Wednesday 3 April 2013

Top 5 mistakes businesses make when trying to get featured in the media!


With the economy the way it is these days it is important that you are able to raise the credibility and visibility of your business effectively using TV, Radio and the Press to get your message across without having to spend a lot of money on advertising. In order to do this you must have an effective PR strategy for your business which enables you to get media coverage for free.

So what are the most common mistakes that businesses make when doing their own PR?

 1. They don’t consider the possibility of free media coverage 

Some businesses don’t even consider the possibility that they could generate media coverage for free so they cut off any possibility of getting featured because they don’t even try! They then consider paying for advertising space which has no guaranteed return. One thing to keep in mind is that your business will gain a lot more credibility by being in a feature / interview written by a third party such as a journalist.

2. They don’t consistently convey a clear core message

When businesses do decide to contact the media a very common mistake is that they don’t have a core message which they are conveying. The temptation can be to try and please everyone all of the time resulting in a number of different messages being put across. Without a clear message two things can happen –the media will not pick up on the story because the message is not clear enough or if they do the business runs the risk of a confused message being put across.


3. They don’t write a newsworthy press release

The most effective way of putting your message across to the media is by writing a press release. All too often businesses put too much information in a press release and not always in the correct format. They also put too much emphasis on selling their product or service and not enough on giving the press a newsworthy story. As the media receive thousands of press releases everyday it is important to make your message clear, concise and as unique as possible.

4. They don’t directly contact the people who can give them coverage

Once the press release has been written it is then time to research and get into contact with the specific members of the media who can put across your message. Many businesses make the mistake of sending press releases to general email addresses and do not directly speak with the individual members of the media who are in a position to make a difference and use their information. Doing your own PR relies on creating and building media contacts on an ongoing basis. In building contacts it also enables you to get feedback on how newsworthy and effective your press releases are. Persistence is the key!


5. They don’t do enough research before doing a media interview

When doing media interviews many businesses make the mistake of trying to get too much information across which can result in their message being diluted. They also haven’t researched the media organization that they are being interviewed for. This can mean that they don’t come across with as much impact that they could have.




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