Recently, I attended a networking event in order to learn more about what NH businesses are doing to increase their visibility.

After the meeting I was approached by a woman (we’ll call her Mary) who gave me rabbit ears when she told me she had tried to get mentioned in a newspaper, but was discouraged when she was told that she would need to advertise in order to do so.

I couldn’t help but feel frustrated that there is still a perception among business executives that advertising is the only way for an organization to “get ink,” and reach their target market.  I explained to Mary that like all things business – it’s all about developing relationships to reach your target market.  Below are 5 tips that I shared with Mary, but for the sake of humor, we will pretend the company is Spacely Sprockets.

1) Know what they are writing – Nothing upsets a journalist more than not knowing what they cover and many will comment that there is no faster way to get immediately sent to the spam folder than sending them a story idea that has nothing to do with their beat.  According to a recent PRSourceCode Survey, on average, 93 percent of pitches journalists receive are not on target with their needs and interests.  In other words, if your client is announcing the newest Spacely Sprocket, a lifestyle editor isn’t an appropriate contact.

2) Know what’s right for the publication – Spacely Sprocket’s Earth location has a great case study story about how they are helping a government organization on Mars.  The Earth and Mars daily press, as well as the trade press may be appropriate as the story has a relevant angle for them, but the Saturn daily press won’t be interested in the story because there isn’t a Saturn angle. Publications know that their readers are most interested in what’s happening in their backyard, not on some other planet.

3) Be a resource – Journalists are constantly looking for resources for their stories.  Spacely Sprockets should stay in contact with the media in their industry through proactive pitches and be available to comment on trends and news.
According to the same PRSourceCode Survey:
    ▪    Three out of four journalists (75 percent) use proactive pitches to find sources and story ideas.
    ▪    81 percent of tech reporters say industry trends are the most popular source of content for new story ideas

4) Follow Journalists on Twitter – In this day in age, Spacely Sprockets has no excuse not to be on Twitter.  Learn what they care about beyond their stories, and keep yourself updated on the marketplace from their point of view.

5) Harness the relationship – Once Spacely Sprockets has successfully worked with a journalist, it’s important that they harness the relationship.  In others words don’t spam them with stories they don’t care about, be respectful of how they want to be contacted, keep them in the loop with all appropriate announcements and be sure to show them Twitter love by following them and retweeting their relevant stories.

At Sniper Public Relations we pride ourselves on the relationships we have with our key influencers, targeted media, industry analysts and industry associations. In the end, it’s what helps enable us to give our clients the counsel they need in order to reach their target market, boost their visibility and achieve their goals.   We look forward to hearing from you about your top tips for developing relationships.