March 19, 2025
IMPRESSING THE PRESS: Getting press coverage is a free way to gain exposure for your expertise and business. It is easy to say but harder to get accomplished. Here are three recommendations to get on their radar in a good way:
1. ESTABLISH A CONNECTION OF VALUE BEFORE YOU NEED IT. Try to be a good resource for your local newspaper, magazine, radio and/or television outlets before you have news to share about your business. By reaching out and stating your expertise, experience and topics you can be a resource for, it makes it easier for the editor to include you as a source. They are then familiar with you and more likely to include your news and/or press release in the future if they have space. (Tip: Leave the “flowery language” out. Publishers and editors tend to gloss over the “best” and the “most” descriptive words. Keep it simple and not pushy!)
2. UNDERSTAND THE MEDIA OUTLET’S STYLE. Read, listen and/or watch what your media outlets are publishing. They see if you paid attention to their editing style and topics. For instance, most print publications use the Associated Press (AP) style while some use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). Most discourage blog-style and/or first-person content. All are operating under deadlines. Make it easy for them to include you with minimal editing by submitting a professional piece that fits their publication. (Tip: Double checking which editorial style is used makes a big difference for us editors as we need to take time to add or remove those pesky commas and other style differences.)
3. CHECK EACH PUBLICATION’S EDITORIAL CALENDAR. You can usually find media outlets’ editorial calendars for the year on their websites. It enables you to see general topics they are looking to cover and when, such as women’s health in a May magazine. (Tip: Personalize your pitch to write an article or be included as a source with insight tidbits, relevant data and/or a short expert view tied to topics being covered. Keep it short but informational.)
Keep an eye out for the next Wednesday Wisdom! Share on Facebook.
Happy communicating, Ariana