What self-promotion can do for your business

Many capable business owners are missing the opportunity to stand out as media experts, and promote themselves as an industry leader, writes Pete Burdon.

Since the advent of the Internet and social media, fewer business people are approaching traditional media to offer their expertise, despite the massive promotional and reputational benefits this creates.

Many businesses post advice on their social media feeds, but with so many doing this it’s difficult to stand out above the competition as an industry leader. It’s also unlikely that most potential clients will even see this information.

The first special thing about news media coverage is the reputational benefits it creates. The third-party endorsement it offers is priceless and it’s the best way to ‘stand out’ from your competition. This is one of the few ways to become the recognised leader in your niche.

Reach is another reason why media coverage is so effective. It reaches a huge audience and business people are able to approach media with a focus on their niche.

Editors of specialist newspapers and magazines are often open to receiving submitted articles. It can be a cost-effective way of sourcing quality material at short notice. That’s why they often welcome approaches from sources who have an interesting story or article ideas.

Topics

The best topics are anything related to a topical issue. For example, accountants could have had a field day recently with articles about how to survive the cost-of-living crisis. The same goes for real estate agents. When national and regional house sales figures come out, they could be approaching local media in their patch with comments on the figures and what they mean for the local area. The possibilities are endless and every business has expertise in an area that would interest relevant media.

Media also welcome subjects that are out of the ordinary – human-interest stories about people and selected articles that are either new or a first. The other obvious topic is conflict, but that’s one I recommend you stay away from.

How do you get coverage?

The first thing to do is search online for the best media to focus on. The best place to start is niche media because that’s where your potential clients will be. The great thing about this type of media is that there is far less competition for space. If it’s advice you are offering, the best option would be to suggest you write an article, where you are identified as the author.

A good example of this was when I contacted a leading magazine in the franchise sector. The focus was on how the changing needs of the news media had left franchise and other leaders vulnerable. This was because if there was a negative issue attracting media attention, these leaders now had to be ready to communicate within minutes. Very few knew how to do that and were at risk of serious reputational damage.

The subsequent article led to an invitation to speak at the Franchise Association of New Zealand and a whole new niche to focus on. That all led to new clients, plus media coverage in franchise media across Australia. This is just one small example of what media attention can do for a business when offering advice

If it’s not advice you are offering, you are best to send story pitches rather than article ideas to reporters at selected media. This is where you suggest an interesting story idea that they might like to cover. The reporter would then write or produce the story and you would be mentioned as a major source. Stories dominate newspapers, while magazines tend to have a mix of stories and guest articles.

Before you pitch anything, I suggest you look at back issues of any particular publication to get a flavour of the content they typically use. A good example of this was a few years ago when there were many stories about schools that required legal advice. I realised this was a growing trend and often when schools need legal advice, they also require media advice.

Because schools are another niche of mine and the legal advice issue was topical, I pitched a story idea to the Sunday Star Times about the need for school leaders to understand the media if legal issues led to interest from reporters. This led to a story and lots of enquiries from school leaders across New Zealand wanting training.

Another vital part of this process is to find the email address of the person to contact. You should be able to do this with an online search. For magazines it’s usually the editor you would contact, while daily newspapers often have reporters who focus on particular subjects.

The email

There are some vital things you will need in the email. Firstly, the subject line needs a news hook in it to make sure the email is opened. Then you need to sum up your idea in a few sentences and say why you think this would be of interest to the audience. It’s important that you show that you are genuinely wanting to help, rather than score some free publicity. If it’s an article you are pitching, you would also say you can work to any word count and deadline. Articles are usually quite brief ranging from around 600 words to 1500.

Remember that advice articles are just that. They are not the place to promote your services. The media outlets won’t want that. The expertise you share will speak for itself anyway.

If it’s a story idea, you either just send an email or an email with a press release. A press release is a document similar to the actual news stories you see in daily newspapers. They can grow your chances of success with some media, but if you don’t have the time, just send the email pitch.

Share your articles

When your articles are published, share them on social media, link to them from your newsletters and post them on your website. This will show visitors that you are an expert and will help you to stand out from your competitors. Good luck.

Pete Burdon is a media training specialist who practices what he preaches. Go to PeteBurdon.com and download the free reports: “Explode Your Profits Blueprint” and “Media Interview Survival System.”