A successful media outreach strategy is vital for any business looking to boost its visibility and credibility. In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, how companies interact with the media can make or break their brand’s reputation. A well-designed media outreach plan helps secure media coverage and shapes public perception.
Businesses can effectively convey their message to a broader audience by strategically connecting with the right journalists and outlets. Whether you’re a budding startup or an established company, a well-crafted media outreach strategy can be a game-changer. The approach is multifaceted, from compelling press releases to thought-provoking pitches. This article delves into creating a winning media outreach strategy that garners attention and drives results.
Get ready to learn the ropes of compelling storytelling, relationship-building with the media, and leveraging various communication channels to amplify your brand’s voice in the noisy digital space.
What is media outreach?
Many people assume media outreach and media relations are the same thing. While they complement each other, media outreach is focused on specific goals, while media relations is a continuous, long-term effort.
Media outreach vs. media relations
Media outreach involves sharing your brand story with relevant and desirable media contacts. The ultimate goal is to inspire these people to believe in your story so they’ll have the confidence to share it with their audiences.
Media relations is building lasting relationships with these media contacts. Ideally, you build trust before your media outreach. Making friends with these people means they will be more invested in your success later on.
As you can see, you must lay the groundwork through media relations when developing a media outreach strategy from scratch.
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You can make a splash with your brand with a professional press release, engaging guest posts, and a creative media kit from us. Besides creating quality content that will make people take notice of your brand, we can also help you put this content in front of the right eye. By submitting your content to respected media outlets and startup directories, we can boost your online presence by helping you feature on relevant search results across different search engines. When you sign up, experts at Pressfarm will help you build a memorable brand image and reach more people.
Why do you need a strategy?
A media outreach strategy helps you plan for the future and control your story. Without this planning, you risk losing control of your story. If this happens, then media exposure could harm your reputation.
Anyone doing media outreach hopes to improve their reputation rather than harm it. So, for the sake of your brand image, take the time to plan.
“Publicity is critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front-page ad.” – Richard Branson.
So, how do you develop a media outreach strategy from scratch?
1. Craft an inspiring story
The first step in a media outreach strategy is deciding what story you want to tell. Are you launching a new product? Has your company’s leadership changed? More importantly, will people want to hear about this?
Answering that last question will help you decide if your story is worth telling. If you have a newsworthy story, you’re well on your way to being noticed by a journalist.
2. Choose the right storyteller
A big part of an exemplary media outreach strategy is having a talented person tell your story. Where do you get such a person? Many entrepreneurs opt to do their public relations to save money. However, there are good reasons to hire an expert to tell your brand story.
A public relations professional is trained to tell good stories. They know how to connect with the media and write for different audiences. Moreover, they are likely to have connections to the press.
3. Decide who needs to hear your story
So, now you have an inspiring story and an engaging storyteller. Now, we need to decide who needs to hear your story. Your target audience will determine how and where you tell your story, so this step is crucial to your media outreach strategy. To build thought leadership while doing your outreach, you should consider using LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a particularly great social media platform for media outreach.
4. Choose the right media influencer
Once you decide who you want to reach, you can choose who to ask for help. The right person can help give you a stage in front of the audience you’re looking for.
So, who counts as a media influencer?
In traditional terms, this would be a journalist or a broadcaster. However, “media influencer” has expanded to include bloggers and vloggers. To sum it up, a media influencer is:
- An expert in their field
- Authentic
- A trusted authority
Companies partner with media influencers because their audiences trust them. People take recommendations seriously if they come from someone they trust. According to a 2024 survey, 74% of consumers claim word of mouth influenced their purchasing decisions.
As you can see, partnering with the right people can make or break your media outreach strategy.
How to choose the correct media influencer
The right fit is crucial here. Focus on three factors to ensure you choose the correct media influencer for your story.
- Reach. Does this person have an audience?
- Relevance. Do they have access to the audience you are trying to reach?
- Resonance. Do the stories they share have an impact? Does their audience engage with their content? Or does everything they say seem to land on deaf ears?
Once you have chosen the people you will partner with, you can move on to the next step.
5. Build a media list
Why should you worry about a media list? A media list will help you sharpen your media outreach strategy further. To build a helpful media list, you need to follow these steps:
- Define your content. You need to know what your story is. You also need to know which category each media contact fits under. This will help you tailor your story better for each person you contact.
- Develop story angles. Yes, you already have a story. However, different versions will resonate with other people. Develop unique angles for the people on your list based on what they like to discuss. You might want to highlight different aspects of your story, depending on who you’re talking to.
- Decide on timing. The timing of your story may vary depending on the person or outlet you’re pitching it to. For example, TV broadcasters have a turnaround time of a few hours to a day. In contrast, a magazine starts working on stories about a month in advance.
- Search by both publication and writer. To widen your scope, look for publications or outlets in your industry first. Then, you can look for specific people to pitch within those outlets.
6. Know your influencer
Once you’ve built your media list, the next step is to deepen your understanding of each contact. Simply knowing their professional background and areas of coverage is just the beginning.
Build meaningful relationships and connect with influencers. Start engaging with their content—read their articles, comment thoughtfully, and share their posts. Follow them on social media to get insights into their interests, hobbies, and values. This helps you tailor your pitch to their preferences and demonstrates that you’ve invested time in understanding them as individuals.
Additionally, consider reaching out with personalized messages or meeting them at industry events to establish a more personal connection. Building rapport can significantly increase your chances of getting their attention and fostering a positive relationship that benefits both parties.
7. Start small
When developing a media outreach strategy, it’s prudent to start small and gradually scale up your efforts. Begin by cultivating relationships with your media contacts well in advance. Offer your expertise by contributing insights to their stories or writing opinion pieces and articles for their outlets.
In essence, focus on providing value before requesting anything in return. By supporting your media contacts and helping them with their needs, you build goodwill and establish a foundation of trust. When pitching your story, these contacts will be more inclined to support you, seeing your commitment to helping them first.
8. Pitch your story
We’ve arrived at the most exciting part of your media outreach strategy. You have a compelling story, and you’ve made friends with some engaging storytellers.
When it’s finally time to pitch your story, you must focus on writing a pitch that people will read. How do you do this?
i. Send email pitches
Most journalists prefer communicating via email. Sending your pitch through email rather than social media demonstrates your effort to reach out directly and is often seen as more professional.
ii. Use a catchy subject line
Craft a compelling subject line to grab the recipient’s attention and encourage them to open your email. The subject line is your first impression, so make it engaging and relevant.
iii. Perform targeted pitching
Personalize your pitches by addressing each contact by name and referencing recent work they’ve done or previous conversations you’ve had. Avoid mass emails; instead, tailor each pitch to the specific interests and needs of the recipient.
iv. Keep your pitch concise
Limit your pitch to 100-200 words. Journalists are busy and prefer concise information. Highlight at least three key messages and ensure your pitch is newsworthy. Incorporate visuals, if possible, to make your pitch more engaging and memorable.
v. Highlight emotional insights
Stories with emotional appeal often resonate more with readers. Emphasize aspects of your story that can connect with the audience personally to make it more compelling.
vi. Follow up
If you don’t receive a response, send one or two polite follow-up emails. If a pitch is rejected, thank the journalist for their time and ask for feedback on how you can better align your content with their needs in the future.
9. Find other avenues
It’s easy to make traditional media outreach the be-all and end-all of your public relations efforts. Be that as it may, reaching wider audiences requires a lot more. It would help if you combined strategies at once to generate publicity for your brand. Some strategies you can try include:
i. Social media campaigns
Cultivating an active presence on social media can benefit your brand by putting you in direct contact with your target audience. If you can engage with these people on your social media channels, building positive relationships with the same people you’re trying to reach through your media relations efforts will be easier.
That is not to say that you should abandon your traditional media outreach in favor of connecting with people on social media. On the contrary, you need both. You should send your press release to journalists to get your name out there while getting to know your potential customers on social media. After all, getting to know these people will help you understand their needs and build products they appreciate.
ii. Guest posting
Guest posting can help you attract a wider audience and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry. You can boost your web traffic by partnering with other industry experts to write blog posts and publish these on their sites. Likewise, when people repeatedly stumble upon your quality content on different sites, they will trust you as a reliable source of valuable information. Moreover, once people trust your brand, they are more likely to become paying customers.
iii. Brand experiences
It’s essential to create brand experiences for your customers so that they develop an emotional connection to your brand. Anyone can create a great product, but offering consumers unique and unforgettable experiences will help you stand out in a crowded market. Creating fun experiences and genuine connections with your target audience will build a memorable brand image and win more people over.
Developing a media outreach strategy sounds daunting at first. Don’t let it scare you. With this guide, you should be well on your way to building an effective one from scratch.
Do you need more hands-on help with your media outreach? Check out our packages and contact us to develop a strategy.
