Finding Press Opportunities

In several of our past marketing tips, we have talked about public relations how-to’s, Look through our archives for:

1/3/99 Do-It-Yourself PR

4/6/00 The Internet as a PR Tool

This week, we’re going to share some secrets in finding PR opportunities.

First are the email PR notification services. These are subscription-based (some for a fee) services that send you emails about members of the press or freelancers looking to make contact with sources for their articles. The notification usually includes the name of the journalist, a description of what they’re writing about and the kind of person they’d like to talk to, and an email address to contact.

Examples of such notification newsletters include:

Xpress Press’s i-PR Newsletter

Media Map’s WebPR Newsletter

There are also web sites that provide similar information on-site. For an example of such a site, visit PressAccess, which allows up to five free searches of their editorial database.

Another way to find out about PR opportunities is to participate in email discussion lists about the subject. Not only will you learn more about online PR, but you can also catch postings from members of the press who subscribe and post requests for stories they are writing.

Some good PR discussion lists include:

I-PR Subscribe by email

PR-forum
SmallShopPRAgency (both hosted at eGroups)

PPCOnline

Now, just because you have some resources on how to learn about PR opportunities, don’t automatically assume that this is going to get you some publicity. There’s a certain about of etiquette, experience, and appropriate fit that goes into garnering press exposure.

In the case of these press notifications where you’re gaining access to the opportunity and you have to then contact the journalist to be accepted for their story, the most important thing is what you say in your initial email to them. Here are a few tips:

* write a compelling and matching subject header (a good example for this circumstance might be, “Responding to Your Press Request”)

* get your facts together - always answer the 5 “W’s”: who, what, where, when, why (and how)

* be brief - get the above facts out in 2-3 sentences. No more than one paragraph.

* link to a web site - if you’ve got more to say or more information for the journalist, link them to your web site so they can learn more on if they’re interested.

* DO NOT HARRASS A JOURNALIST! If you do not hear back from a member of the press, it likely means that you did not have enough compelling information for them. Take it with a grain of salt and move on. Do NOT consider badgering these folks to be included in their story. It will only likely lead to you never being featured in anything they write.

In our next marketing tip, we’ll tell you about the ways you track your exposure in the press. Stay tuned!

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