There used to be a time, not too long ago, when the only way that brands and corporations could get any media coverage was to go through news outlets and their journalists. The only way to get a good headline used to be to pitch to the news outlets directly with an excellent press release or an intriguing press conference.

However, those days are long gone, and the public relations industry, as well as the best ways for brands and corporations to get media coverage, has drastically changed. These days, brands have a lot more opportunities for exposure as well as influence, as journalists aren’t the gatekeepers to publicity. Now, there is a variety of tools and strategies that are available to anyone who needs them.

Additionally, it’s now possible for brands to build and share their own stories, and as soon as they get a lot of social media attention they get picked up by the media outlets to keep up with what the brand is doing.

RESEARCH AND STUDY

First thing’s first. What any brand or company needs to do is do thorough research around the subject they plan on sharing with their target audience. The brand needs to have third-party analyses, stats and plenty of data which is going to support the main story idea.

After all of that information has been gathered and sorted, the brand needs to study the competitive landscape in detail so that the team is aware of what stories have been shared by other brands and what can this brand do about sharing their story in a different light, so the story can stand out from the rest.

KNOW THE AUDIENCE

Creating the perfect story that’s going to get a lot of attention is most of the time about the story itself. However, a big part of getting a lot of media coverage is if the brand knows its target audience and then creates a story that resonates with that audience. The best way to do this is to have a great idea of what the target audience needs, wants, and is interested in.

It’s important for brands to know the target audience not only so that they can create the perfect stories, but also so that they can know what else to present to that audience in the future.

CRAFT A NEWSWORTHY STORY

Finally, the biggest secret in getting media coverage is to do something newsworthy that is going to grab their attention. All that the media outlets want is to get something that’s going to get the attention of the audience. If a brand gives that essential ingredient to the media, the chances of getting a lot of coverage are going to soar.

The way to do this is to stand out from the crowd, in a positive manner, which means the story might be the main ingredient. The way that it’s presented is practically just as important as the story.

Credit: 5WPR