How to Get Media Coverage: 4 Best Practices for Your Business
When your business is featured in reputable media outlets, it automatically enhances your brand’s legitimacy. People tend to trust independent endorsements more than advertisements, and media coverage serves as that objective third-party validation. To learn how to get media coverage, you must be able to craft a compelling story, build strong, sustainable relationships with reporters, and position your business as a valuable resource. When you successfully secure coverage in respected sources, it signals to your audience that you’re credible and reliable—qualities that money can’t buy when it comes to brand building.
What is media coverage?
Media coverage refers to any mention of your business across various forms of media. This includes digital news outlets and broadcast television, as well as niche industry publications that cater to specific sectors.
Blogs written by experts in your field offer targeted exposure, reaching specialized audiences that may include potential customers. Guest appearances on podcasts and collaborations on social media can also provide additional opportunities to engage with industry professionals and spark meaningful conversations.
Strategic media mentions serve two key purposes. First, they strengthen your brand’s presence and influence how your audience perceives you. Consistent media coverage over time builds recognition and trust, leading to a more cohesive brand identity.
Second, media mentions drive traffic to your website. Reporters and content creators often include links, which attract visitors who are interested in what you offer. Search engines view these placements as external votes of confidence, boosting your search rankings and making it easier for prospective customers to find you.
How to Get Media Coverage: Best Practices
Landing a media placement is a highly coveted achievement for any company. But with countless businesses fighting for attention, getting your brand featured takes more than luck—it demands a thoughtful, proactive approach. When done right, the rewards are significant. Here are four best practices to help you secure media coverage in a way that’s both strategic and valuable.
1. Find the right story to tell
Before pitching to the media, it’s essential to figure out what makes your story newsworthy. Reporters are constantly searching for stories that are relevant and timely for their readers. To stand out, you need to do your homework and understand where your business fits into the broader landscape.
Start by researching the latest industry trends and identifying what’s capturing media attention. What are prominent thought leaders in your field talking about? Are any of their LinkedIn posts striking a chord with their audiences? Do these topics relate to any emerging challenges that your business can solve? If so, think about how you can frame your story to contribute to the ongoing conversation and offer a unique perspective.
Understanding what’s next in your industry—whether it’s a new technology, a shift in consumer behavior, or evolving regulations—gives you the opportunity to position your business as part of the solution.
By tapping into what’s top of mind for experts and the media, you can align your story with topics that are already in demand, increasing the chances of your business being noticed and covered.
2. Identify reporters who “get” your business
Unless it’s a paid opportunity, reporters have the final say in how your story is told, so it’s important to be selective when reaching out. Focus on reporters who are experts in the niche topics relevant to your business. Look for those who consistently cover themes that align with your company’s focus.
Consider also tapping into your existing network—industry professionals often have connections with journalists, and many reporters have covered competitors or similar businesses. This insight can help you identify contacts who are already familiar with your industry.
Once you’ve pinpointed the reporters, engage with their work. Share thoughtful comments or reactions to their articles, and pay attention to their writing style, the types of stories they cover, and their overall tone. Building a relationship with these journalists is key. They’re much more likely to give your pitch the attention it deserves if they see you as a consistent, knowledgeable source.
3. Learn how to write a pitch
A pitch is a brief, persuasive message aimed at reporters to encourage them to cover your story. It’s an opportunity to highlight why your business is newsworthy. To grab the reporter’s attention, start with a clear, captivating subject line that gives a snapshot of your company’s story.
Next, keep your pitch concise and to the point. Briefly introduce who you are and what your business does, followed by why your story matters and how it will resonate with the reporter’s audience. Highlight any angles or insights that set your business apart from the rest.
If the reporter has previously written about a similar topic or your industry, reference it and explain how your story would add value or expand the discussion. This shows you’ve done your research and aren’t sending generic pitches.
Offering thought leadership or expert commentary can enhance your pitch, too. Reporters are always looking for credible sources who can provide informed perspectives on the fly, especially when covering hot-button topics or emerging industry issues. By positioning your spokespeople as thought leaders in your field, you not only add value to the story but also give journalists the opportunity to lean on their expertise for insights or quotes in their articles.
Last but not least: make it easy for the reporter to take action. Journalists are often working under tight deadlines, so streamlining the process for them can increase your chances of being featured. In addition to offering expert quotes, data points, or access to interviews, consider including press releases, fact sheets, or links to your website that provide further context on your business.
If you’re interested in learning how to write a press release, check out our writing guide with 30 press release examples.
This pitch begins by acknowledging the reporter’s attendance at the NRF Big Show, showing you’ve done your homework on both the reporter and their coverage. It introduces a company with checkout-free shopping technology, tapping into a key trend in retail innovation that’s likely to capture the reporter’s interest.
The pitch underscores the fact that major retailers already rely on the company’s AI, boosting credibility, and highlights a recent report that will be valuable to the reporter. Offering an informative interview opportunity also makes the pitch easy to act on.
4. Monitor (and maximize) your media mentions
Monitoring media mentions allows you to pinpoint which types of media—whether traditional outlets, blogs, podcasts, or influencer channels—are generating the most buzz for your brand. This information can inform future outreach strategies, allowing you to invest more in the channels that deliver the greatest return.
It’s also important to track both the quantity and the quality of media mentions. A high number of mentions might seem promising, but the value lies in whether they come from reputable sources within your industry. A nuanced feature in a niche industry outlet, for example, could carry more weight with your target audience than a passing mention in a mainstream publication.
Don’t just let those media mentions sit quietly in the background either—use them. Whether it’s showcasing positive press on your website, sharing it on social media, or incorporating quotes into your newsletters, every piece of media is an opportunity to reinforce your brand’s authority.
This also encourages ongoing relationships with reporters who may be watching how your business develops over time. Remember to always respond thoughtfully to your media mentions. The way you engage with reporters can open doors for future opportunities.
Not all media mentions will be positive, though, and negative coverage is something every business must handle. That’s why monitoring for negative mentions is just as important as tracking positive ones. Staying on top of negative press allows you to address issues quickly and strategically.
This could mean issuing a clear, professional response, providing more context, or reaching out to the reporter for a follow-up interview to clear up any confusion. Ignoring mentions can let misinformation fester, so it’s key to engage thoughtfully and transparently.
Turning headlines into business impact
Knowing how to get on the news and actually doing it in a meaningful way are two separate things. Simply securing coverage isn’t enough—how you approach it and the value you bring to the conversation is what truly counts.