smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Small and start-up businesses often feel that getting press coverage is out of their reach but this is not the case. It’s just a matter of knowing what journalists want and the best way to present what you have to offer. Here are some tips from SmallBusiness.co.uk and Debbie Leven, director at PR training company Profile Matters, for getting press coverage.

Understanding what journalists want – There are some essential ‘ingredients’ that make a news story and these are what journalists look for in a press release. Human interest is key as journalists want the people angle. They also look for what is new, research to support or challenge thinking. Your job is to give them positive ingredients that support your story and avoid the negative elements.

Know the audience – Stories must be relevant and of interest to the publication’s audience. There must also be a ‘peg’ for the story – a reason for the story to be reported. You can create a ‘peg’ by linking your story to, for example, current topics in the news or forthcoming events, or even some research that has been issued.

It’s important to review copies of publications you want to target to get a feel for the types of stories that will be of interest, as well as the profile of the readership.

Building your press list – You’ll probably be familiar with many of the publications that are relevant, such as local news or trade press. There are a number of sources to help you add to your listing. The Guardian Media Directory is a useful reference guide – it lists the contact details for 10,000 individuals and companies in the press and media - including digital television, magazines and regional newspapers.

Researching your press contacts – Approach your target publications to check out the most relevant person for you to contact, their contact details and their preferred method of receiving information. It’s important, too, to find out deadlines and publication dates. This helps to avoid annoying journalists by phoning them when they are up against their deadline. Don’t be afraid to contact journalists to check if particular topics are of interest.

Issuing press releases with punch – Your press release should be presented in a way that makes it as easy as possible for a journalist to use – that means following some basic rules:

• Capturing the essence of the story in the first paragraph
• Avoiding jargon and keeping to the facts
• Using statistics to back up your story where possible
• Avoiding making claims about your business that you cannot back up.
• Including contact details at the bottom of the release and ensuring that you are available for follow-up calls.

Supporting the press release – It’s useful to give some thought to how you can support any press release or approach you make to a journalist. Offering an interview, case study, third-party quote or photograph are all worth considering.

Building relationships with journalists – If you can provide journalists with news on a regular basis, deliver on your promises and make yourself available for interview and comment, then you will build a reputation as a useful contact. Don’t feel intimidated by the thought of approaching a journalist. If you research your target press thoroughly, and package your news and ideas to suit, then you put yourself in the best position to secure positive press coverage.

Profile Matters provides communications consultancy, training and coaching to small and start-up businesses. For more information visit www.profilematters.co.uk.

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