Securing media coverage for your brand is a critical component of a successful marketing strategy. Media coverage boosts brand visibility and enhances credibility while fostering trust among your target audiences. But in a world where countless brands are playing the same game, standing out and capturing the attention of prominent reporters is a challenge. Journalists are always on the lookout for stories that are interesting, relevant and provide value to their readers, but breaking through takes time and requires thoughtful, strategic outreach.

Remember that your pitch is your first impression, and you want to make it count — from the subject line to the call to action. Let’s go on a journey through some of our recent client wins and break down what broke through the clutter.

Reuters, Bloomberg & Fast Company – Oh My!

The art of newsjacking – otherwise known as rapid response pitching – is one of the best ways to score top-tier coverage and success largely comes down to timing. Those who slide into a reporter’s inbox first will always have an advantage, and competition will be fierce. Often, given the time-crunch, journalists will seek out those they have a strong relationship with, knowing they can rely on them for timely but intriguing and helpful commentary.

But when you’re just getting started and working to build those relationships, numbers talk. Businesses who can share relevant stats – harvested either from owned data or survey efforts – will stand out and get coverage. Take for instance this Reuters piece featuring Everbridge – the client armed us with timely data on critical weather risks, and our team kept a close eye on weather across the country so we were ready to share at a moment’s notice.  

The same can be said for this Veris Insights placement in Bloomberg. The team inserted the client into the noisy media landscape following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, with insights around employee perspectives and what this means for HR teams and recruiters. 

Make Your Company News Compelling

Everybody wants that hit – the New York Times feature piece focused on an exciting bit of company news. But the hard truth is, your exciting news is only exciting to you. Reporters (and their readers) are far more interested in thought leadership around broader industry trends than your new COO. But, making hay of your momentum as a business is still important and those wins, though few and far between, are content you can get a lot of marketing mileage out of.  

To have success, you need to think beyond the news at hand and paint a larger picture. Take funding for example. Can you: 

• Share (detailed) numbers.
• Pull back the curtain on the process, like the Transcend team did for this unique Business Insider feature.
• Offer up investors and customers for interviews.
• Be clear about what the funds will power, and the impact that will have on your industry (not just your business).

New location, product or service? Don’t overlook the human element. Spectrum Health Systems recently opened a peer recovery center for addiction in a new area, so securing local press was imperative. The team leveraged its soft launch to invite the area’s most prominent newspaper, The Daily Item. We offered interviews with clients and made sure to highlight an activity ripe for multimedia – members writing what recovery means to them on a community chalkboard. The team deployed a similar strategy two months later for Overdose Awareness Day, to continue increasing their presence in the market.

Never Miss a Listicle Again

Consumer brands know that listicles are king – opening a round-up and seeing that your product isn’t represented amongst its competition always stings. When pitching these, keep your email short. Lead with a one-liner on what the product is and why their audience needs it.  

Follow that with everything the journalist needs to pull coverage together quickly — a link to the product (bonus points for Amazon affiliate links; we’re seeing preference being placed here), a photo of your product, pricing and availability. And if you can offer readers a deal, do it. It will make a big difference.

We would know. In the last few months, we got WS Game’s new product in Forbes, Wall Street Journal and Buzzfeed; and showcased Aetrex’s footwear in InStyle and Mind Body Green.

Build a Platform Around Your Expertise

Last but certainly not least is good old fashioned thought leadership – our bread and butter. This is the nuts and bolts of just about any good PR program and it involves storymining with your experts to uncover the pain points of prospective clients and building stories around them. Good thought leadership is always non-promotional, but covertly ties back to what you do.  

End-of-year predictions are big – what is in store for your industry in 2024? Start thinking this through now, and begin pitching in October to get well-ahead of holiday season PTO. A great example of success with this strategy is this Inc. piece featuring FarEye for its First 90 Days column.  

But the fun doesn’t stop in January – pitching thought leadership is a year-round effort that will pay off big-time. Hone in on the intersection of timely, newsworthy hooks, and what your customers or clients are worrying about – like with this Agritecture piece for Quantis about a critical point in regenerative agriculture and what farmers need to be doing; and this Risk Strategies’ Bloomberg piece on what high-net-worth individuals in severe weather-prone areas are doing to get proper insurance coverage amid rising premiums.

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No matter what type of pitch you’re sending, a well-structured and personalized email increases the likelihood of capturing a journalist’s interest and moving your story forward. Keep it concise, compelling and relevant. Clearly articulate the value your story offers to their audience – are you teaching them something they didn’t know? Include key facts, figures and a unique angle that makes your pitch stand out.  

All in all, securing media coverage for your brand is a multifaceted endeavor that requires careful planning and genuine connections with journalists. By crafting a unique story and providing value, you can ensure your brand’s voice will be heard in a crowded media landscape.  

Need help with your media coverage programs? Our Precision pros are communications sauciers, ready to whip up that coverage secret sauce your brand needs for its next big push. Reach out today!