Most businesses don’t have exciting news to announce every day of the week. Getting media coverage when there’s nothing much happening can be challenging. But there are a few ways you can stay in the public eye if you are willing to put the work in.
We discuss this (and much more) in our media training, but to get you started here are some tips:
The Art of Newsjacking
While it’s a bit of a dark art, newsjacking is a common approach for many businesses in different sectors which allows them to attract a bit of media attention. There could be a news story that doesn’t directly affect your business but which you could comment on and provide some useful insight.
The key here is offering a point of view that adds a different dimension to what is being discussed and which is likely to get you some media coverage.
Capturing Positive Stories
Get into the habit of looking out for positive news stories associated with your business that the media may be interested in. Company CEOs often miss these because they are focused on other things. It might be something small like your team getting together to help out in the local community or your role in an event that people might be interested in.
Work the Metrics
Media outlets love to quote a statistic or two and you can manufacture coverage by carrying out a survey or doing some research within your industry. You may even have a few metrics sitting around for your business that you can use to send out to newspapers, TV and radio.
What’s in the Diary?
Can you connect your business to annual events or awareness days? It’s a good idea to check what’s on the calendar over the next six months and how you might engage in a way that gets you media coverage. Awareness days are particularly good for this as there are so many of them.
For example, if you’re a food manufacturer, getting involved with International Bacon Day or National Asparagus Month can provide you with some lighthearted media coverage.
Profile Pieces
It’s also important to mine any potential within your workforce and possibly create profile pieces that are great for things like industry journals. It may relate to someone in your business who is following a certain career or even someone who is doing something fantastic like raising money for charity.
Write an Editorial
There’s always the chance to express your opinion in an editorial or two. These require a good deal of thought and effort on your part but can do wonders for your reputation and authority within your industry. They work well if there is an issue being debated in your business sector and allows you to offer solutions or opinions that can get you wider coverage.
It’s important to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to getting your business in front of the media. Being aware of the opportunities and having a strategy for developing them can make a big difference to your visibility. While not all will get you on the first page of the local newspaper, you should end up getting more hits than misses where the media will want to engage with your company.