Mixed Emotions On Press Coverage

Getting press is usually a sign of progress. Journalists and news broadcasters are taking notice of your business and making an effort to build your brand. This is not always the case though. There are many instances when getting press actually detracts from your growth. Listed below are some examples of times when reaching out to the press isn’t the best marketing strategy.

Getting Press Is Time Consuming

If a journalist reaches out to you for an interview, that’s great. If you are actively trying to get press for your business though, you have to consider how much time you are sacrificing for this type of marketing. You may have to contact dozens of journalists before you get one that wants to speak with you, and then you have to take time to actually complete the interview. Think about the last phone consultation you had with a client – the one you allotted an hour for and it ended up taking three hours instead. This is what will happen in a press interview, and it could cost you valuable time with your business.

You Have To Make Sacrifices To Get Noticed

Members of the press don’t just write stories about local businesses because they can. They do so because there is a newsworthy event happening that you are a part of. This may be a charitable donation, a special promotion, an innovative business strategy, or something else along those lines. In most cases, you have to make some sort of sacrifice to do something truly worth writing about. You may already be making this sacrifice as part of your business strategies, but if not, you have to determine if this one is worth the loss.

The Wrong Type Of Press Can Sink Your Reputation

Want to get a bad reputation fast? Have your business featured in a negative news story. There are several types of “bad press” out there, and some of them are hard to avoid. For example, you may have an interview for what seems like a positive news piece, but the journalist finds a way to put a negative spin on it. It’s much harder to reverse a bad reputation than it is to build a good one.

Be leery of the places you allow your stories to be published to. Consider the audience who reads those news pieces and if they’re people you actively want to reach out to. If the press doesn’t match your business goals and ideals, don’t be a part of it.

Can You Handle A Large Boost In Demand?

Another common mistake business owners make with press marketing is they reach out before they are truly ready. If you can barely handle the work load you have now, don’t try to generate more work for yourself. Get to a point where you are efficient enough with your productivity to take on new leads coming from your press.

What happens if you reach out too soon? You make a bad impression on your first group of customers. The people that were supposed to drive your business to success will spread the word that you’re inefficient, unproductive, unresponsive, or a number of other negative attributes. These rumors may not be true, but that won’t matter. People will avoid your business if you get enough negative press early on.

Make The Right Moves And The Press Will Come To You

At the beginning of this discussion, we talked about the amount of time it takes to reach out to journalists. Most of them won’t even respond to your messages, and those that do still may not want to work with you. Rather than chasing after press, let the press chase after you. Do something noteworthy in your community that makes the press take notice. Run a drive for homeless pets. Provide free services for a battered women’s shelter. Start a new scholarship fund for a local college or organization.

How you choose to get the press’s attention is entirely up to you. Make sure you do it at the right time and under the right circumstances, and you can see tremendous growth from the extra marketing.