In the early seventies, Doctor Hook and the Medicine Show had a hit song about a musician’s ambition to see his “smiling face on the cover of the Rolling Stone.” Solopreneurs and owners of small companies also crave national recognition, but get their thrills (not to mention increased credibility) from mentions in major business media.
Two North Shore businesses were featured recently in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal– how’d they do it?
Nancy Black, owner of Organization Plus in Beverly, MA (www.organizationplus.com) said the NYT reporter found her website and liked it. The result? Nancy was quoted in a feature article about organizing a home office. (See the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/garden/26office.html?_r=1)
Ruth Sheets, owner of Ducks in a Row Consulting in Newburyport, MA (www.ducksinarowconsulting.com) said her company’s name came up in the WSJ reporter’s Internet search. The result? Ruth was quoted in Kelly Spors’ July 13, 2009 advice column for small businesses. (See the article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204119704574237921738340590.html)
For both these businesses, having an effective online presence led to exposure to a national audience. And by “effective,” I don’t necessarily mean flashy with lots of bells and whistles. What’s most important is having a solid, professional website filled with content that clearly conveys what your business does and includes keywords the members of the media might search on when they’re looking for experts like you.
So that’s one way to “pull” the media to you — here’s a bonus tip for getting the word out about your notable and quotable expertise. If you’d like the chance to serve as an expert source for the media, sign up at Help A Reporter Out. This service was started by marketer and PR strategist Peter Shankman, operating with the motto “Everyone’s an Expert at Something.” If you sign up at www.helpareporter.com, you’ll get up to three emails a day that aggregate 15 to 30 queries from reporters (print, broadcast, and online) who need expert sources to interview.
The service is free and simple, with the main rule being this: Reply to a query only if you truly have the expertise the reporter is looking for (or if you are a PR person and one of your clients has that expertise).
If this sounds great, but you’re a business owner too pressed for time to scan these emails, I’m developing a service where I’ll scan these opportunities for clients, and with the “pitch” response as needed. If you’re interested or have questions, contact me at kate@bluepencilconsulting.com.
And, by the way, when you DO get that mention in the national media, like the song said, don’t forget to “buy five copies for your mother.”