Journalists and bloggers are hungry for fascinating statistics, new ideas, and untold stories.
If you or your business have access to compelling news and ideas, many publications will gladly feature a contribution from you. After all, you're making it easier for them to add value to their audience.
The hardest part of getting featured in the media is finding the right story that other people will actually care about.
Before you start pitching, consider the articles you love to read.
What aspects of your life and business could easily replace data from some of those articles? What’s an unconventional statistic or story that others in your field might also find interesting?
Once you realize where your ideas and stories fit in, it’s time to start pitching the media.
Here are 5 fast and free ways to get in contact with the right media organizations:
1. Guest post
Journalists and bloggers are very busy.
If you can provide a compelling story and volunteer to do the heavy lifting (i.e. writing the article), many editors will gladly publish your blog on their website.
In fact, sometimes they’ll enjoy your story so much that they ask you to keep contributing in the future. It’s always easier to get published after you’ve received an invitation.
Most major digital publications will have a “Contribution” page that details their guidelines for receiving guest pitches and submissions.
Follow these guidelines carefully. Some editors will turn you down simply because you didn’t follow their instructions.
2. Subscribe to HARO
There are several professional services that connect journalists with high quality sources for their articles.
The most popular among these services is called Help A Reporter Out (HARO).
As a business owner, you can subscribe to the HARO newsletter for free. Once subscribed, you’ll receive three newsletters per workday, each containing a long list of media opportunities.
If you respond quickly with a relevant quote, there’s a good chance the journalist might feature your contribution in their upcoming article.
3. Follow the right hashtags
Twitter is the most popular social media site for journalists.
The platform is great for spreading news quickly and easily connecting with interesting sources.
One of the ways journalists find their sources is through hashtags. Two hashtags I follow regularly are #PRRequest and #JournoRequest.
4. Contact relevant journalists
Many journalists intentionally make their contact information easy to find online. They want interesting sources to contact them with new ideas.
You can be that next interesting source.
First, use Google News to find recent articles within your field. Then, locate the author and search for their name on Twitter or Google.
Often their email address will be accessible in their Twitter bio or on their personal website.
Once you find their contact information, send a kind pitch with a clear breakdown of the story and why it might be interesting to their audience. You should also include information about yourself so they know you’re an expert in the subject matter.
5. Create branded graphics
Next time you write a blog post, create a corresponding graphic featuring new data, stories, or statistics. Oh, and add your logo or business name somewhere on the graphic.
Once your blog post goes live, find journalists who write about your field or subject matter. (You can use the same process detailed in the prior point.)
Then, contact relevant journalists with a copy of the graphic pasted in the body of the email. “I know you write about ______. I thought you may find the facts in this graphic helpful for a future post.”
If the journalist loves the graphic and data, they may use it in their next article. They may even link back to the original blog post on your website.
But at the very least, your business name and logo will be distributed through that publication because you included it on the graphic.
Thanks for reading! Good luck earning your next big media hit.
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