To get the media interested in your business, you have to see the value of your expertise, or tell a story that makes readers interested. Stand back from your business and determine what makes you unique. It’s a matter of determining what’s distinctive about what you do or what you know, and approaching the media with a carefully crafted pitch or introduction.
There are numerous ways for your small business to get coverage. You can, for instance:
• Alert the media to story ideas within your industry
• Position yourself as an industry expert or commentator
• Organize and promote a public event
• Tie your business to current issues
• Write articles for trade publications
• Showcase an unusual aspect of your business.
When handwriting expert Bart Baggett decided to make handwriting analysis his career, he embraced the media, studying newspapers, magazines, and radio and television programs to find out what types of guests were in demand. Then he looked for ways to tie his professional abilities to specific media. His strategy paid off. At the height of the O.J. Simpson trial, he sent out a news release about Simpson's handwriting that resulted in several timely media interviews. He later appeared on Court TV to discuss Timothy McVey's handwriting, and was recommended by the director of that program to CNN. A feature in Biography Magazine led to stories in the London Times, the Dallas Morning News, and others.
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