Top Tips to Secure Media Coverage

PR can be an enjoyable and rewarding job. Sending press releases to the media is an important element that needs to be done to gain media coverage for clients.

We’ve put together a few top tips for selling-in to the press and how to maintain relationships with journalists.

Research

Before contacting the press, research the person you need to speak to and which department they are in. This is a great way to minimise the time you spend on the phone and maximise your chances of getting through to the right contact.

The publication that you are contacting has to have a reason to cover your news story or product, so make sure that it is relevant to the title you are selling-in to. Don’t contact the business press if your news story has nothing to do with business!

Short and Sweet

Journalists are inundated with press releases on a daily basis so whether you are pitching via the phone or email, it is important to keep it concise as the phone call will probably only last between 30 seconds to a minute. They will know if a story is relevant to their publication within a few sentences, so include keywords and a brief outline.

Don’t forget when sending further information by email to include your contact information so they can get back to you if they have any questions.

 

Be Patient

Once you have sent an email to a journalist, it can sometimes take a while for them to get back to you. Don’t phone them back half an hour later, they probably haven’t seen it yet! Follow it up the next day or two days after to make sure they received the information and any attached images. This follow up will give the journalist a reminder if they haven’t had a chance to look through the release but also will ensure you have done everything to get potential coverage for a client.

 

Building Relationships with Journalists

Part of working in the PR industry involves working with journalists so building relationships with them is useful. Having a list of contacts that you have consistently spoken to can put you in a good position to secure coverage for your clients.