Imagine yourself sitting in a small town café. It’s the type of place where locals gather for some friendly conversation over breakfast before starting the work day. Today’s discussion is all about the front page feature story about a local micro-brewery that won an award. People are pleased to see the coverage, but there’s a little bit of envy going on as well. “Why,” these business owners want to know, “doesn’t anyone ever write about my company?”

Here’s the thing.

Editorial coverage, whether it’s in the local paper, regional magazine, or online, doesn’t just happen. The businesses that are written about most often are invariably the businesses that actively seek attention. Sending out press releases, letting the media know what’s going on via social media, and cultivating relationships with bloggers, freelancers, and media professionals are all essential tasks if you want to see your business being talked about.

Local media is in a precarious position right now. While communities claim to be hungry for news about what’s going on in their home towns, the financial support of the news sources isn’t exactly forthcoming. This means local media is forced to work with limited resources. They don’t have the numbers of reporters, editors and photographers you might expect. It’s not unusual to see a local TV reporter serving as their own camera crew, for example.

Limited media resources mean that the stories that are the easiest to cover are the stories that get covered. The more you do for the press, the more they’re going to be able to do for you. There’s a huge difference between saying to a local reporter, “Hey, you should write about my business sometime!” and “Hey, our business just won an award. We’re proud of that and have all kinds of pictures we’d love to share with your readership. Here’s some information about the award and the organization that gave it to us!” In the first instance, you’re complaining. In the second instance, you’re giving the reporter something to write about. That’s the basis of successful PR. Be willing to put the effort in, identify and promote news-worthy stories about your company, and cultivate relationships with the local media. Then you won’t be left asking, “Why doesn’t anyone ever write about my business?”

Need help getting your PR campaigns going?

As a full service agency, the Technology Therapy Group is skilled at digital and traditional marketing. We’ll help you get your name in the paper, on the television, and all over the internet. Find out more today!