Media relations with business, professional and technical magazines is one of the most effective means of marketing publicity for a small business. The exposure helps sales and "warms up" prospects whom you might cold call.
Mentions of a company's name, products and services in editorial content makes a more lasting impression on readers than does advertising.
Readers know news and articles in magazines have been chosen and edited by editors. This gives editorial a credibility advertisements lack. Readers spend more time with editorial than advertisements.
A recent survey by the research firm Cision and George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management showed that the sources of information journalists prefer are:
- Websites -- 100 percent of respondents said they regularly used websites;
- Submissions from public relations professionals -- 94 percent;
- Press kits-- 87 percent.
So, to get coverage, give journalists what they want.
Website Design
A website should contain the following:
A backgrounder on the company stating location(s), products and services and brief history;
Biographiesof staff with photographs and contact information.
News releases about current events such as:
- New products;
- New services;
- People joining the company;
- Presentations or speeches by staff members;
- Significant new contracts (get the customer's or client's approval).
Show the date of all releases. Move old releases to an archive file.
Case historiesof how clients or customers are benefitting from the products or services, with pictures.
Background articles explaining science, technology or professional expertise behind products or services; i.e., what makes them different or significant advances.
Public Relations Professionals
It's best to hire a professional public relations consultant who:
- Has knowledge and experience of your industry;
- Personally knows editors of the magazines that service the industries into which you sell.
If you decide to do it yourself, the following tips will help.
Press Kits
Press kits should be issued only to support a genuine, significantly newsworthy event or new product or service. Keep kits on hand to send to journalists when they request them.
The kit should contain some of the material on the web site:
- A news release briefly announcing the event, product or service;
- A backgrounder giving fuller details;
- A biography of the principal of the company and anyone mentioned in the news release, with photographs;
- The company backgrounder.
The kit should be on CD-ROMs or memory sticks with hard-copy versions of all text.
Include a sheet of thumbnail proofs of photographs (laser or ink-jet printed is sufficient) so the editor can scan them quickly. Identify them with captions identical to those on the CD ROM or memory stick (obvious but many companies don’t do it).
Why Photographs
Pictures attract readers' attention. (Everyone knows what vegetables look like but the grocers still print pictures of broccoli on their flyers -- see illustration.)
Two rules editors follow about pictures:
- The most interesting thing to any person is another person;
- The better the picture, the bigger it appears on the page.
Don't make editors hunt for good pictures. Hand them good pictures "on a platter."
News Releases and Articles
How to write news releases and articles is too lengthy a subject for this article. The following are fundamental:
- Email news releases.
- Keep them short (100 words).
- Attach low-resolution (72 dpi) photographs.
- Include a website link for the editor to download further information and high-resolution pictures.
- Develop an outline for an article.
- Discuss it with the editor of the magazine where you want the article to appear.
- Write the article to the editor's specifications.
To get coverage in business, professional and technical magazines, keep news releases and articles succinct. Include selected, current information in press kits. Include everything about your company in a website and make it easy for the editor to access information and pictures.
See also Small Business Success Factors; Small Business Media Relations: Product Launch ; How To Sell Over The Phone
Thomas Kelly - Tom Kelly has pursued a long, successful and award-winning career as a technical and business writer, marketer and publisher, during which ...
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