Stop Pitching Your Product
Pitching your product to the media isn’t working, and it’s time to face the truth. Journalists are interested in something other than your latest feature or upgrade, no matter how groundbreaking you think it is. Follow this approach to get reporters clamoring to cover your company.
Step 1: Craft a story journalists can’t resist without getting lost in the details.
The biggest mistake B2B companies make when pitching the media is focusing too much on their product or service. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of your latest innovation and want to shout it from the rooftops. But the harsh reality is that journalists don’t care about the nitty-gritty details of what you’re selling.
You must zoom out and tell a bigger story to capture reporters’ attention. Think about the broader trends, challenges, and opportunities in your industry. How does your company fit into that larger narrative? What unique insights or data can you share that would be valuable to the media’s audience?
For example, you’re a B2B software company that launched a new AI-powered sales tool. Instead of pitching a product announcement, you could frame your story around the rising adoption of AI in sales and how it’s transforming how companies engage with customers. You could offer proprietary data on the impact of AI on sales performance or share case studies of clients who have seen success with your tool.
By positioning your company as a thought leader and expert source on a timely, relevant topic, you’ll be much more likely to catch journalists’ interest. They’re looking for fresh angles and compelling stories, not just another product pitch.
Step 2: Build relationships with journalists without being a pest.
Once you’ve crafted a strong story angle, the next step is to get it in front of the right reporters. But blasting out a generic press release or cold-pitching journalists you’ve never interacted with before is unlikely to yield results.
Instead, focus on building genuine relationships with the reporters who cover your industry. Follow them on social media, comment on their articles, and seek opportunities to offer value or assistance. When you reach out with a pitch, personalize it and show that you’ve done your homework on their beat and interests.
One effective tactic is to create a “media-friendly” page on your website that includes resources journalists might find helpful, such as industry reports, data visualizations, or expert commentary. You can then reference this page in your outreach and make it easy for reporters to find the necessary information.
Remember, the goal is to become a trusted source and partner for journalists, not just another company clamoring for coverage. Investing in long-term relationships and always striving to add value will increase your chances of earning media mentions and building a solid reputation with the press.
Step 3: Measure the impact of your media coverage without obsessing over vanity metrics.
Finally, it’s essential to have a clear plan for measuring the success of your media outreach efforts. Many B2B companies make the mistake of getting caught up in vanity metrics like the number of articles published or the prestige of their featured outlets.
While these metrics can be helpful to track, they only tell part of the story. Instead, focus on how your media coverage is impacting your business goals. Are you seeing an increase in website traffic or leads from the articles? Are prospects or customers mentioning that they saw you in the news? Are you being invited to speak at industry events or participate in expert roundtables due to your heightened profile?
One way to gauge the true impact of your media mentions is to set up Google Alerts or use a media monitoring tool to track the initial article and any subsequent shares, comments, or discussions around it. Look for signs that your thought leadership resonates with your target audience and sparks meaningful conversations.
By tying your media coverage back to tangible business outcomes, you can demonstrate the value of your PR efforts and make a strong case for continued investment in this area.
In conclusion, by shifting your focus from pitching products to telling compelling stories, building genuine relationships with journalists, and measuring the true impact of your media coverage, you can finally start securing the press attention your B2B company deserves. By implementing these strategies, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a go-to source for reporters and a thought leader in your industry.
Click here to download our free PR Strategy Template.
