As a small business leader, it's important to engage with local media to promote the products and services you've created. Telling your story to the local press may not be high on your to-do list. However, if you are able to generate genuine coverage of your small business, it can do
positive difference to your results for the weeks, months and years to come. In good times and bad, community members feel connected to local businesses, and they will go out of their way to support businesses that are open to talking about their journeys, successes, and challenges. So where to start ? It starts with identifying local media leaders and having an interesting story to tell. By building a solid foundation on the basics of public relations, you can increase your chances of spreading the good news about your business' local impact. Start with the Basics Local news keeps us up to date with what's happening in our communities. But not all news pages are created equal. There's a difference between the latest health or crime news and the business article pages where you're trying to get recognition. Knowing the difference - and knowing the reporters behind the stories - will help you identify the most receptive outlets. First, choose the top five local news sites or stations that you would like to see your story told. Next, make sure these five outlets regularly write about topics related to your business' area of interest. If there is a local magazine that only writes about local retail stores and you have a small dental practice, that is not the medium you should be targeting - publications are generally not interested in speaking with companies that do not interest their audience.
Not only is it important to Employee Email Database learn about each medium in your community, but it's crucial to identify which reporters would make the most sense to cover your business. Most media outlets include journalist biographies on their websites. In their biography, you will find the rhythm of each journalist, ie the main subject they cover. It can be more general, like “business” or “tech”. However, it can also be more granular, such as "small business" or "retail". These nuances are important to note and are a crucial first step in knowing who to contact. Engage with Journalists Authentically Now that you have identified the key journalists that are important to reach, you will need to develop a relationship and engage with them authentically and regularly. Close ties with targeted journalists improve the chances of landing the local story you're looking for. Follow these journalists on all social media platforms and share the journalist's work which will also resonate with your readers.
Journalists are often measured by the readership and clicks their coverage generates, so they appreciate others helping them achieve their goals. Don't just like and retweet their stories, but contact them directly when you really enjoyed one of their articles. Be specific about what you liked and how it relates to your life. It strengthens your connection and helps you build a relationship with that person moving forward. It also creates a communication channel that you can rely on to reach that person quickly. If you can't find an email or phone number to pitch your story to them and you've already established a connection on social media, you can pitch to them via Twitter or LinkedIn. Increasing Brand Awareness and Reported Reach with Social Media Engaging with journalists authentically is important, but it's only part of the story. To make your business more popular and prosperous, consider other channels that will help your audience learn more about your business. A social media strategy is useful because it will not only increase brand awareness, but also help you reach new audiences. By creating a cohesive plan across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, your customers will know how to reach you based on their needs. But remember: your audience on LinkedIn will be different from your audience on Twitter. In the same way that you identified the rhythms of journalists, think about each media audience s