform as part of your PR strategy to build your media list it’s important to ask yourself a few questions about what you need in a platform:
- How does the platform compare to its competitors?
- Is the platform a good fit for someone just starting out with PR outreach? Are the features of the platform more extensive than you need?
- What is your budget for a PR platform? What’s most you’re willing to spend monthly? (A good rule of thumb here, is you generally get what you pay for with PR platforms.)
- What do the reviews say about the platforms you’re considering? Are they generally good, bad, or somewhere in between? What do the most recent reviews say?
When you have the answers to these questions, it’s a little easier to take the next steps to choose the platform that’s right for you, to build out your lists.
Here are other resources you can use to build your media list:
- Help a Reporter Out (HARO): An online platform that connects journalists and media outlets with expert sources
- Muck Rack: A media database that enables users to discover and pitch journalists
- Followerwonk: Find and connect with social media influencers
- Google News: Get the latest news in your industry and connect with reporters, journalists, and publications
- Thruuu: Discover the most popular content in your niche
If you decide to use Google News, select a topic from the left side menu or enter your target keyword in the search bar. This approach can be a great way to discover relevant publications and top reporters in your industry.
Go one step further and segment your audience by location, industry, and other criteria.
For example, you could have a list of business journalists, a list of influencers, and a list of bloggers in your niche. Next, use email targeting to personalize your pitch and make it more relevant to the target audience.
Gather contact information
Most journalists have portfolio websites where you can find their contact information. Some also share their contact details on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social networks.
Call the people you’re interested in and introduce yourself for a more personal touch. Tell your story briefly, see how they feel about it, and then submit a more detailed pitch by email. With the right tools, you can find anyone’s phone number online — but what you do afterward counts.
Small businesses can also leverage networking to connect with journalists and other media influencers. For example, you may attend conferences, trade shows, exhibitions, and other industry events. Introduce yourself to reporters, tell them about your business, and ask for their contact details.
Then, follow them on social media and focus on building lasting relationships.
Experiment with different communication channels
Muck Rack’s State of PR 2021 survey found that nearly 60% of PR teams struggle to get responses from journalists and reporters. Unfortunately, things are even more difficult for brands and nonprofits.
Cold email can be an effective way to pitch the media, but it doesn’t always work. Journalists open roughly 3% of the pitches received, and fewer than 8% of pitches result in a published article.
On the positive side, there are ways to increase your chances of getting a reply. For starters, experiment with different channels and types of content.
Media outreach is usually done by email, but you may also use other communication channels, such as social media and video calls. For example, more than 80% of the PR pros surveyed by Muck Rack used instant messaging and video conferencing tools daily, and over 60% said they prefer to communicate by phone.
In our visual world, video messaging can tell a powerful story about your brand and the values which you believe in. Ikea’s “Stay Home” campaign in 2020 did this particularly well, appealing to people who were shut in due to COVID. The campaign emphasized the importance of making home a place of “warmth and togetherness.” The video campaign was augmented by emails and direct mail with a similar feel that drove home the message of encouraging people to make home the best it could be while they had to be there.
Here are some other examples of great multi-channel PR campaigns.
One option is to create a media kit around your story. Include a compelling pitch, a relevant call-to-action, and high-quality images. Then, contact the journalists you’re interested in and send them a link to your media kit.
The best media kits include relevant statistics about your brand’s reach, audience and community, especially demographic statistics like income, education and location which are a natural fit for the publication who’s attention you’re looking to grab. The media kit should also include a rate card for the space you’re able to sell advertisers, in case your target is aligned well enough with your brand that they would like to advertise with you – either online or in print.
Here are some examples of first-rate media kits from some of the world’s biggest brands.
This approach eliminates the need for lengthy emails and can make things easier for both parties.
Think outside the box
You may have a great story, but how you present it matters. Journalists are flooded with story ideas from brands, business professionals, and other parties, so you must make yours stand out.
About 50% of PR professionals say their average pitch length is around 200 words, according to the State of PR 2021 survey. Nearly 30% keep their pitches between 201 and 300 words, and 16% will aim for 100 words or less.
You should also double check on the deliverability of your email to ensure your emails are “clean” before you fire off any campaign.
All in all, there are no hard rules for pitching stories to the media — just ensure you’re clear and concise. Of course, a little creativity doesn’t hurt either. Think outside the box and experiment with different content and PR strategy outreach templates to get your story noticed.
Let’s see a few examples:
- Local success stories related to your business
- Workshops, festivals, and other events your company is hosting
- Charities and causes you support
- New product releases
- Exclusive news
- Insider tips
- Infographics
- Proprietary research
- Press releases
For best results, try not to exceed 400 words. Every line you write should have a purpose and complement the message you want to convey.
Also, make sure your pitch is unique and newsworthy, says Forbes. Customize it for each media outlet you reach out to and avoid mass pitching.
Find the right angle for your pitch
Newsworthy pitches are more likely to get noticed and reach their purpose. The question is, what makes a story newsworthy?
The experts at Purdue University recommend focusing on the following:
- Timeliness
- Relevance
- Continuity
- Proximity
- Conflict/controversy
- Simplification
- Prominence
- Novelty
- The surprise factor
- The unusual
- Human interest
For example, you have a higher chance of publishing your story if it features a recent event, such as opening a new store. The same goes for local or unexpected events and stories that evoke emotions.
Keep an eye on Reddit, Quora, Google Trends, and other platforms. Search for topics related to your industry or niche and try to identify trends, customer pain points, unanswered questions, and so on. Then, use this information to give your story a fresh angle.
Also, remember controversy drives interest.
In 2015, the Ad Council published a video called Love Has No Labels, which got over 60.6 million views and 16,000 comments. Producers asked random couples on the street to go through an X-ray machine behind a screen and show affection toward one another before revealing their gender and sexual orientation.
The campaign caused controversy, but it positively impacted society and made headlines in the media.
You, too, can address controversial or taboo topics in your pitch as long as they relate to your brand’s mission. The story should be relevant to the media outlet you want to target and resonate with its audience.
Follow up on your pitches
Most editors, bloggers, and other media pros are drowning in work. Some might be interested in your marketing emails, but they simply forget to reply and get busy with other things. Given these aspects, it makes sense to follow up on your pitches if you don’t hear back within a few days.
Nearly half of PR teams surveyed by Muck Rack said they usually send one or two follow-up emails. About 56% do it within three to seven days of submitting a pitch, while more than one-third will follow up within a day or two.
Generally, it’s best to send up to three follow-up emails, but first, use an email tracker to check if the recipient has read your message. A short, polite message will do the trick. You may also include new information or resources, such as video content and additional photos.
Here are a few example follow up emails to send if you don’t receive initial responses to your PR campaign:
Hi again, (Name),
It’s (you) with (your brand). I’m following up on my email from (date) with a reminder that I’m available to talk when you have time available.
As I mentioned, our company (is trending, aligns with your audience, expands on something you recently wrote – or some mention of why it’s a good subject).
Here’s what you need to know:
- Top level-statement about the news you’re sharing
- A few bullet points on why it’s important
- Relevant stats, charts, data, etc.
You can find the full version of the recent press release here.
Thanks for your time and I look forward to continuing the conversation!
In the email following this check-in, you can be more direct, letting you contact know it’s the last time they’ll hear from you / you’ll leave them alone going forward, to try to earn a response to tie up the conversation.
Last but not least, remember to track your outreach efforts. Use tools like Google Alerts, Semrush, Buzzsumo, or Hootsuite to monitor brand mentions, incoming links, and other metrics.
Optimize your PR outreach to get more brand mentions
Creating an effective PR outreach strategy requires ongoing work. Be prepared to send hundreds of pitches, refine your messages, and follow up as needed. Most importantly, focus on building strategic relationships with the right people.
Meanwhile, seek new ways to promote your brand and reach more customers. For example, engage with your prospects on social media, publish relevant content on your website or blog, and contribute to industry journals, magazines, and trade publications. You can also partner up with non-competing brands and engage in cross-marketing to help each other grow.
