Reporters aren’t interested in promoting your business. Their job is to share newsworthy stories. The first step to generate press is to determine if you have a newsworthy story to share.

Figure out what is unique about you and your offerings, the challenges you overcame, and how they shaped the business. If it’s authentic, your story will resonate first with the reporters you are trying to engage, and ultimately with their readers. Business owners should think about how they can help reporters, such as by keeping an eye out for breaking news that’s relevant to their industry. Watch for opportunities where you can offer your industry expertise. If you get quoted in a story, you can share it more broadly on social media to boost your brand visibility and credibility, even if the story isn’t necessarily focused on your business.

Journalists and reporters receive dozens of emails a week – and many aren’t even about topics they cover. You should research and find media outlets and journalists that cover your industry. Once you identify potential news outlets, send personalized emails to journalists. Reaching out to reporters or editors directly with meaningful updates is more likely to get their attention than issuing a press release. Keep a running list of reporters you’re interested in and who are consistently following your industry or local community. It wastes everyone’s time if you send emails and pitches to journalists who don’t cover your industry.

Three times a day, it will send out requests from reporters seeking sources for stories. You can also try to connect to journalists via social media such as LinkedIn. Or attend industry events where reporters are likely to be and network.

Be helpful and flexible-

Your original story or pitch won’t be a good fit for every media outlet. However, if you are flexible and offer other angles, a media outlet is more likely to provide coverage. You can also ask journalists if they need an expert source for an article they’re already working on. This way, you’ll seem helpful, not like you’re just looking for free marketing. Try your hand at writing your own press here you can write your own press and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

When to generate press-

You should try to generate as much press as possible. However, if you have nothing newsworthy to share, wait. Trying to create press all the time will hurt your reputation, and media outlets will ignore you when you have an actual story. The worst thing you can do is to get the reputation as a business or website that is attempting to produce mentions and press at all costs, regardless if there’s anything new to actually talk about.