Tips on how to court media attention

A thousand and one clients have severally asked me how they could secure earned media for their activities. My answer has always been one; create newsworthy activities, those that sell on their own without any need to ‘advertise them’ - period.

But first, let’s understand what earned media is. Basically, it is that attention or coverage you or your brand receives without you paying for it and you also did not write the story for a journalist to use. Earned media usually comes as a result of a deliberately rolled out plan either through a press release or just a post on your social media page. Whereas many believe it is a matter of luck securing an earned media in Ghana, and maybe in other African countries, I argue that the determinant of earned media lies in the stories themselves.

Securing an earned media is no more a game of luck that communication professionals should be engaged with. It is a matter of tact, diligent work, ability to study and remain focused on the goal. In today’s competitive world, where several businesses, organizations and individuals are struggling for space in major newspapers, it is only appropriate to understand that pitching news stories cannot be as easier now than it was. Reporters also want to see their stories on the front pages, a decision that lie solely with the editor. This is the more reason why it works better when your content, in itself, stands tall among all other news of the day.

So how can one work around this tricky path. Here are some killer tips that can assist nail that story without you paying for it.

Create news worthy content. Most news stories that are earned media have one thing in common; they have great content. People want to read content that gives them great information. Stories that benefit others and not only your brand. In achieving this, ask what about your story that makes it readable? Is it to market your brand, provide information, entertain or educate. Once you think of a content that has the likelihood of attracting many readers then the likelihood of catching the attention of the editor becomes high. Don’t just concentrate on the headline which will promote your business. Ask also what headlines the public will be interested in. Create room for others to benefit from your story and not just for marketing or promotional purposes.

Keep your message short and simple

You need to understand that your story will get that great recognition when your message, press release and other communication materials are short and simple. That is how journalists write and you must write like them in order to catch their eyes. A renowned journalist and editor, Harol Evans, in his book Journalistic Writing, Essential English for Journalists, Editors and Writers said: "It is not enough to get the news. We must be able to put it across. Meaning must be unmistakable, and it must also be succinct. Readers have not the time and newspapers have not the space for elaborate reiteration. This imposes decisive requirements. In protecting the reader from incomprehension and boredom, the text editor has to insist on language which is specific, emphatic and concise. Every word must be understood by the ordinary reader, every sentence must be clear at one glance, and every story must say something about people. There must never be a doubt about its relevance to our daily life. There must be no abstractions." Key takeaway from the above is that messages must, at the very best, get straight to the point. No need for flowery marketing content, buzzwords and non-factual claims. Reserve your business register for another medium. And be sure not to use difficult to understand words; no one places a dictionary by the side when reading news stories.

Ever considered media exclusives? Try it.

Media exclusives are great tools that could assist in creating media interest, hence giving you that prominent coverage. Fact is that there are many journalists out there in search of good stories and exclusives. Target some very experienced journalists that you could run some story ideas with for their comments and advise. This strategy works well in many media outlets. Think through what story ideas you can generate that will be different from the everyday news. What different thing is your business offering? Your ability to identify what makes you different and better than your competitors is one important key message that journalists would be interested in. Once a media house gets that exclusive and breaks it, other media houses are likely going to run after you to ask more questions and that is the trick to getting your news all over.

Newsjacking

Newsjacking is the art of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story so you and your ideas get noticed. This is very useful but tricky tool that doesn’t often get used. No wonder it is often referred to as an “art”. Successful newsjacking requires an everyday media monitoring to understand what news is out there and how you could feed on it. The trick here is to avoid news that involves death or tragedy. Your target must be around light-hearted and popular news items within your industry. When done well, newsjacking is, no doubt, a great strategy that can be used to draw more attention to your business.

What do you think?