A Step-by-Step Guide to Get Media Coverage
Media coverage isn’t always a top goal for digital content marketing, but good PR isn’t just good for your branding. When it’s done right, media coverage can help boost your SEO efforts and attract a greater audience. Getting your company mentioned on local news outlets or even major news outlets isn’t easy to achieve, but with research and the right online PR strategy, you can put your brand on a larger stage.
Create Newsworthy Content
If you want to use PR as part of your content strategy, then you need to create something that is newsworthy. In smaller communities, that can be something as simple as donating to a local charity or supporting the school or another organization. You may want to do some research about your industry and its impact in your community or run a survey that offers insight. Newsworthy topics include these elements:
- Timeliness – news that is recent and current
- Proximity – news that is relevant to the geographic area where you’re publishing
- Significance – news that is relevant to a wide audience where you are publishing
- Human interest – news that causes people to be emotional
If you create newsworthy content with these elements, it’s more likely to be picked up by a larger number of news outlets, both online and offline.
Package Your Content for News Publications
Create content that is compelling; ‘news’ should not be boring. Some publishers may not want data that is over-branded. Although your goal is marketing your brand, many publishers don’t want to shout your name as part of their news coverage. Simple designs without many labels are better if you are creating infographics or pictures to support your text.
Creating a Personal Pitch
Once you have newsworthy content that is well-designed, you need to reach out to publishers to get your content published. Editors get hundreds of pitches every day from people and organizations just like you. How will you stand out? Although there are templates that you can use to reach out to publishers, a personal connection will typically generate a better response. Don’t just look through their list of articles and say how much you enjoyed them. To rise above the noise, you’ll have to appeal to the editor. Here are some tips:
- Make your subject line your best call to action.
- Lead with a personal connection.
- Keep your pitch short, between 100 and 150 words.
- Ensure there are no grammar or spelling errors.
- Follow publication guidelines, if any.
Getting your pitch noticed by a major publisher can be a huge marketing boost. You’ll earn brand awareness, reach out to a new audience, and build backlinks for SEO strategy. Investing in quality content that is newsworthy may take time, but it is does payoff when it works. The MintCopy team of experienced SEO writers can help you with a digital content strategy to get results for your business.
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Resources:
- https://moz.com/blog/how-to-earn-top-media-coverage
- https://hbr.org/2014/10/get-your-pitch-noticed-by-a-major-publisher
Sheetal Pinto is the founder of MintCopy, a content agency that has been helping businesses communicate effectively since 2008. With a passion for words and a knack for SEO, she’s worked with companies around the world to craft copy that not only engages but ranks. Whether it’s blog posts, website content, or social media updates, Sheetal has a talent for turning complex ideas into compelling stories. When she’s not optimizing content or editing for clarity, she’s probably daydreaming about the perfect headline or debating the Oxford comma. With over 16 years in the business, she’s seen the digital marketing and SEO content landscape evolve and grow. Sheetal’s mantra? Fresh copy, refreshing results!
