How to get the media to cover your stories

Just wrapped up on my latest media interview with The Star newspaper and wanted to share a few thoughts on content coverage. 

Media coverage is one of the key platforms I use to advocate sustainability to the mass audience who are seeking localised examples of what makes a sustainable business. My 'Green Hammer' initiative (a term inspired by a New Straits Times article that featured our journey around 4-5 years ago), works as our outreach programme to raise public awareness about green products and manufacturing. 

Having built our sustainable brands for about 7 years, I've been fortunate to be featured in various online & offline publications to talk about what I do, and working with the press has allowed me to build authority in this specialised field as well as generate reach among potential customers and collaborators. 

I'd like to share 3 main points that have allowed me to catch the interest of both traditional and digital media platforms:

1. Be active - We are active on social media. We use Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and most recently TikTok to engage with our followers and share our latest progress. The key points here are consistency and authenticity. The internet is the new-age database archive so make sure you are visible online when potential journalists are scouting for their next feature. 
2. Be unique - I'm pretty certain that I've received the coverage that I have by doing something that is still quite rare in my industry. Find your niche, tap into less known territories that have the potential to be something big, give it your all and don't stop the momentum. 
3. Be patient - Building our media portfolio didn't happen overnight. It's a matter of building your brand image, identifying your USPs, and doing your efforts to market your brand. So create your momentum, build your networks, and word will get out there that you have something interesting to share.