5 Tips to Ensure Your Business Growth Makes the News

Business growth offers a tremendous opportunity for earned media in your local news market. When local businesses, manufacturers, nonprofits, or hospitals expand their workforces, local economies benefit and communities improve. These stories are inherently newsworthy.

Your business growth can earn coverage on local television news, in your local newspaper, and in local business magazines if you follow a few simple rules. Here are 5 tips to ensure your business growth makes the news in 2019.

Build Relationships with Local Reporters

Building relationships with local reporters takes time, but it’s worth it. When local press contacts know your company or organization, they are more likely to turn to you when they need quotes or insider knowledge. Trust-based relationships are also crucial for earning media attention from local or national reporters, or from outlets in your industry niche.

To foster relationships, research reporters from your local news stations and newspapers. From our experience, your best bet is to identify journalists who have a history of writing stories about similar businesses, or about topics related to your industry. Additionally, you can build interest in your business growth by offering an exclusive story to one of the reporters. You can double down by offering a walk-through of your facility before or after the official announcement.

Have a Clear Goal and Call to Action in Mind

As your business grows, are you worried about receiving enough job applications to fill new roles? Or, maybe you want to be sure customers are aware of your newly expanded product offerings. No matter what your goal is for the press conference, it’s vital to have a clear call-to-action. Consider what information you would like a reporter to focus on, and be sure to make that information crystal clear in your press release and during your press conference or interview.

Write a Business-Growth Press Release

Writing an eye-catching and informational press release is critical to maximizing the chance your business growth or expansion is reported on by local news or industry publications. Begin with a catchy headline that stands out. Inside the press release, avoid flashy unnecessary language. Get right to the point. Make sure your reporter knows the who, what, when, where, and why in the first paragraph.

To sweeten the pot, include ready-to-use quotes from an influential spokesperson. You could also offer an exclusive interview with the CEO or another executive. Most importantly, before you issue the press release, make sure to ask “who cares?” and “why should they care?” If your press release doesn’t clearly answer those questions, you might want to reevaluate your messaging or consider hiring a professional PR team for helpful insights.

Plan an Event, Celebration, or Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Reporters rely on interesting visuals when presenting stories on television or in the newspaper. They may even decide against covering your business growth if they don’t believe the background visuals or b-roll will be interesting. We’ve found one reliable way to convince reporters to cover your business growth is to ensure their cameras have something engaging to film. Always provide opportunities for visual storytelling.

Hosting an event like a ribbon-cutting ceremony or ceremonial groundbreaking for a construction project can provide excellent visuals for news stories in print or on local television. Never let your press conference be visually boring. When appropriate, spice it up with giant inflatables, food trucks, or at least a large branded backdrop. Invite all your employees so the abundance of people makes for a fun and exciting background.

If your business enforces high-level security, involves dangerous tools or environments, or is in a HIPPA compliant industry, be sure to seek out experienced professionals who know your industry to help plan your business growth PR event.

Take Your Own Professional Photos and B-Roll

We all love snapping pictures at fun events. During your event, be sure to capture your own professional photos and b-roll video. Even if no reporters show up, they may still write a story if you provide access to company leaders, an informative press release with valuable information, and high-quality photos or videos to supplement the story. Professional photos and video can also be repurposed for social media content. This allows your company to shine online while informing your followers of impending business growth.

Plan Well and Win Coverage

There are many things you can do to earn local media coverage for your business growth. And no one knows your business better than you and the people you work with every day. However, there is no replacement for hiring an experienced public relations team to handle these responsibilities and more.

To start a conversation now, send me an email at MBakle@wetellyourstory.com