You’ve got a brilliant plan or product, you moved to a nicer office, your team landed a great new client. That’s fantastic! You are convinced that the world is interested and you want to go tell it from the mountains.

Tip 1. Reconsider. Of course you are excited! It’s a big step for your organisation. But ask yourself this: would you be as excited if this news was about another organisation? Think about your audience – who would be interested in your story? On second thought – maybe not call CNN about that brilliant product, but what about that utilities magazine and that blogger who’s always writing about that topic?

Tip 2. Research. Choose your audience wisely. Put your self in their shoes: what does this medium publish about, which journalist covers similar topics, which media are most likely to spread the word? Remember: a journalist, blogger, instagrammer: they will write or post not for you, not for themselves but for their audience.

Tip 3. Message. Do a write-up on the most important features. Include an intro why this product or plan, or you moving to a nicer office, is relevant for their audience. Include good visuals that support your message and that meet the publishing requirements of the media you want to send it to.

Tip 4. Get in touch. This is always the tricky part. How does this journalist or that blogger prefer to receive your information? A press release? A DM via twitter? A phone call? A link to your newsroom? And what –if any- is the best time to call? A pr-agency that works with the media all the time can advice you on the do’s and don’ts and the best way to get your message across.

Tip 5. Follow up. Now, this is a topic of hefty debate. Most media have a “don’t call us, we call you” policy. And if your job would be to sift through a thousand emails a day, you would probably say that too. On the other hand – enough journalists like it when you call them to ask if a topic would be of interest for them. And no true journalist would want to miss out on a scoop or interesting news fact. So you have to decide: are you doing this journalist a favour to follow-up? If the answer is yes: give it a go, a phone call or DM or gentle reminder via mail.

Tip 6. Be at their service. All right! Your message is picked up – journalists are even calling. But bummer, your phone is off or in silent mode, you don’t have voicemail and your not checking your mail. This is a big mistake. When asking people to publish, make sure you are available to take their calls and to follow up on their questions and requests. If you don’t – you’ve wasted your time, you’ve wasted their time and you’ve missed out.

Tip 7. Ask for help. We would say that would we, being a pr-agency, but that’s what we are here for. If you don’t know how, or don’t have the time or resources to make an effort– give us a call. We are happy to help! web | mail | call