how to get press for your company

ever thought: “it would be great to get what i’m working on featured in the press!”

then you were met with crickets when you tried to pitch, or didn’t go beyond the thought because you weren’t sure how to make that happen? let me share something with you...

press hits can be a great way to get your name out there as well as to build your credibility.⁣

as a long-time writer for major outlets, i get about three emails per day with cold pitches.⁣

want to know how many i’ve said yes to? less than five.

why? because the bulk of them get their pitch totally wrong. they send me a generic email, that’s super long, and only tells me why they think they are great, or their client is, and that i should feature them.⁣

sometimes, they’ll do a quick search and say “i really enjoyed reading your piece in Inc. called xyz, here’s why you should write about me”.⁣

if you want to be featured in the press, building relationships with writers is no different than building relationships with anyone else.⁣

you need to look at it from a value-additive lens. not one of ‘what’s in it for me?’ or ‘allow me to vomit my aims all over you with no context or trust built’.⁣

what’s a better way?

get introduced by someone who knows both of you.⁣
if you don’t have those intermediary connections, do your homework and interact with writers. read and share their work. connect with them on social media. show them that you care and want to help them. they will likely take notice. ⁣
consider writing them a sincere and complimentary message that is so clearly customized for them (video is a great idea for this) that they can’t help but want to get to know you. and instead of pitching in it, just express that you want to ask them one question on how someone could best get highlighted in outlets for which they write. tell them you know they have a ton on their plate and a quick email reply would mean the world to you. typically, they’ll go out of their way to help because you went out of your way. people love to give advice, but they don’t love to feel backed into a corner or sold.⁣
keep in mind that most writers are not full-time, not paid (or paid well), and figure out how you can make it as easy as possible for them to get their articles done, in their ‘beat’ (the topic about which they write). also note that it’s against most contracts and certainly against journalistic standards to offer to pay to feature you.

on top of all of this, consider whether or not the juice is worth the squeeze.

meaning: is the potential upside from your press hit worth the effort it will take to get it?

an honest assessment is an important first step.