(DGIwire) — Everyone dreams of a day when their company makes front-page news—for positive reasons, of course. But too many entrepreneurs and company owners find themselves frustrated that their exciting new ideas or other company news don’t make it into the media. What happened to the famous Field of Dreams premise—and promise—that “if you build it, they will come?”
Unfortunately, your work isn’t finished once your product is on the market or your business’ doors open. News features don’t materialize out of thin air, and reporters and journalists need a reason to feature you in their newspapers and magazines or on their blogs. And even after you’ve determined your “angle” and solidified your company’s brand, you still need to have the public relations know-how to make a name for yourself in your industry.
A June 2015 post on Business News Daily offers these effective strategies to boost your business’ recognition and engagement:
- Make friends with industry influencers.The first step is to connect with the right people. This is especially true if you’re doing your own PR, as you won’t have the advantage of established PR firms’ robust media lists. Even if reporters aren’t able to write about you at first, you should try to maintain regular communication with these key influencers to keep you on their radar.
- Refresh your messaging. If, after a concerted effort, you’re still not getting any press attention, you might want to give your message a makeover. Keep track of your competitors by identifying their strategies and comparing them with your own. Also, be sure to figure out a few different story angles that you can pitch to the media, keeping in mind that the media won’t be interested in straight advertisements for your company.
- Hook into seasonal trends. Seasonal or event-based pitches can be a great way to offer a timely story that isn’t all about you and your company. Always look a few months ahead—is there an anniversary, a national recognition or celebration day or a seasonal change that brings different activities, entertainment or foods into focus? Find a way to attach your company and products to these events, since consumers are more likely to look for gifts and use different services during these times.
- Distribute a multimedia news release. If you want to reach a large number of news outlets at once, you can try a distribution service that will send your news release to many national and local journalists who might be interested.
“You have to be proactive,” says public relations industry expert and PR company owner Dian Griesel, Ph.D. “If you find that you’ve exhausted your reach on your own, you might want to employ the use of a PR firm, since they have the know-how, vast resources and vetted contacts to help take your company to the next level.”
As President of DGI Comm, a New York-based media relations and news placement agency, Griesel has decades of experience helping a wide range of clients from all arenas establish their brands—by getting their stories placed in distinguished print, broadcast and social media outlets via influential journalists and bloggers. “An effective public relations plan requires a lot of collaboration,” adds Griesel. “The first thing you want to ensure is that the team you’re working with makes you and your company a priority.”