Let’s face it, technology reporters love to cover the Amazons, Microsofts, and Googles of the world, but this doesn’t mean all is lost for your company. There is still ample opportunity for SMBs and startups to get a place in the spotlight. All it takes is knowing what these tech reporters care about most and having something enticing to offer… I know what you’re thinking, “Easier said than done.”
However, when you focus internally on product innovation, surveys and data collection, and the minds of your top SMEs, it’s amazing how many external ears will perk up. So, here is our list of the top ways to get reporters to cover your company:
News Announcements
While this is the most obvious route to coverage, it’s for good reason! Having regular news announcements to share with press is very important. It keeps them engaged in your company and is typically the easiest for them to cover, whether in a full feature piece or in a news roundup.
Keeping your sights set on new product innovation, company expansion, new executive hires, etc. shows positive momentum, and is well-received by reporters because it helps them keep their readers informed about the latest news.
Data/Surveys/Reports
This one is a tad trickier to produce, but gets serious mileage – more so than news announcements. Reporters (and the world, really) are hungry for data, so putting out an interesting survey, report, or original research can prove useful for years to come.
Reporters like to lean on data to evaluate current trends and back up their claims. If you can provide helpful data points, they will thank you (in the form of numerous mentions in their articles).
News-Jacking
News-jacking is another way to reach out to reporters if you don’t have any current news or data of your own. It involves monitoring news coverage in your industry and being ready to comment on the news at a moments notice.
Keep in mind: reaching out to reporters with a unique perspective is key. If your commentary is similar to what’s already out there, it won’t provide anything new or valuable.
Thought Leadership
Similar to news-jacking, this approach doesn’t require news or data, but instead leverages the minds of your top SMEs. If an executive is interested in writing, you can offer their voice and unique perspective to a publication in the form of a contributed article.
Typically, publications are looking for articles that touch on industry trends, provides advice to the readers (i.e. ‘how to’ articles), or provides a unique (or even provocative) opinion. Keep in mind, that each publication has unique editorial guidelines that you will need to adhere to.
There you have it! With these four different approaches, you too can start gaining media coverage by giving reporters what they need to write great articles.