Maybe you’re an entrepreneur who, for a long time, has been thinking, “I could get more clients if only I could just get featured in a large publication.” There are countless people you could help with your expertise. If only more people knew who you were.
Publicity is one of the best ways to get your message out to the people who need it. But from the outside, the world of media can seem like a mystery.
After writing and publishing stories in various media outlets for 10 years, I’ve learned a lot about what publications want, what makes a journalist choose one source over another and how this whole media thing works.
So today I want to talk about one principle to getting publicity.
Of course, the entire industry of public relations is dedicated to getting clients publicity. But at the heart of it, being featured in an article really comes down to this:
Getting quoted in a publication — no matter how big — is a matter of getting the attention of the right person at the right time with the right idea.
It really can be that simple.
If you’re an expert in your field, I can tell you that right now there is a journalist on deadline who needs nothing else than to speak to someone who does exactly what you do.
The process of finding the right person at the right time and connecting with them can and usually does take time, effort and trial and error. (Which is why there is an entire industry dedicated to this!) But it doesn’t have to.
As a writer looking for sources to quote in my stories, there were many, many times when I quoted people in Forbes, simply because:
They were available
Their expertise was relevant
They were easy to work with
They responded quickly (and I was on deadline!)
Essentially, working with journalists and getting featured in publications is no different from other types of business. Writers, just like everyone else, want to work with people who are professional, easy, timely, and make their job easier.
I was grateful to my sources for their help. I needed their expertise to tell a story about something I wasn’t an expert on.
When all these things aligned, I did not need to go through a PR agency. I communicated directly with the subject matter expert. And I remembered them and came back to them the next time I needed a similar source.
So if you are unsure where to begin, do this:
Start with what you are already familiar with. Are there any publications you can’t get enough of and that you’d love to be featured in? Look at the writers who are publishing stories you like. Then see what other kinds of articles they are publishing.
Send them an email to introduce yourself, show them that you are reading what they write and tell them how you can help. For example, a journalist who focuses on health may likely want to speak with a nutritionist. You might also want to share an idea.
Journalists receive a lot of emails, but an introductory email can put you on their radar. So the next time they need a specialist in your field and are racking their brain (and on deadline!), they might think of you.