Public Relations for Small Business: Seven Tips to Get Featured in Press

Getting public relations for small business might feel intimidating but getting featured in the press isn’t a hard as you think with the right strategy and know-how. No matter what industry you’re in, there are public relations opportunities available for small businesses every day. You just need to know how to find them, have a plan, and learn the best way to communicate with reporters. Here are seven tips to consider.

Side note: The information in this post is perfect for business owners and influencers looking to dip their toe in the water of public relations. If you're ready to skip to the good stuff, click here to learn more about our online public relations course, Pitch, Please!

Develop a PR strategy

Begin by developing a strategy. Start searching and notice where you see your competition featured. You should pitch those publications as well.

Consider both the micro and macro here. Do you see similar businesses getting featured in magazines and online publications? Do you sell a product or offer services? Is it direct to consumer or business-to-business? If you sell b-2-b you may want to consider reaching out to trade journals.

On the other hand, if you own a brick and mortar business like a bakery, boutique, or flower shop, then you should target local in addition to national press. Your strategy should include local newspapers, television news, and lifestyle shows as well as other forms of media. You will likely get a slew of new customers from these features, so be prepared. Understand that there are many benefits that may not immediately come to mind when you get media exposure.

After making a list of publications to target, you need to figure out which reporters cover that specific beat. It’s essential to pitch the right writers just as much the right publications. Making mistakes with this can be a major waste of time.

For example, if you’re in the business of selling vitamins, you don’t want to pitch fashion writers, even if both of those topics are covered on the same website. 

Or if you own a winery and are looking to be featured in a travel publication, make sure you aren't pitching to a reporter who only covers airline deals. 

Create a media kit

Think of a media kit as a resume for your small business or personal brand. It summarizes who you are, your accomplishments and provides a good visual. A high-quality media kit also shows you’re professional. Wondering what information to include in your media or press kit? Here is a helpful checklist. 

Use HARO

HARO is one of the best resources to get public relations for small businesses. This newsletter comes out three times a day, five days a week. Reporters from all the top publications use HARO to find qualified sources for their articles on every topic in every industry. 

Here are some quick summaries of recent HARO queries:

• Medical expert to advise on air purifiers

• Need RD dietitian to talk about health benefits of avocado oil

• Looking for BIPOC dating expert

• Experts on journaling for mental health

• The Definitive Guide to Wine and Type 1 Diabetes

• Best Cookbooks for 2021

• Self-care for moms

All you need to do is reply to the query and you can easily get public relations for your small business. Did we mention that HARO is absolutely free? If you aren’t using this platform, you are certainly missing out on a lot of press opportunities. Not sure where to start? Here are five ways to get the most from HARO.

Send cold pitches

Once you figure out your strategy, then it’s time to cold pitch writers and editors. After all, you can’t get what you don’t ask for. So, it’s important to put yourself out there. 

Your cold pitch should include the following:

• Hi or Dear and the writer’s name

• How you found their work or a recent article they wrote that you liked or shared on social media.

• A short paragraph with information about your business or brand.

• A few sentences about your personal accomplishments such as giving a TED Talk or that your revenue increased 40 percent last quarter.

• An explanation of the types of articles you can be featured in (such as a feature or product round up), or topics you can offer commentary for.

• A good email signature.

This aspect of PR is covered in depth in our online public relations course, Pitch, Please! 

Not sure it’s the right time to enroll in a public relations course online? Here are nine signs you call tell that it is the right time. 

Don’t forget to follow up

This is an important one. Many of the top journalists receive hundreds of email pitches every day. But don’t let this fact intimidate or scare you. Because things can get lost in our inboxes, it’s very important to understand that it is highly likely you will need to follow up on every pitch you send. 

Keep in mind that you should also never take a lack of response personally. Because writers are so busy, it’s often impossible to respond to every email. If you feel you are annoying or stalker-ish, it’s best to put those feelings aside. You can be persistent but professional at the same time.

As a general rule, you can follow up on a pitch every week or two weeks. However, if it is a timely pitch or you are pitching commentary for breaking news, you may want to follow up sooner.

Feel free to pitch again when you have a new launch or timing is relevant to your expertise

Perhaps you’ve pitched a reporter two or three times but haven’t followed up in several months. Feel free to send them a new pitch when you have something new to offer. 

For example, if you are an Etsy shop owner and just launched new products. Or if you’re a health and wellness coach, it’s a smart idea to pitch your expertise right before the New Year, when writers will be covering health and wellness in great depth. Think seasonally here.

Collaborate with celebrities and social media influencers

If you have a tangible product, it’s a great idea to collaborate with celebrities and social media influencers. Working with people who have large platforms is an ideal way to get attention not just on social media, but also in the mainstream press. 

When you pitch reporters, you will have a bigger name connected to your small business or brand. This gives you credibility and increases your chances of receiving press coverage. It can also help boost sales in general. 

Keep going

As a writer for Forbes, I’ve been known to feature small businesses and emerging brands in many of my articles about interior design. There are many entrepreneurs that have reached out to me for the first time and I’ve written to about them the very same week or month. But to be completely honest, this isn’t the norm. 

For every email, I open or person I respond to, there are probably five to ten that I end up ignoring. This means that you need to keep going, keep persisting, and always keep trying to refine your pitch. If you have a truly amazing brand and great product, you will get eventually get press coverage. 

Want to know the best ways to pitch writers? Click below to watch the masterclass: How To Get Major Media Placement In 20 Minutes A Day.