Today, releasing news to the media is only as successful as the ways you share your content. Reporters sift through hundreds of news releases each day, making it increasingly difficult to get your public relations efforts noticed.
Here are four things you can do to get your PR noticed:
Support your story with visuals
- Remember the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words?” That applies to public relations also. Telling your story with an image is often more captivating to an audience. Whenever possible add strong visuals to your pitches and PR campaigns.
- An example would be to use an infographic to create visual representation of data or facts. An infographic not only grabs the attention of the reporter, but also promotes sharing online. The best part of including an image or infographic is that you can include your brand logo, hyperlink, or even a specific call-to-action and lead readers back to the organization’s website.
Take advantage of social media
- Most reporters and news outlets are on social media, so using it effectively is a great way to engage personally with journalists. Reporters often get entire stories from an individual’s social media. To be noticed, make sure you are using searchable hashtags- that is the easiest way for a journalist to find your tweet for a story. It is also important to have a point of view. If a reporter is searching for a source on a story, having a unique point of view can help you get noticed.
Be a thought leader
- Being a thought leader on a topic can build your brand and make it easier to get reporters to want to speak with you. That is because reporters are interested in talking to experts who have credibility and can therefore enhance their stories. Make sure you insert yourself in conversations to get yourself viewed as a thought leader. Some ways to do this are by winning an award, being a speaker at a local event or serve as a panelist and speak on your area of expertise. Another way to enhance thought leadership is to draft blog posts and case studies often and promote them on social media.
Pitch a targeted list of reporters
- The days of distributing your press release through a wire service and hoping for the best are long gone. It takes research and strategy to get your news covered and one of the most important steps is to make sure you are sending your pitch to the right reporters. There is nothing more irritating for a journalist than receiving a pitch about something that is completely off topic from what you cover. The best way to prevent this from happening is to do your homework. Research the news outlets where you want to get coverage, familiarize yourself with the reporters who work for the publication, follow them on social media and most importantly, READ their work.
After spending hours crafting a press release, pitch, and a media list, it is certainly important to make sure your efforts are being noticed. Utilizing some of the above methods can help your hard work pay off.
Posted In Content Marketing, Public Relations