How to get free media coverage for your business

One of the best ways to promote your business is to secure free media coverage.

Free media coverage makes you look like an industry expert – and customers want to do business with industry experts.

So how, then, do you get free media coverage?

It’s not easy … but it’s easier than you think.

How this business got two big pieces of free publicity 

My content marketing agency, Hunter & Scribe, recently started working with a client that had been trying in vain to get media coverage from the leading magazine in its industry.

“What do we have to do to get coverage, Nick?” the client’s CEO asked.

Two things, I explained:

1. Give the magazine interesting content
2. Make it easy for the magazine to do business with you

The CEO liked the plan and hired Hunter & Scribe to execute it. Here’s how we followed through on those two steps.

First, we wrote content that was helpful rather than self-promotional, because we knew the more valuable we made the media release, the more likely it would be published.

Second, we provided the editor with two different versions of the media release (a news story and a guest column), so she could choose whichever version best suited her publishing needs. We attached a relevant photo, because we knew the magazine included a photo with every story. We also wrote a cover email explaining we understood the editor had tight deadlines, so we would respond promptly if she needed to contact us for any reason.

The result?

• We started working with that client one month ago
• We sent three media releases to the magazine in that month
• The magazine published two of them (both as lead stories)

The CEO was delighted with those two pieces of free media coverage, because he realised they would make it easier for his team to make sales.

"Bloody great!!!!!" the CEO emailed after the first media release was published. "Another awesome result," he said after the second. 

Do these five things if you want to get your name up in lights 

Want to get free media coverage for your business? Follow this five-step plan:

1. Pick your targets – choose the newspapers / magazines / websites your clients read

2. Get to know the publications – learn their preferred topics, style and word count

3. Give them what they want – send them media releases that match their preferences

4. Attach a relevant photo – include a high-res photo that illustrates the media release (such as a photo of a person who’s been quoted or a product that’s been mentioned)

5. Make the editor’s life easy – include your contact details, and tell the editor you’ll respond promptly to any calls or emails so they can hit their deadline

Why most media releases get rejected 

A word of warning – even if you follow that five-step plan, your media release is more likely to be rejected than accepted.

That’s because publications receive far more media releases than they have capacity to publish.

So don’t be disheartened if you fail at the first attempt … or even the fifth … or the tenth.

If you keep sending quality media releases, sooner or later you’ll get free media coverage.

Want free media coverage? I can help. Contact me at [email protected]