Media coverage of your brand, product or company leadership is a great way to reach large numbers of potential customers and improve brand reputation. But they call it “earned” media for a reason — to get coverage, you need to earn it. Your brand needs to have a story that will make for interesting news. Just like you, the journalist is after more people to read, view or engage with their content.

So, how can you ensure that the media will be interested in what your brand has to say? As you build your PR and media relations strategy, there are a few ways to make sure you’re thinking like a journalist. 

Press releases, media pitches and more.

Outreach to journalists can come in many forms, with the most typical being press releases or media pitches. 

A press release is an official statement or announcement from a company to the press or members of the media that is typically one to two pages in length. Press releases are commonly used to announce an event, partnership or merger, new product or service, grand opening or leadership change. They follow a matter-of-fact style of writing that covers the “who, what, where, when and how” aspects of a story so that journalists have the basics to use in potential coverage, and includes contact information for any outreach. 

A media pitch is a shorter form of communication, typically in the form of an email or direct message, used to suggest a story to a member of the media. A media pitch is intended to gauge a journalist or editor’s interest in the story angle or topic before following up with additional details or opening lines of continued communication about the story.

Other types of outreach to journalists might include:

• Expert Tips – introducing a leader or employee with your brand that is an expert on a topic trending in the media so that journalists might consider reaching out when they need an informed quote for a story.
• White paper – an official report or summary on a specific topic from a source of authority.
• Embargoed story – early access to a piece of news or announcement given to 1-2 journalists or publications. This is often a press release marked with the embargo that provides the journalist with early information so that they can be the first to publish when the news is made public. This could be used for a merger, new partnership announcement or leadership change. 

Knowing which type is appropriate for the story or event you’re hoping to pitch can help raise your likelihood of success. Think through the story or information you’re hoping to get published and select the best format and type.

News Values

When seeking out stories, journalists evaluate using a set of “news values” or criteria to determine the importance and interest level for a piece. There’s debate over how many values there are – from six to eight to twelve, even. But here are 5 of the top news values:

• Timeliness – Is this relevant right now and for how long will it be relevant? Does it tie into an already trending topic or story?
• Impact or Human Interest – What is the scale of the impact or the potential reach/interest level among people? 
• Prominence – How important or recognized is some element of this story?
• Proximity – Does this affect people here? How close to this are they?
• Conflict – Is there a central point of conflict this addresses or a problem it responds to or exposes?

When determining if your story or piece of news might be of interest to the media, run it through those 5 values and see. Then, as you write your pitch or press release, work to make sure you’re explicitly addressing them.

Let’s walk a brand event through that lens, let’s say a grand opening for a health clinic, and think about how we can “think like a journalist” when crafting a pitch:

• Timeliness – Grand Opening this Saturday, one day only. 
• Impact – First clinic of its kind in the region, enabling easier access for residents for services they need to recover and improve their health. The potential to improve health outcomes in the region by 20%.
• Prominence – We’re the #1 provider in the region with clinics all over the state. The Mayor will join us for the ribbon-cutting to celebrate this day as well as local community leaders.
• Proximity – Celebrate with us! We’re just 5 miles from the center of town.
• Conflict – No more long lines or taking the bus across the city for access to your healthcare needs, we’ve got you covered.

Know Your Audience (…Journalists)

From mass media to local news, journalists often operate on a beat system, meaning they cover particular topics for their publication. Keeping track of which journalists cover columns relevant to your business area can help you reach out to the right individuals.

 For instance, if you own a bakery, you want to have the name and email of a journalist from the food section as well as the one from the local or small business section. You can keep track of the publications and journalists you want to reach out to in a spreadsheet, or opt to use a paid service like newswire or muckrack to identify and manage outreach. 

Remember that they are getting dozens of pitches and emails a day, so focus on your subject line and opening paragraph. Just like a media article, you need to use those initial characters to capture their attention and invite them to read on. Don’t send a novel, just enough information to get them started and to inspire continued outreach as appropriate. 

Share & re-share

When you do get a piece of media coverage, start sharing everywhere. Earned media can provide great content for repurposing in newsletters, social media, websites, etc. Plus, not only is this a way to multiply your reach and connect you to new audiences, but it also helps build your relationship with the publication and/or journalist, because you’ve shown that you care about this message and you want to spread it. Tag them and the publication in any posting you do and be sure to re-share or post their content about it as well. Again, just like you, the journalist is after more people to read, view or engage with their content. It’s a win/win for all!