Don't Stop the Press: How Your Small Business Can Get Big Time Media Exposure

Small business organizations don't need huge budgets in order to make a big splash in the media. While getting media exposure is definitely easier for entities that can afford to hire media relations firms, smaller companies can, with a little bit of imagination, find themselves featured in newspapers and magazines as well as on TV broadcasts and radio segments. Here are some great tips that small businesses working from our virtual offices can use to get media attention.

Connect with Journalists on Social Media

Social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can help small businesses to generate significant media exposure. Small businesses should connect with writers, journalists and bloggers on these sites. After connecting with media types, small businesses can join discussions, suggest story ideas with interesting angles and offer their expertise. Done correctly, this strategy can position small businesses as interview candidates for print or broadcast stories.

Leave no Stone Unturned

Small businesses need to get their messages out there if they hope to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Whenever there's a newsworthy development that should be shared, small businesses should write press releases and get them into the right hands at print and broadcast outlets. With the right technology it's now possible to disseminate press releases far and wide. Businesswire.com and PRnewswire.com are just two examples of sites that make distributing press releases relatively easy. Media types typically access these sorts of sites to look for story ideas or to find relevant sources for stories they're working on.

Put Fingers to Keyboard

While getting media types to run with pitched story ideas can be a great form of free publicity, small businesses can help their own cause by generating their own content. Whether they start a corporate blog, write columns for newspapers or produce articles for other news outlets, small businesses can quickly make a name for themselves and become recognized as thought leaders in their respective industries. It's important to understand that thought leaders are the sorts of sources that media types love to seek out for interviews on breaking news.

Persistence Pays off in the End

Sending out press releases and making calls is a good start, but that's not enough. Small businesses should also be sure to follow up. After all, writers, journalists and bloggers often get lots of press release and queries from companies, public relations people and media relations representatives. Follow-up calls or emails can help small businesses set themselves apart from the pack.

Tug at the Heartstrings

Small businesses can attract a lot of media coverage if they can find a human-interest angle to pitch. For instance, small businesses that donate a portion of their revenue to charity or do anything else that demonstrates genuine goodwill can potentially get some press coverage. Genuine goodwill in the community combined with an interesting story angle will pique the interest of just about any media type. Fortunately, media exposure isn't only for larger companies. With a little grunt work and ingenuity, small businesses, too, can get substantial attention from print and broadcast media. For more information about how our virtual office spaces can provide you with the ideal small business location to push for big time media exposure, visit YourCityOffice.com.