With limited budgets for advertising, entrepreneurs benefit from free media coverage. Media coverage offers exposure to potential customers and partners.
Media coverage can be more effective than traditional advertising. Media exposure involves a third-party endorsement, which makes it more interesting and credible from the viewer’s perspective.
Types of Publicity
When you are crafting your story, consider these five types of publicity:
Publicity of People: If you don’t mind being interviewed, you can introduce the public to your company through a portrait story. If you or your company wins an award, an award ceremony can generate publicity.
Publicity of Opinions: If you are an expert on a topic, you may want to share your opinion. Alternatively, you could provide commentary on another person’s story.
Publicity of Events: You could be a speaker at a conference or seminar. You could inform the media of an upcoming event, seminar, or reception.
Publicity of Product News: If you have a new invention, you could share the story of the product. If you launch a new version or feature, you could share a product announcement.
Publicity of New Customers: If you land a large customer and join forces with a partner, you could share a press release. If you coordinate a new supplier relationship, you could share that story.
Journalists continuously search for new stories. By initiating relationships with journalists and understanding the topics they write about, you can create stories that qualify for media coverage.
What Makes a Good Story
“Headlines that sell” is one of the traditional news criteria. Journalists look for stories that are:
Sensational: Stories that generate enthusiasm, such as revolutionary products or scandals.
Topical: Stories that are relevant right now, such as a press release about a recent or upcoming event.
Significant: Stories that appeal to large portion of the community, such as a social impact story.
Identification: Stories that the audience can identify with and relate to.
Conflict: An element of drama adds to the story and captures the audience’s attention.
When selecting a type of publicity, take the perspective of the media. To broadcast your story, the media will have to perceive it to be newsworthy and find a good angle to make it interesting.
Types of Media
There are many different media opportunities – print media, broadcast media, and online media. Magazines, trade journals, and newspapers are a few examples of print media. TV and radio are two examples of broadcast media. Blogs, podcasts, and social media are a few examples of online media.
How can you get the media to take an interest in your startup?
To get the media to take an interest in your startup, consider these steps:
1. Select the type of publicity that fits you and your company.
2. Evaluate your story in terms of newsworthiness and interestingness.
3. Determine the appropriate type of media.
4. Reach out to a reporter who reports on similar stories
Similar to entrepreneurs, journalists have limited time. To increase your media odds, entrepreneurs can provide a pre-packaged story for the journalist to run with. Once you have identified your type of publicity, angle, and type of media, you can identify a journalist who would be interested in your story.
If you would like guidance on public relations, contact us to coordinate your GrowthWheel one-on-one consultation.