With over 30 million small businesses in America, getting press coverage on your small business may seem hard. Not all local news companies want to take the time to learn about the community and instead, focus on more national news.
But there are many smaller news agencies and other ways to start receiving press coverage.
Here are a few ways to get press coverage for your small business.
Non-Traditional Press Coverage
Not all press coverage needs to get played on the nightly news. Between social media, websites, and podcasts, there are plenty of different outlets that you can use to get press coverage.
Plus, these news outlets often have a more dedicated fan base and you might find that you receive more conversion from these areas.
Ask Reporters Rather Than News Stations
While news stations are where the news gets reported, the journalists are often the ones doing the footwork. They’re discovering the stories to break.
Reaching out to reporters rather than news stations might score you some brownie points for getting press coverage. Whereas a news station may only want the latest stories, a journalist might be able to sway others into reporting on your story.
Design Material Ahead of Time
Don’t expect the journalist or reporter to do all the work for you though. Prepare a press release ahead of time that they can look over. That way, they know what they’re looking at when they go to cover your small business.
If you’re pitching to a major publication but don’t know what to say, don’t worry. Publications often have their own guidelines that they want you to follow for pitching, sometimes even giving you an outline.
If they don’t have guidelines, the simple process is to put together a few major points on your small business and highlight what you want to talk about.
Follow up if You Don’t Hear Anything Back
Chances are high that there are other small businesses doing the exact same thing as you. And it’s not that the publications don’t want to cover you, but more so that papers get lost and buried under all the requests.
If you don’t hear back anything within a week or so, don’t fret. Simply send a follow-up email or call and ask if they had a chance to look over your stuff or not. They’ll at least know that you actually care about their coverage and aren’t wasting their time.
If all of this feels overwhelming, don’t stress it. This SaaS PR agency will handle everything for you so that you get the press coverage you deserve.
Get Your Small Business the Press Coverage It Deserves
Not all news agencies will take the story, no matter how much work you do for them. In these instances, don’t worry about it. When your small business takes off, they’ll do the outreach to you to cover your business.
If you want to learn more about launching and growing your small business, then check out the rest of the blog. Know someone looking to get press coverage for their business? Share this article with them so they can take their first steps to get their small business’s name out there.
