Whether you work for a public relations agency or doing some freelance work for a friend, getting the media’s attention and securing a great coverage hit for your clients is harder than ever before. With the internet, social media and access to emails at our fingertips, journalists have a greater pool of resources to choose from and that they can easily approach for their stories. However, there are still a few tips and tricks that can make your pitch and story angle stand out from the hundreds of emails that flood a reporter’s inbox on the daily.
Scope the journalist’s Twitter page – Nowadays, you’ll find that many journalists will post about the stories they’re currently working on up on their Twitter page. That’s why it’s important to keep an eye out for what these journalists are writing about – you might just find the perfect media opp! If you already don’t do so, take a few minutes to follow on Twitter a handful of journalists covering topics your clients might be a fit for and set time apart in the mornings or afternoons to scrolls through their feed. Feel free to also comment and like their posts, as it’s a simple and quick way to show your support and to engage with reporters that maybe one day will be your lifeline to a great coverage hit!
Share coverage links on your LinkedIn – Show how much you appreciate the journalist including your clients in their stories by promoting it on your LinkedIn and tagging the publication and journalist, if possible. LinkedIn is a great tool to use for networking with peers, but also to showcase your latest work and how others can work with you. This will give you brownie points with these writers AND your clients.
Research what a journalist is covering on software platforms, like Muck Rack – There’s an array of online tools that allow PR professionals to get a journalist’s contact information and create a quick media list. At Fish, we use Muck Rack and it’s by far the greatest platform I’ve ever used. It’s easy to manage and best of all, it lists out the recent stories the journalist you’re researching has published. This allows each of us to find the perfect contact we should be pitching for that particular client and / or story angle, plus it provides everything we need to tweak our pitch angles to ensure the journalist recognizes we’re being selective with our outreach and not just blasting 100+ journalists with the same story idea.
With new social media platforms launching every now and then and ways of communicating with journalists continuing to evolve, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest and greatest to ensure you’re doing everything you can to increase your chances of securing coverage.
