If you think PR is intimidating and expensive, we’re about to unburden you of those beliefs. Read on for helpful hints and brilliant hacks for doing your own PR and rapidly growing your confidence – and coverage…
If PR is new to you, it’s natural to feel a bit daunted – especially when it comes to contacting journalists. But remember, they need you as much as you need them. Their career depends on writing about the latest products and brands, so you’re helping them out by giving them a good story.
If you feel tentative, start with small steps. Why not set aside a little time each week to reach out to journalists (even if it’s 20 minutes a day) and build this into your routine? Keep an eye on the news and adapt your pitch, so the subject matter is on-trend. You’ll be in the press before you know it.
If a third party endorses you, be sure to make a big noise about it on your website and social media channels. When a respected brand says you’re great – this is powerful PR.
Here are some handy hacks to help you get in touch with journalists:
Hack number 1
A nifty tool is the Readly app which gives you unlimited access to thousands of magazines and newspapers. It costs £7.99 to subscribe, but they offer a month’s free trial.
Once you’re registered, find the magazines that are relevant to your brand, and flick through to the ‘masthead’, which lists the people who work for the publication. You’re unlikely to find contact details for each individual – but there will be a general email address manned by a ‘gatekeeper’ (usually a junior editorial assistant). This is a very useful person to get to know because as well as relaying your pitch to their more senior colleagues, they often write articles themselves and have a broad knowledge of all the goings-on at the magazine.
Hack number 2
Twitter is a great tool to research journalists. Here’s a trick to help you:
- In the search bar, type the name of a publication you’d like to be in and click Enter (don’t click on the actual handle).
- Next, click on the ‘People’ tab. This will show you everyone whose bio includes the publication’s name (in other words, they work for that magazine).
- Choose who you’d like to follow from that list, selecting the appropriate journalists for your business.
- A variation on this is to do the same with the publication’s exact handle (which will bring up a slightly different list, broadening your reach).
- It’s a good idea to build a list of your favourite journalists on Twitter. You can choose to make this public to do a service for others – or you may prefer to keep it private.
Hack number 3
A hack you may already have heard of is using the hashtag #journorequest. Many UK journalists use this platform to ask for help with articles they’re writing on specific topics. Here’s how to find the requests relevant to you…
Under the search bar, click ‘Latest’. You’ll see a list of requests from journalists seeking products to review or experts to speak on certain topics etc. The chances of immediately spotting a request that’s right for you are slim, so to narrow the list down, add your sector in the search bar (e.g. if you’re an interior designer, type “journorequest interiors”).
Once you start filtering, you’ll see some great leads and you can direct-message them with your pitch. But first, read their blog and identify the section where you’d be relevant. When you contact the journalist, show that you’ve done your research and mention the page your product could be featured on. This way, you’ll get a much warmer response.
Note: some people use #journorequest to pre-emptively target journalists and say, “Please pick me if you’re looking for a product to review.” But it’s best not to do this as it’s a bit of an abuse of the space and is rather frowned upon.
Putting together a pithy pitch
Keep your pitch brief and to the point. Journalists receive hundreds each day, so they need to be able to grasp the relevant information with a quick skim read. Don’t worry about making your pitch overly sophisticated. But do take time to think of a great title to catch their interest.
Here’s an example of the kind of short and snappy wording you could use:
Hi <Journalist’s name>,
I’m writing from <X company>. We’re launching a new service/product which I think would be ideal for your <X page> page in <X magazine>.
I’ve included a press release below and attached some images. If you have any questions or would like a demo or interview, please let me know.
Best wishes,
<Your name>
Attaching images
Always include images but avoid attaching high-res ones (spam filters may pick these up, or they might be too large for inboxes). Either send low-res images or include a link to your bank of high-res images.
If you’re pitching a product, send mostly cut-outs (flat product images on a white background) as these are most likely to get featured. Send some headshots and a couple of lifestyle shots too.
Finally, here are some faux pas to avoid:
Don’t pester journalists by asking them if they received your press release/pitch. If they liked it, they’ll respond, but it might take a few days. Or they may get back to you in a little while if you’re a better fit for the next issue.
Don’t ask if your story has been featured yet. It’s up to you to monitor your coverage – so go and buy the edition of the magazine(s) you pitched to and keep checking the websites and blogs.
This How-To Guide was inspired by one of our Zoom Dives with Nicola Snell, Director at digital PR and marketing network, Press Loft Ltd.
Our Zoom Dive events are deep-delving discussions between our founder, Carolyn Dailey and a handpicked creative business expert. You can listen to Carolyn and Nicola’s full discussion here.
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Meanwhile, feel free to plunder our Knowledge bank for all sorts of tips, toolkits and templates to help you launch and grow your creative business.