By: MMM Editorial Team
The biggest mistake businesses and activists make when pitching national news is expecting an immediate response. While your issue is important to you, sometimes it can take a bit to get major reporters to understand why they should be speaking to you about this.
Instead of counting yourself out, keep pitching and while you wait for those responses be sure to target smaller outlets that can help you spread your message to your target audience, through industry podcasts, local news and op-eds.
We often have a wide net of targets when we pitch our clients because while a national news story is great for quick audience-building, we see real return and engagement from smaller outlets where the audience is more engaged. Here are some quick go-tos that don't rely on major outlets but can still get the word out:
Local news can be particularly great for increasing turnout to a local event or profiles for people in your community. Also ideal for movement building, especially if your movement depends on law changes, new politicians, etc.
An industry paper is perfect for finding more funders, growing your audience with people ready to move with you and discussing incredibly niche issues that would be too complex for the general audience.
A podcast is unique for complex issues or longform discussions where we need the client to have more than just 1-2 soundbites to explain a problem. This allows us to not only set up the problem and the solution, but dig into the context and even ask people to join us while clearly stating how.
As your audience grows, soon you'll be fielding requests from national reporters who are coming to you! But in the meantime, you don't have to sit around using just social media. And you may even find these opportunities are better for growing your audience, while some major news outlets just have reach, but less engagement! So make the most of every opportunity and it'll turn into a powerful portfolio that showcases you and makes your work accessible!
Looking for more PR and press tips to help you grow your business? Head to our incredible PR 101 section, with blog posts, videos and deals to help you grow your audience and perfect your image. Or book a meeting with us to see how we can help you!
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