Getting your small business featured in the press — local newspapers, industry publications, podcasts, or online media — can accelerate your credibility and reach in ways that paid advertising simply can’t replicate. The good news is that earned media doesn’t require an expensive PR firm. With the right approach, you can generate meaningful press coverage on your own.
Understand What Journalists Actually Want
The most common mistake business owners make when pursuing press is sending pitches that are essentially advertisements. Journalists aren’t interested in how great your business is — they’re interested in stories that serve their readers.
A compelling story angle might include:
- A surprising or counterintuitive trend you’ve observed in your industry
- A community impact story (jobs created, community problem solved)
- A personal origin story with emotional resonance
- Data or research that reveals something new about your market
- A timely connection to something already in the news
Your business is the backdrop — the story is the hook.
Build Your Media Target List
Identify the publications, podcasts, blogs, and reporters who cover your industry, your geography, or your customer audience. Start local — local newspapers, business journals, and community news sites are far more accessible than national outlets and often have audiences that are perfect for a local small business.
Build a spreadsheet with outlet names, contact information, and the beat or topics each reporter covers. Personalized pitches perform dramatically better than mass email blasts.
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Craft a Pitch That Gets Opened
Your pitch email should be short — five to seven sentences maximum. Include:
- A compelling subject line that hints at the story angle
- One sentence about why this story is relevant to their audience right now
- The story in two to three sentences
- Your credentials and why you’re the right person to tell this story
- An offer to provide more information, a quote, or an interview
Follow up once, five to seven days after your initial pitch, if you don’t hear back. Then move on.
Use HARO and Similar Platforms
Help a Reporter Out (HARO) connects journalists with sources. Sign up as a source and you’ll receive daily emails with journalist queries across dozens of categories. Respond quickly and specifically to queries in your area of expertise — this is one of the most reliable paths to press mentions for small business owners.
Create Newsworthy Events
Hosting a community event, launching an unusual initiative, celebrating a meaningful milestone, or partnering with a local charity creates news. Make the event interesting enough that it’s worth writing about, and invite local press to attend or receive a summary.
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Build Relationships Before You Need Them
Follow journalists who cover your beat on social media. Comment thoughtfully on their work. Share their articles. When you eventually reach out with a pitch, you’re not a cold stranger — you’re someone they recognize.
Relationships built authentically over time make the pitch process far more effective and far less transactional.
Leverage Local Media Aggressively
National coverage is glamorous but rare. Local press coverage is accessible, highly relevant to your target customers, and often generates more actual business. Your local newspaper, the business section of the city magazine, local business podcasts, and community radio stations are all realistic targets for any well-prepared small business owner.
For more media outreach strategies and real-world examples of small businesses that have successfully generated press coverage, Internet Chicks Worth offers actionable PR content written specifically for entrepreneurs operating without a dedicated communications team.