A journalist's tips on how to earn media coverage

In my 8 years writing business news, the most common question I’ve fielded from founders is: “How do you choose what stories to cover?”

The unexciting but honest answer is: It depends.

Newsrooms examine many factors when vetting a possible story, including their audience, the timing, their resources, a source’s credibility, its potential success, and more. But while processes vary, there are ways to maximize your chances of earning press and a free avenue to thousands of eyeballs.

I’ll acknowledge here that not everyone is interested in garnering news. Many startups are successful without it. Some are successful in spite of it.

Regardless, I’ve seen firsthand how press coverage can elevate startups, create opportunities, and generate growth. I shared some of these observations in Techstars co-founder Brad Feld’s new book on entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Below is a list of tips and insights on how to earn press that I’ve accumulated over the years. Hope it's helpful!

Keep it simple

Journalists aren’t (typically) developers or founders. They’ll rarely have your technical expertise or depth of knowledge on your market. If they can’t understand what you or your company is building, they’re unlikely to write on it.

Keep your pitch simple. Focus on only the most important and interesting information. Offer concrete examples of what you’re doing. Provide tangible detail on your product’s impact. If your business is complex, try to find an analogy to help it make more sense.

Local, local, local

You may think your company is worthy of a New Yorker cover from the get-go, and maybe it is. But local news — you know, those archaic companies still printing or broadcasting for hyper-focused audiences — offers some benefits to early-stage companies.

Not only is local news coverage typically easier to earn, but it also serves as an important validator to larger media. When a journalist vets your pitch, she’ll almost certainly start with a Google search. If she finds local news coverage, she can learn about you from another source, which can lend credibility and improve your odds of coverage. Local coverage can also create opportunities in your own backyard, including sales, audience growth, and new relationships.

Defining “local” can be challenging for companies whose founders are digital nomads or whose teams are spread across the world. In those cases, consider pitching to local news in your hometown. Local news LOVES covering its hometown daughters and sons that have gone on to build interesting things.

Consider timing

If your product is particularly relevant during a season, consider pitching a story leading up to that window. For example, pitch your new dating app a week before Valentine’s Day or that body-building app before the New Year.

Also, consider what’s trending in the news. For example, misinformation was a particularly hot topic leading up to the U.S. presidential election. That provided a natural springboard for companies working to combat it. Conversely, if there’s a big event that’s consumed media attention, consider waiting on your pitch until things have cooled off.

Build relationships

This tip isn’t surprising but it is underleveraged. Try creating a relationship with a journalist — especially via video chat, a phone call, or over coffee — before you make an announcement. That’ll make you a familiar face when you’ve got something to share.

If your pitch failed to garner press, stay in touch with the journalist or editor. Offer yourself as a sounding board, thought expert, or a source for unrelated tech and business news stories. It’s common practice for journalists to have a list of “usual suspects," or experts in fields that they seek out for insights and alternative points of view.

Your own story

Founders themselves often create compelling stories. People connect with the human journey of how founders got where they are, their struggles, why they’re building something, etc.

Think about your personal journey and how that might be a human interest story. This approach works particularly well for local and regional publications, but profile stories on people are a part of nearly every news organization.

Control what you can

If you’re making an announcement or proactively seeking press, you can help control some aspects of how a story will appear. For example, you can provide new logos or quality photos instead of forcing a journalist to pull a thumbnail from your LinkedIn.

Founders can also request to talk on background or off the record to provide useful insight that might further compel news coverage. Make sure the journalist agrees to go off the record before you spill your guts.

News embargoes can also entice coverage and provide journalists with time to produce a story leading up to a launch or event. An embargo is a request or requirement by a source that their info not be published until a certain date or time. Make sure they agree to the embargo before sharing your information.

Play to competition

If you’re confident in your ability to generate press on something, you can leverage a competitive media market to your advantage.

For example, my former hometown of Kansas City loves news on entrepreneurs, and the media there compete to report the juiciest startup news. That competitive environment enables companies seeking news to identify what publication might best connect them to the audience they want.

Why? Because the journalist knows a competitor will pick it up if they don’t. That places FOMO pressure on newsrooms to report something. You can further entice your top targets by offering exclusive interviews or access that might generate more in-depth coverage.