4 Tips to Get Powerful Press for Your Brand (even when you're small)

Lemme guess, you want to get your brand featured in top press. Guess what? Me too sista. Me too.

And why wouldn’t we? I could share some incredible statistics with you on the power of good press but, I know I don’t need to convince you. Landing media attention for your brand can be downright game changing.

In case you have any doubts, simply consider the Oprah-effect. Getting featured on her show could turn your book into a best-seller, your expertise into a prime time TV show and your product into a must-have. Just take a look at Sara Blakely. The Spanx founder credits her appearance on the show as the tipping point that helped her budding brand take off.

Speaking from experience

I haven’t only witnessed the power of press from afar, I’ve experience it for myself. In my corporate days, I was responsible for pulling together the press strategies for new product launches. One appearance of our brand on The Today Show led to the highest grossing day in the company’s history to that point. At another point, an article in The New York Times led to our company’s founder holding a keynote speaking role at SXSW.

You also know, if you’ve been following me, that I am a contributor to the Entrepreneur Magazine network. It’s a role that’s put me on both sides of the table. On one, I’ve experienced how the position has increased exposure, credibility, and opportunities for my personal brand. On the other, I’ve seen how profound it can be for a founder to get an interview with me and have their brand featured.

In short, you guys, I know from personal experience that this stuff works. So now the real question is…

What does it take to get powerful press for your brand?

Well, that’s exactly what I want to dive into int his post. I’m going to walk you through 4 tips that will help your business earn the spotlight.

Tip 1: Get your brand ready

Before you do anything else, your very first step is to get your brand ready to be noticed. Everyday, there are approximately 2.4 billion brand-related conversations happening in the United States alone. This means that you need to be thinking strategically about how you are going to get your brand to stand out.

First, you have to realize that you are not going to get your brand noticed by everybody and that’s okay. You need to get very clear on how you are positioning your brand and whose attention you want to capture. You want to nail your brand pitch, the answer to the question “what do you do?”. Your response should make it unquestionably clear what your brand does, who it’s for, and what makes you super special.

Second, you need a good story to tell. In fact, it’s said that stories are 22 times more memorable than facts alone. Imagine the dream headline you’d love to see in a magazine. What’s the story behind it? Does it share how your brand came into existence? Is it about a new product line you’ve just launched? Does it talk about a cool event you’re hosting or a big brand you are collaborating with? Your stories should take people on a journey, get them engaged, and give them a reason to care.

Third, you want your brand to reflect you in a positive light. We have fewer than 10 seconds to make a first impression. That means, why someone Googles you, the result needs to show them that they can take you seriously. You want a brand name and logo that are distinct and memorable. You also want to make sure that your choice of colors, fonts, and visuals not only look good but are an authentic reflection of your brand.

Tip 2: Prepare your press kit

When you feel that your brand is rockin and rollin your next step is to prepare your press kit. Your press kit is your brand portfolio, one location that contains all of the most important information about your brand. It’s your opportunity to show off who you are, what your story is can, and why you’ll make good news. Your press kit allows you to put your best foot forward and is a critical tool when you’re seeking to earn coverage .

Since your press kit is essentially your brand bundled into one pretty package it needs to fully embody your brand design. Incorporate your brand logo, colors, and fonts and ensure everything is packaged beautifully.

You also want to ensure that you are fully harnessing the power of brand storytelling. Include a well written press release that details whatever news you wish to have shared. Additionally, I always recommend including a page that recounts your brand origin story. Along with these, include plenty of visuals that depict your stories. Make it as easy as possible for someone to feel engaged in your story and share it with others.

Tip 3: Pitch your brand strategically

When you have your press kit ready and you are preparing to send it off the important things to consider are who you’re pitching, what you’re pitching, and how you’re pitching.

My advice is to seek out journalists who you know have previously featured brands similar to yours. This is where your own network can really come in handy. Ask around to learn which media outlets others have been featured in and how they landed the spot. You also want to ask if they have the name and contact information of the journalist or editor they worked with and if they’d be comfortable making an introduction. It’s always helpful when you can get a referral rather than going in cold. If you don’t have a direction connection, begin to build one yourself. Follow the person on social media, engage with their content, and begin establishing a relationship with them before asking for their help.

When you’re pitching your brand, you want to make your ask as clear and concise as possible. Include a brief introduction and what you would like them to cover. Outline the main points and highlight any outstanding figures our facts. Then let them know you’re including a press kit with more information.

As a rule of thumb email pitches generally work just fine. However, if you want to make a big impression, you can send something in the mail. It’s not always needed but when done really well, it can help make you and your brand stand out and get the extra edge.

Tip 4: Remember to follow up

One important thing to remember is that success often hinges on your follow up. When you’ve sent out your initial request give it a few days to get a response. If then you haven’t heard anything, follow up with a short, few sentence email. When I interviewed Jessy Fofana, founder of LaRue PR, her advice was to be the right kind of persistent. You want to check in every so often until you get a response, but not so much that you annoy them into ignoring you. This is relationship building after all. It’s about staying top of mind but in a good way.

When you do receive a response from a journalist or editor, it’s on you to be as responsive and helpful as possible. You want to make a great impression and show that you’re something they want to work with. And, if they do feature your brand, you want to make sure to share the feature with your audience. This will help you add value by getting more exposure for the piece. And in the future, you can point to this engagement as yet another reason your brand is worth being featured.

To wrap it up…

Earning press for your brand can be incredibly powerful and it can happen even when you are just getting started. The key to getting noticed is to take the time to prepare for the attention. Before you ask others to feature you, ensure that you’ve established a clear positioning, great story, and polished look. Then make sure you have this packaged in a well designed press kit that will appeal to the audience whose attention you most want. Not only will this increase your chances of landing press, it will also give you the confidence to put your brand in the spotlight.

Ready to take your first step? Take my free training on how to master your brand message. This is 3 part video series will teach you how to clarify your brand positioning & craft a powerful brand pitch.