Media Relations: What to do if you can't get coverage
Before the holidays we talked about why the media may not be interested in your story. Maybe your story really is great, and you’re doing everything you should be doing down to the right timing and media targeting. If you look at it from the perspective of the journalist, they receive sometimes hundreds of pitches every day. Despite how hard you try, your email or Twitter pitch may get lost in the shuffle.
An accomplished and well-respected journalist once told me that sometimes you need to find ways around the media, especially if we look at how much things have shifted to social and online. This is exactly how you would handle this situation.
Here are a few ways to get your story out there when you just can’t get through to the media.
Amp up your content strategy.
I’m not living under a rock. I realize that content strategy and content marketing are buzzwords… However, they are practical buzzwords that you really can’t get away from. In business, cash is king, but in marketing, content is king.
Take a look at all of your content across channels. What kind of content are you putting out there? Is your great story laid out across all of your platforms? Do you have a blog? If you have a story that is so amazing, you likely have something to say. When was the last time you reviewed your e-Newsletter strategy, or your direct mail campaign?
It’s important to both keep your content fresh as well as put out a steady stream of content so you stay in view of your audience. If you do this for long enough, someone is bound to take notice. I have a client that got a call from a radio station because of an article he put out. If you have something to say, make sure you are capitalizing on all opportunities to say it!
Guest blog posts/bylined article placements.
Not ready for a full-fledged blog strategy for your business (you should really re-consider), or perhaps you have a strategy in place, but you just want to branch out? Try connecting with publications and key blogs of interest to see if it’s possible for you to write a guest post. This is a great way for you to get your name out there to reach a broader community. If you are afraid to reach out to editors or other blogs, consider LinkedIn publisher as a great place to start.
For more thoughts on this, check out this article!
Grow your social media community and empower your customers to share your story.
Photograph by George Marks
I know. This can be easier said than done. Here is where you have marketing managers and business owners saying that they want to run a viral marketing campaign. EVERYONE wants to run a viral marketing campaign. The stars aren’t always aligned for your campaign to take off on the internet, however, you can focus on reaching your immediate audience. If they feel connected to you as a brand, they will feel good about sharing your story for you. This will grow your audience through word of mouth (or stroke of key, tap of screen… you get it).Your audience is your most valuable asset when it comes to marketing. If they like it, then you are doing something right!
Public stunt to increase impact.
Want to go big? You could plan a public stunt to get attention. Careful with this one though. It’s easy to run off the rails with budget on this if you are trying to compete with the big guys. That’s not to say it can’t be done. There are creative ways to think outside of the box but inside of the budget. It’s a matter of finding what will work best for you in terms of brand awareness and fit. I feel a blog coming on about public stunts, so check in next week to find out more!
Final thoughts.
The key is you need to think creatively when it comes to your strategy. If you start to look at your marketing efforts (including PR!) as a bigger picture rather than in silos, you can use multiple tactics to get your brand story out there.