On Monday I wrote about the benefits of using press releases to help increase your company’s awareness and get more customers. Journalists are always looking for new and interesting stories to write about - it is their job. If you can provide a unique story idea that would be of value to their audience you are making their job easier and there is no reason whey they would not write about you.

On Monday I discussed the first two points of a press release strategy: choosing a compelling topic and writing the press release. Today I am going to complete the strategy:

3 - Build A Media List

The best press release in the world will not do you any good if you do not have a list of people to send it off to! You have to identify a fit between your release and the media outlets. Do not send a story about a new business idea to the sports reporter of your local paper, for example. Make a list of all the industry publications and local media outlets that you think might be interested in your story. Then go to their websites to get the email addresses of the reporters who cover your area. If you cannot find the email address take the general editor’s email address.

You might also want to consider using your partners to build your media list. When I first got started, with every partnership I built I issued a press release and asked for the list of my partners and offered to send the release out to both of our lists. I saved my partners some work and also got their media lists. Another trick is to use free services like Google News to see which reporters are covering stories similar to your topic. Get their names and build a database.

4 - Email the Reporters

Now that you have chosen an interesting topic, created the release, and built your media list it is time to email the reporters. The first thing to do is make sure you do not set off any spam filters. A trick I use is to put my PRs through my newsletter software program to get an estimated spam score. From here I can revise it so I maximize the chances of my emails being delivered. You should also use your captivating headline in the email subject so that the reporters are likely to open the email and read it.

A final tip to remember is to follow up! If you have not heard back within 48 hours, follow up with the reporter to make sure they received the press release and see if they have any questions. Follow up by phone with the most important ones. Even if they tell you that the story is not a good fit, you have at least made contact with the reporter and can find out what types of stories they are looking for so your next press release will be better targetted.

Good luck! I would love to hear some of your media success stories!

Evan Carmichael

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

Did you enjoy this article? If so, then subscribe to our RSS Feed.