Regarding media exposure, I’ve had this conversation many times:
You: “I think I have a great product, but no one knows about it.” Me: “Do you have someone handling your public relations?” You: “We looked into it, but it’s so expensive. We’re just trying to do it ourselves for now.” Me: “Well, what are you doing?” You: “We post on social media and send out press releases, but it’s like people still don’t know we exist.”Well, if you want to know why you’re not earning media exposure… maybe it’s because you’re not making yourself, your product, your service, your business, or even your brand newsworthy.
Why you’re not earning media exposure
1. You’re not earning media exposure because you are sending a press release.
Before I start working with most clients, the words “press release” are usually spoken in the first 10 minutes… and not by me. I don’t like press releases, but many small business owners insist on me writing them and sending them out. If this is what you’re doing, this is why they may not be working for you:- Your press release is too long
- Your press release is boring
- Your press release is complicated
- Your press release is not newsworthy
- Your press release is too evergreen
2. You’re not earning media exposure because you are reaching out to the wrong people.
Earning media coverage is hard. Because it’s not only free, but much more effective than advertising, small business owners want it for their brand. Many times, this means pitching anyone and everyone in the media industry with an email address. This is not effective. When I was a TV reporter in Miami, I would receive pitches that included a topic in a different market, a topic I have never covered before, a topic that would never be covered by the TV station itself, and the list goes on.