How To Score In B2B Media Relations

Any B2B firm worth its salt wants to be mentioned in the press. The legitimacy and awareness of a brand are enhanced when it is exposed in this way. When done regularly and over time, it creates leads. The question then becomes how to get your firm noticed via B2B media. Here are some tips to help you succeed in business-to-business media relations. So let's get this party started.

Target Reporters

Building contacts with reporters in your target business is the first step to getting quoted in the media. Asking your coworkers and clients what they're reading is a smart place to start. Next, select a few reporters who contribute to those publications' content. Read their posts on a regular basis to become acquainted with their work.

Build Relationships

Once you've identified a few reporters to follow, start cultivating connections with them. Although this may appear to be a daunting undertaking, the internet has made it much easier. Begin by following them on Twitter, retweeting their stuff, and leaving comments on it. This will help you become more visible to them and raise your level of awareness with them.

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Cement The Relationship

Take your online relationship with the target reporters to the next level by meeting face-to-face after you've created an online relationship with them through Twitter, Linkedin, and blogging. One approach to accomplish this is to organize briefings around a topic about which you are informed and which the reporter is interested.

Make an attempt to connect this to a new endeavor your firm is launching. Another strategy is to go to industry events, conferences, and trade exhibits and look for journalists. Obtain a media list from the conference organizer and set up briefings with reporters who will be attending.

Offer Help

Continue to promote your tiny network of reporters by tweeting their articles and writing on their blogs after the relationship has been established. When a relevant news article breaks, contact the reporter and provide a few brief lines or bullet points that can easily be repackaged into a media quotation. Make sure your material is both smart and unique. Give the reporter your phone number, email address, and Twitter handle in case he or she needs to reach you for more information.

Keep Giving

Continue to assist and support the target reporters to deepen the connection. Send them story ideas and leads to help them achieve their objectives. This will get easier as you become more familiar with their work and the kind of content they generally provide. This actual assistance and support will help you go from the periphery to the center, as well as increase your media exposure.

Read Their Work

This is a strategy we hear a lot, and it should be standard practice for today's PR and media relations professionals. Reading a journalist's whole piece (not just the title or headline) may reveal a lot about how they tell stories. Because each journalist has their own style, you may learn about what's included in an article, such as quotations, photographs or videos, linkages to a company's website, and even how they place people and corporations.

As a general guideline, I recommend reading at least 3-5 pieces for each journalist you wish to connect with. While this may seem like a waste of time to some and a common procedure to others, it helps you get into the mentality of a journalist and clarifies some of the concerns raised above. As a bonus exercise, develop a framework that you can use for storytelling and start ticking off boxes for any variable you wish to track as a bonus.

Leverage Twitter

You're behind the curve if you're not actively connecting with journalists on Twitter in some form, whether it's liking their Tweets, commenting on their articles, or sending them GIFs of your favorite TV show.

They know that journalists love Twitter, but not literally. It's one of the best places to start a conversation, let alone build an even stronger connection with them.

Starting with Twitter lists, which are effectively bespoke feeds of individual users, is a simple way to get started. You don't have to follow them to get started, either. Anyone who is added to a Twitter list receives a notice and sees the list's title.They share their content on Twitter as a bonus! This benefits both you and the journalist.

Invite Them To Coffee Or A Virtual Hangout

We kept this for last since the epidemic has had a significant impact on PR professionals' capacity to engage with journalists via non-digital means. If you have a great list of clients to share, a question or two to ask, or even some spare time to commit to relationship development, this may be a good alternative to explore.

Make your request acceptable, flexible, and valuable to the journalist so that the only answer they can give is "yes!"

Why Do We Need To Build And Maintain Good Relationships With The Media?

Not only can media relations help your company expand, but it also adds authenticity and credibility to your brand. Gaining the trust of your target audience is critical whether you are a start-up or a firm celebrating its 50th anniversary. Consumers are loyal to companies and goods in which they have faith.

What Is Your Approach To Building Relationships?

Effective workplace relationships require trust, cooperation, communication, and respect. To make your employment more pleasurable and effective, cultivate positive relationships with the people you contact at work. It takes time for strong working connections to develop, so be consistent and dependable.

Conclusion

So, you've put together an intriguing tale with a unique slant, and you've got a customer who can't wait to hear about it. Congratulations, as do many other public relations professionals in your field. How can you get your story in front of the media and, eventually, the general public?

The first step in developing a connection with others is to be aware of and appreciative of their time. Don't just focus on the publications and reporters you want to reach out to. Take the time to find media outlets and reporters with whom you can build relationships. When it comes to building connections with reporters, there are few things more frustrating than mass-pitching a story to someone or an outlet that has nothing to do with the issue you want to discuss.

Make sure to follow up with an email or phone call at least once or twice after you've pitched your idea. When you make contact with a reporter who is interested in your pitch, make his or her job easy by sticking to the deadlines you've been set. Maintain your credibility by considering their time and work; it may even result in a better tale.

About The Authors

Keith Peterson - I'm an expert IT marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in various Digital Marketing channels such as SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), SMO (social media optimization), ORM (online reputation management), PPC (Google Adwords, Bing Adwords), Lead Generation, Adwords campaign management, Blogging (Corporate and Personal), and so on. Web development and design are unquestionably another of my passions. In fast-paced, high-pressure environments, I excel as an SEO Executive, SEO Analyst, SR SEO Analyst, team leader, and digital marketing strategist, efficiently managing multiple projects, prioritizing and meeting tight deadlines, analyzing and solving problems.