People are constantly asking me how they can get more media mentions for their business.
Actually, it’s probably the question I get asked the most after “How do you make money blogging?” or “Where should I invest my money?”
Over the years I’ve learned a thing or two about what it takes to get more media mentions for your business. It’s gotten to a point where I know have a spokesperson deal with a personal finance site and I’ve done consulting for small business owners who are looking to get more press.
Here are my tried and true tips for getting more media mentions for your business.
#1 You have to pitch.
If you want to get more media mentions for your business you need to start pitching. This is how you take control of your PR strategy, by engaging with writers and letting them know you have a story.
Now, because I write for some large publications and because I run my own popular blog for millennials, I get pitched all the time. Not a week goes by where there isn’t someone emailing me asking me to write about them, share an infographic (please stop with the infographics!) or asking me how to get featured on The Huffington Post.
This also means I read horrible pitches all the time. Like, really bad ones. Either a business has built no relationship with me whatsoever or they clearly have never read any of my columns. This makes way for some disastrous pitches.
Here’s how you can ensure your pitches are writer friendly:
- Build a relationship with the writer. You can do this on Twitter, in Facebook groups and at networking events.
- Research and find a good angle for the writer.
- Make the writer’s job easy. Give them what they want and give it to them quickly.
#2 Create awesome content.
One way of making a writer’s job easy is to create awesome content they can use in their articles. For example, I work very closely with MoneySavingPro.com and we’ve spent a lot of time creating in-depth reviews and data studies that journalists can use in articles. This has helped us get featured in MSN Money, Time, Investopedia and most recently, TheStreet.com.
#3 Have patience.
When you’re trying to get more media mentions for your business you have to play the long game. It’s often times that business owners want media mentions immediately, but that’s not often how it works.
My column at Inc.com took months to come into fruition. I pitched them back in October or November and my first article didn’t go live until March. It took a lot of following up and patience, but I got my column.
#4 Have your phone number on your website.
This is a tip I learned at The Financial Blogger Conference a few years ago. If you go to my Contact page you’ll notice I have the following message there:
If you’re a journalist and you need to speak to me ASAP, call (305)600-2264. If you are a PR, please don’t call this number – I would love to hear from you, but an email with full details about your product/client would be preferable.
I’ve never had someone stalk me, but I have had journalists call me for quotes.
#5 Work on having a mix of different media mentions.
Sometimes people assume that only the large sites are worth getting quoted on. This could not be further from the truth. I often times get more traffic, clients and sales thanks to podcast interviews I’ve done, mentions on other blogs or guest posts I’ve written on financial sites.
All of these different types of media work together and create a sort of snowball effect over time whereby I don’t have to try that hard to get media for myself. Eventually, it started coming to me.
Resources Mentioned Or That Add Value to This Podcast
- UpendPR (affiliate link)- My colleague Josh Elledge has an awesome membership site where he teaches people how to get millions in free media. He also offers some advanced and professional PR services. I personally use his services to help out with getting more media for MoneySavingPro.com and can vouch for it’s effectiveness.
- HARO – Help A Reporter Out. A free service where you receive queries from journalists sent directly to your email address.
- My Inc Column – Here’s an example of a column I landed using the tips in this podcast.
- Natalie Sisson of The Suitcase Entrepreneur
- Private Coaching with Amanda – Application to privately coach with me. I’ve helped clients get featured in Inc, MSN Money, The Huffington Post, Elephant Journal and more. We work together to create a custom content and pitching plan.
- Be Your Own PR Agent Digital Workshop – On-Demand recording of the Be Your Own PR Agent workshop that I taught in August 2015. Participants walk away with a content plan, pitching strategy and an insider’s view on what writers are looking for when they seek quotes from experts.
Subscribe on iTunes and Stitcher
