How to Get Media Coverage for Your Blog - Top PR Firm Tips

Forget the Spin,

The truth is, you can get as much PR as you want. This post will show you how to write and target send a release so journalists will WANT to cover your story.

Quick Reference Free How to Get Media Coverage for Your Blog Tool List
Media Release Template
Social Media Release Template
Help a Reporter (journo's looking for stories)
Top 100 Journalists on Twitter
Top Free Press Release Service
Distribute Web Videos to 30+ tube sites (free)

Step 1 | Get a Decent Story

• Match story to outlet target. Most city papers write about people, sex, death, or money.Make sure your story is interesting, pithy, and fits into their coverage/audience "worldview" (Wall Street Journal story would have a different focus, topic, and tone as compared to a TMZ or Huffington Post News site.
• If you're stuck for a headline or story intro go and read examples of stories formats and positions you want. OK, People, and E Channel all have regular examples or teaser and curiosity headlines that will help you grab and keep the audience attention. Generally, the more dramatic and sensational, the better.

• It's got nothing to do with your product. If you are trying to get publicity for your product you need to NOT focus on it's features or direct benefits rather how it changes the lives of people who use it in dramatic or newsworthy ways. If it's not dramatic or newsworthy then you should keep looking for better stories to illuminate amazing problems that it's solved for your users. Your story should be about the Who, What When Where, Why of that solution and the feelings and experiences your user had through the journey. Bottom line is - it's about the audience, they are people, they want stories about people.
  (extra example - if you have a great new space invention talk about real human stories of loss, discomfort, struggle then redemption, salvation, joy etc, before and after they found your new space widget.)

Step 2 | Write in Several Short Formats

Each time we update Editor and Journo contact lists for our press release wire and release service we hear many press release and press pitch horror stories. Editors forced to change their desks, email addresses, phone numbers, because of nuts sending War & Peace sized conspiracy stories against the local Rotary Club President all the way to sexy online travel PR vamps turning up at the Bureau in Flight Attendant Uniforms all hours to buy them a drink for no particular reason - coincidentally a press release soon appears strapped into covert suspenders under their mini-skirt.

So the good news is, you can exhale, you don't have to do either, nor should you.

Journo's want and need your good content. Journalists want real human interest stories about real lives that reflect the experiences and points of interest in their broad audience. If you've tried to call a few journalists and you received a less than welcoming response you can blame the whack jobs and PR Vixens that came before you. Then you can get over it and start doing the following:

• Prepare your release in the preferred format the journalist/s want it. If you don't know you can presume they will accept it via their general outlet "tips" email address or via direct phone or email for targeted subjects.
• 400 words is too long but it's a limit if you need one - it's also the length of one dispatch on most international wire services.

• Check out this Media Release Template for formal structure and the Social Media Release Template we've used to send press releases in one or all formats (source: designed by Shift Comms).

• If you have indepth data or research or images to include in your press release place a link or a PDF/attachment to the release so the recipient can pursue if required.

• Once you've delivered the Who, What, When, Where, just resist the pressure to spew out any more corporate superlatives and PUT THE PEN DOWN. Don't worry I do it worse then most, we're in this together ;-)

• Formats you might want to post in; press release via email, fax, sms, phone, newswire, social media, video, audio, hard copy, press conference, media kit, photo opp, doorstop...insert your fav here,

Step 3 Send Press Release to Someone

The sad part for many who get the this point is not many journo's even hear about the story because the releases were untargeted. I've seen press releases on gardening products being sent to Playboy magazine editors and simply help fund the continuation of a bloated recycling industry.

When you send a press release, make sure it is targeted to the correct journalists. You can even find a journalist looking for specific stories these days via sites like Help a Reporter, PR Link, Top 100 Journalists on Twitter, and Google's got stacks more inside Google Groups and the 100s of social media platforms and networks.

Key Take Away = Target Your Message Tone, Content, Format, and Recipients.

If you send press releases yourself, we provide these recommendations:

• Identify journalists and/or audiences who would be most interested in what you have to say.
• Only send your release to one person per news outlet.
• Brevity is essential. It shows you respect the time of busy editors & reporters. If they require more information, they will ask..
• End your press release with either ### or END typed across the center of the page a couple lines below the end of your text to let the reader know it's not missing further detail.

Be patient. Sending a press release is like fishing. Not every editor or reporter will bite. Likewise, not every cast will produce a catch. In some cases, you may have to rewrite the release and try again, follow up with a phone call, pre-empt your release with a phone call, there are no set rules or industry standard for these things. If you have written the story then you are the best person to decide where it might be best served.

Step 4 | Calling Journalists or Media Outlets

If you are going to call the press do a little preparing so you've got a 30sec or less pitch of what your story is. You should consider paring it down to simple who you are, what the story is, and then asking if they'd like to see more info? It's that simple. If you're really bootstrapping it and can't engage a PR firm with existing media relationships then prepare your release, jump on Google, and find the outlet switch board phone numbers. Here's an easy way to ask for the right person at these broad outlets:

Newspapers, TV, Radio - Switch answers,

"Hello mindless switch operator how can I help you..."

you respond,

"Hi, it's Dan Brian from prlink, can I please speak with the news desk I have a potential story I'd like to discuss about.....(1-5 words - eg, local biz giving a car away)."

If it's a local newspaper or community station you should simply ask to speak with the Editor or the best person to discuss new story leads with straight up. Repeat until you've survey the response of the top 10 outlets you think are most likely to want to cover the story - if you don't get any bites within a few days it's safe to focus on another round.

Once you've done all the above, turn your evangelical efforts online and throughout your business and personal networks for as long as the interest lasts. At the worst you will help spread quality content about you on the internet and at best it will be shared by millions.

If all this fails, which it sometimes does even for us pros, don't blame yourself or the media. The press are simply covering what their editors and in turn their audience want to hear and although it may not go in your favour this time with excellent content the tables may turn next time. Simply start again, send often, or wait until you have another event, announcement, or idea to submit.