Common Questions We Get Asked About Getting Featured in the Media
Question: What strategies do you use to help clients get their story, a new product, or a new service in front of these publications?
My Take: If you are a B2B business, then you can pitch trade publications in your industry—both with a press release and something you're launching or announcing.
A press release is appreciated by trade publications because they don't have large editorial teams. When you issue a press release over the wire, that makes the news available for media outlets everywhere. We also send the press release directly to journalists at different publications.
They'll still take the press release and run it as is in the publication because it's just easier for them. And that's a change, because for a long time, people were lukewarm on press releases, and now journalists are using them again.
Plus, trade publications will also run contributed content. The process for this is you typically submit an abstract before you write the entire article.
A lot of publications will list this information on their website. You can go to the top industry publications in the space that you're in and go through their editorial guidelines or their media kit and find the submission process. Sometimes they'll be very specific about wanting an abstract of a certain amount of words.
The challenge is it can take a really long time to hear anything. Sometimes you don't hear anything at all.
You can pitch the editors directly with an update about your business and pitch contributing content. Sometimes they have podcasts too that you can pitch.
For B2C, there are great platforms for reaching specific types of editors. GiftList Media curates a database of editors that put together gift guides year-round. There are gift guides for different occasions, for example, the traditional holiday season, Mother's Day, and graduation.
If you have a physical product, Press Hook is a great way to offer your product for journalists to review (if it's a non-perishable item that can be shipped across the country).
There’s no guarantee that they will write about you. This is for them to review.
💼📢 Key Takeaways for B2B & B2C PR Strategy
✉️ Press releases still matter. Especially in B2B—many trade publications appreciate them due to limited editorial staff.
🕰️ Contributed content is valuable, but takes time. But it usually requires submitting an abstract first. Always check editorial guidelines.
📬 Pitch editors directly. Share business updates, story ideas, or podcast guest suggestions if they have one.
🎁 Gift guides are key for B2C brands. Platforms like GiftList Media offer curated contact lists for holiday and year-round gifting.
📦 Use platforms like Press Hook to facilitate product reviews. It’s great for offering physical, non-perishable products (e.g., jewelry, clothing) you're willing to gift journalists.
🎯 Coverage is not guaranteed. Don’t rely on a single method—mix strategies for the best chances at visibility.
Question: Should you “pay-to-play” media to reach your target audience?
My Take: If it was a publication that squarely reaches your target audience, rather than paying for an award, article or a podcast interview, I’d look into relevant organizations you could become a paid member of.
That can lead to conferences they host where you might be able to speak on stage because you're a member or contribute articles.
Healthcare and clean energy are two industries what have associations with these benefits.
While obviously you have to pay for a booth at a conference, often you can pitch to be a speaker and not have to pay to attend. They will likely give preference to members to speak.
Another popular avenue out there that a lot of people sign up for is executive councils. Some have a pretty steep price tag, so you really have to commit to getting value out of it by submitting articles to the publication as part of our membership.
In summary, there are different ways to pay and get value versus something like an ad or a one-off award or podcast.
But it comes back to: Who are you trying to reach? What is your target customer? What do they read? What do they listen to? Where are they online? And what makes sense for you?
💼📢 Key Takeaways on Smarter Media Investments
📰 Target niche publications. Focus on outlets your audience reads, especially in specialized verticals.
🏛️ Invest in association memberships. These often come with built-in PR opportunities like speaking slots and article contributions.
🎤 Pitch to speak at conferences. Speaking opportunities are sometimes free—especially for members—so you don’t always need to pay for a booth.
💰 Executive Councils are valuable but pricey. To get ROI, you'll need to publish articles consistently.
🎯 Align with your target customer. Make sure your media investments match where your audience is and how they engage.
Question: How much should you focus on local media in your PR strategy?
My Take: Local media is really powerful, and it’s also in a tough spot right now—they’re facing a lot of financial challenges and restructuring.
Among PR professionals, there’s a lot of conversation around how local media can sometimes convert into business at a higher rate, even more so than national coverage.
That being said, everyone should test out different types of media to see what works best. It’s all about trial and error to find the right mix.
Of all the companies I’ve either worked at or worked with, it’s always a different story. What shows up in Google Analytics in terms of traffic or rankings—both for search and now with LLMs—varies. So again, trial and error.
But we pitch local media for many of the brands we work with; especially if they’re headquartered there or they see SEO value in that kind of coverage.
🗞️ Key Takeaways on the Value of Local Media
📍 Local media still converts. Despite industry cuts, coverage in a local media outlet can outperform national coverage in driving engagement and action.
📊 What moves the needle is unique to each brand or company. What shows up in Google Analytics in terms of traffic or rankings—both for search and now with LLMs—varies.
