Getting the local newspaper to do an article

Most companies are interested in communicating with their customers in one form or another. This is an area where you can ask about new ways of marketing to your customers as well as share your experiences of advertising to your customers. Remember to include what type of business you work at in your postings.

Moderator: Amy-StrandVision

Post Reply
mjstrand
Site Admin
Posts: 290
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 8:56 pm
Location: Menomonie, WI, United States
Contact:

Getting the local newspaper to do an article

Post by mjstrand »

Harry Strand wrote:By the way, I saw the article in the newspaper about this. Congrats on that! So how do you get the paper to print an article about you? I suppose it helps that you're a familiar face to them and their readers.
Well, getting an article in the paper when you first introduce a product is actually not as hard as you would think. Yes, being a familiar face does help (they contacted me about an unrelated story and thought some good news would be nice to have in the paper too). It is fairly easy to get coverage because they are always looking for something to print that is new and interesting to their readers. New products are fresh material which they love to have access to. Probably the best way to get published is to create your own article (press release) that is unbiased, no direct advertising, and offers quotes from related parties (be sure to include the contact information for those you are quoting). The last paragraph is used to do a little bit of advertising by describing what your company does, how long it has been in business, etc. It is often a good idea to write the "article" using the style that the editor usually uses. The goal of writing the press release is to get them to publish the article with minimal time on their part, and minimal editing to convey the message that you want sent to the public.

If you dont have the necessary writing ability, you can call the editor (and send an email if you have their email address) to schedule a time to talk about your new product. Tell them why their readers would be interested in your product. If you have an appropriate photo, mention that in your interview. Many new product articles will not have a photo if you dont provide one. I got lucky and they sent a photographer out for the photo shoot.

If you think you are ready for that Harry, I can help you out with a photo and the press release. thanks again for reviewing the site Harry!
Mike is president of StrandVision Digital Signage and also does business marketing consulting through MikeStrand.com.
Post Reply