How To Get Media Coverage For Your Startup: A Complete Guide

For example this paragraph ("paragraph one"):

"We have some big news for you. With the new release of Twitter.com, we have just released a way to post retweets via Buffer right from Twitter.com at a better time. It works seamlessly via installing our browser extension. You will have now, next to "reply" "retweet" and "favorite" a new option to "Buffer"."

Well that paragraph makes the assumption that the writer already knows what buffer is (and I will assume the website address (bufferapp.com is located in the email header).

While the writer (if interested) will certainly visit the site, a short description of what buffer is is essential.

My experience with doing this over the years (with mention in the WSJ, NYT, (multiple times) as well as online media (and blogs) has yielded the following formula:

1) Send occasional emails to writers before you need them.

2) In those emails compliment the story and add your perspective.

3) Invite the writer to contact you if they are doing stories on (something you know about) that is, to consider you a resource. By doing #1 your name will be in front of them and they might remember you and contact you.

4) Do this over the course of time. Then when you want to pitch the company they will pay attention to your email and message (which of course still needs to be well written) because they are familiar with you.

That is what has worked for me.

At least for local papers (and probably TV too), if you're not local, don't bother with emailing them. They'll pretty much disregard your email altogether (You probably WOULDNT be surprised by how many emails we get in a day begging for coverage for this or that. But it is a lot. Probably a few dozen for a midsized paper).

Find some way the product is really cool. And I'm talking, COOL. You might get a business reporter to give you a brief mention or a two paragraph something or another, but if you want a full shebang write up, you have to paint a picture as to WHY your product is the bomb. And don't give us your pre-written media shpeal. That might get you an article, but being organic is going to be a much better bet. Personally, I like to HEAR the enthusiasm for your product come through in your email. People who are extremely passionate about their product usually make for good stories regardless of the product. The folks at mashable write on tech for a living. So if you have a novel idea there, they're probably going to write about it. They may not be excited about writing the story, but they'll still do it; it's their job (kind of like whether the education reporter LIKES any given story they're writing about, they still have to do it because it's their job).

I guess if i could sum it up, I'd say talk to a reporter in an email or a phone call like you would tell your best bud about this awesome new thing you've got going on. In short, why are our READERS going to give a crap about your product? Keep in mind, we write stories. So we like to hear interesting stories. Maybe how you and yoru cofounders found each other or how you came up with the idea (a big maybe). yes you're trying to sell us on covering your product, but don't approach it that way.

(And as a PS, if you have journalist friends, DON'T beg us to write about your product whenever you see us. Just forget we're reporters. If you have something going on that we know about and think our readers might be interested in, We'll ask you about it) ;)

Maybe that will help some of yall out a little :)

If you're not local then you need to find a user of your service that is local and base the story around them as the reason to write about it.

Say before twitter was famous the story would be "After the fire in her hotel room, Megan stayed in touch with her family in Topeka by a new service called "twitter" which allowed her to..."

You'll note that on traditional media when someone appears on a national TV show from the home town they almost always do a feature in the local paper.

That's the angle that I have taken which has worked in the past.