PR 101

Although social media is all the rage these days, sometimes there’s nothing like a business story in just the right magazine, or an interview on the evening news, to get people talking about your company.

A little media outreach can go a long way, especially when budgets are tight. Here are a few tips for those of you thinking of going it alone:

Set up a Google news alert. Google news alerts are a great, free way to stay on top of what’s being said about your company, the competition, and your industry. Knowing what’s already being said – and who’s saying it – is half the battle when it comes to working with the media. With Google news alerts, you define keywords and Google emails you when news about your topic appears online.

Be a media consumer. If you want to be in USA Today, pick up a copy. If it’s radio or television that suits your fancy, listen and watch. Pay attention to which reporters cover which stories, and think about where your idea would be the best fit. Ask any reporter for advice on how to get their interest and the first thing they’ll tell you is to know the types of stories they cover.

Email a reporter. Once you’ve done your recon and you know where your idea fits, pick up the phone or tap out an email. Many reporters are on deadline every single day, some multiple times per day. This means they’re busy, but it also means they have to come up with a lot of story ideas. Tell them what makes your idea newsworthy and why their readers should care. And be succinct – remember, they’re on deadline.

Make sure it’s news. Although your sponsorship, fundraising event or new office location is the most important thing happening at your company, it’s not necessarily newsworthy. Can you picture the headline? If you heard about it at a party, would you want to tell someone else? Is the kind of thing you expect to read about in the paper? If not, keep trying. Look for a way to tie it into other current news stories or make it meaningful to the local community. Then, email a reporter.