How to Guide: Building Strong Relationships With Journalists and Reporters

Do you want to get press for your business?

If so, why? What are your goals? How will you measure success? What are the costs and benefits of getting press.

Follow the right journalists online.

As a business, you want to make sure that you’re engaged with and following the journalists who cover your industry on Twitter or LinkedIn. This is important because as you come on their radar it gives them access to any information they might need about you from your social profiles, and it will also help them stay up-to-date on any events or new developments that would be relevant for their readers.

To find out which journalists are covering your industry, search Google for "name of publication + reporter name" (for example: "Forbes Tech Reporter"). This will bring up a list of all the reporters at that publication who cover tech topics--and if there aren't many listed here yet (or none at all), then try searching for "tech reporter," followed by another publication's name like Wall Street Journal or The New York Times

Identify and contact the right journalists.

Once you've identified the right journalist and reporter, it's time to contact them.

When contacting a journalist or reporter, here is what to consider:

Who are they writing for? If you have knowledge of the publication or website that your target is writing for, it will be easier for you to find out how best to reach out by looking at their "contact us" page or by doing some simple Google searches. 

For example, if I wanted contact my local newspaper about an article idea I had written about entrepreneurship in Western Canada (which I did), then my first step would be searching on Google for "Western Canada entrepreneur" whereupon I'd see that there were two major papers covering this topic--the Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald--and then checking each one's website for information on how best reach them via email (I ended up choosing the Edmonton Journal).

Don't pitch too many people at once.

If you're going to pitch a journalist, don't send your press release to every media outlet in the world. Journalists get hundreds of emails every day from PR people pitching stories. If they want to see your story, they'll find it themselves--and if they don't, then perhaps it's not worth writing about after all.

Don't spam journalists with multiple pitches for the same story either--it's annoying and unprofessional! If someone doesn't respond immediately or at all after receiving your first pitch email or phone call, respect their time and follow up every few weeks or months, but keep them on file for future pitching attempts.

Pitch multiple writers at once if they are writing about the same topic.

If you're pitching your story to multiple writers, use a press release. A press release is a piece of content that contains information about your company or product and is usually sent out to journalists who cover similar topics.

You can find out which reporters are most likely to write about your industry by searching for them on Google News or via social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (more on this later). Once you've found the right reporters for each story idea, start contacting them with pitches!

Remember that you're not just pitching a story idea, but also yourself and your organization.

You want to be remembered as a reliable source, someone who has good ideas and can present them in an interesting way. You also want to make it clear that you're available for follow up questions.

Be professional, but human. It's important not only that journalists remember your name--it's equally important that they remember what type of person you are, so they can incorporate this into their writing or reporting on the topic you pitched.

You can do this by mentioning bits of your story from your pitch and being friendly and approachable while talking on the phone or via email with them. If there's an opportunity for you to meet any journalists you’re interested in publishing your story, this can always go a long way to forming an organic, authentic connection that makes someone want to write about your story. 

The best way to get press is to have a relationship with the journalist, built over time.

The best way to get press is to have a relationship with the journalist that you’ve built over time.

Journalists are busy people, and they don't have time to meet every person who wants to pitch to them. So if you're trying to get press for your company or product, it's important not only that your story is interesting but also that you're able to work with journalists in their preferred way (usually email). If a reporter has never heard of you before and gets an unsolicited email from someone in their inbox asking for coverage on something new they've never heard about before, the odds are slim that they'll respond favorably--even if what you're pitching sounds amazing!

Building relationships takes time; don't expect results overnight. It's best if any outreach efforts start early on--a few months before launch day--and continue throughout launch week until after all news stories have been published/broadcasted/etc., so there's always someone at hand who knows all about what went into getting those stories out there in order for them not only reach more people but also keep growing awareness over time (especially since most people won't read everything).

It's important to remember that it takes time and effort to build relationships with journalists. If you're looking for a quick fix, then don't bother pitching them. Instead, focus on creating content that will engage your audience and drive traffic back to your website or blog. The best way to get press is by having something worth covering in the first place!

However, having press can create buzz and solidify authority in a way social media posts have still not yet been proven to replace.

If you want to know if getting your business in high-quality press is right for you, book a free consultation with us NOW.