Reporters and bloggers want to get relevant stories. Scattergun emailing your press release to hundreds of journalists doesn’t work.
So start now building your little black book of media contacts so you can pitch your story to specially selected journalists that will write about it properly.
Every time you read an interesting article about the sector or issues you are tackling. Record the name of the writer and the magazine or website in PingGo.
Keep adding to your contacts. Reporters move all the time and you need to keep on top of who is interested in the niche you are working in. Target the bloggers and reporters writing regularly about specific sectors.
Set up Google Alerts for your ‘key words’ — any news covering your client's sector will now be delivered straight to your inbox. Again, remember to record names straight away so you don’t forget.
Ask the customers of your clients what media they read regularly — online and offline, trade and consumer. Add them to your list.
Look at the press page of your client's competitors and note down the name of the writers and publications that have covered them.
Bloggers and reporters are always on the look out for good stories. They need news to feed their media outlet. So don’t be shy. Call them, tweet them or email them. If you don’t get their attention straight away. Keep trying. There are a lot of folk out there doing exactly the same as you.
And if they still don’t get back to you. Try someone-else. There are many more fish in the sea.
