4 Ways To Score Media Coverage Without A Press Release

Editor's Note: The following is a guest Marketing Mulligans post written by Keredy Andrews, a senior account manager of Punch Communications, a United Kingdom-based public relations (PR), search, and social media agency which works with local and global B2C and B2B clients. This story, which first appeared on the blog Spin Sucks and then on Ragan's PR Daily, describes different ways that PR professionals and business owners can generate valuable media coverage WITHOUT using press releases to do so. You can follow Keredy on Twitter at @the_only_keredy.
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When you’ve put time and effort into creating a news release, it can be enormously frustrating when you can’t get in touch with journalists, or the story is turned down by your target publications.

Hours have been wasted with no results to show your client, meaning you have to keep pushing when other work is piling up.

Most businesses would like positive newspaper or magazine coverage, but the truth is only the very best stories make the page in what is an ever increasingly competitive arena and now many companies are not suited to a traditional news release approach.

This might be because data or case studies are not available, no new services or products are in the pipeline, or the particular industry is flooded.

Whatever the reason, the client wants media coverage, and you’ve been asked to find a story. Instead of forcing a non-issue or, much worse, fabricating figures, public relations consultants should be managing clients’ expectations (because many still consider the job of a PR agency to write news releases) and using the most appropriate method of gaining coverage.

One alternative technique is to offer a company spokesperson for interview or comment within a planned feature, illustrating the individual’s expertise and shining a light on the business as an authority in it’s field.

Placing thought leadership or advice comments can be more time efficient than the intense and lengthy news release pitching route. Resource is a concern within PR, especially within principled agencies that put the emphasis on delivering results rather than on how many hours have been spent on the account.

If you consider the ratio of time spent to the gained results, and compare it to the work involved in gaining a few comment pieces, you can see how putting forward a company individual could be an effective strategy for you.

Here are four ways to gain media coverage without a news release:

1. Read Editorial Calendars or Forward Features Lists

Whether you use a specialized paid-for service, contact features editors yourself, or find the list on the publication’s website, a forward features list details the articles that media outlets are planning, often 12 months in advnce.

Carefully think about the facts, figures, analysis, and advice your client can bring to the feature. Conduct a frank discussion with your client about what’s required with the assigned journalist to secure the opportunity.

2. Watch for Media Requests

The integrated agency where I work registered with a journalist inquiries system, which means I receive emails (sector specific) with requests for planned features.

The range of inquiries is huge, but quickly spotting and responding to something relevant to one of my clients has resulted in coverage in national and primary industry publications.

Also, subscribe to HARO...if you haven’t already.

3. Scan Twitter

In a similar way to email alerts, journalists and bloggers use the platform to request commenters and as mentioned in a previous article on the blog Spin Sucks, #journorequest is a useful hashtag to watch.

4. Build and Maintain Relationships

When you begin to serve a new client there is no harm in calling the targets to introduce yourself, the business, and any key individuals available for interview and comment. In the past, I’ve been lucky and on one occasion there was an immediate fit to provide industry advice on a monthly basis.

Also, if a journalist covers a relevant story or has written about a competitor, let them know that you exist in preparation for the next appropriate opportunity.

Although a quick response, a helpful attitude and a healthy relationship with the journalist is often needed to obtain any print, broadcast, or online PR coverage, I find that it is especially important when it comes to providing comment.

Nearing deadline, the publication needs to trust you can provide what they need to complete the feature. If you efficiently and quickly deliver the goods, your comments will likely be used and chances are the media outlet will contact you again for comment on similar issues.

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