marketing Is It newsworthy? your business can make news with these strategies. By BeTh laBreChe eVeRY BUSineSS hAS Something newsworthy to offer. Recognizing your news opportunities and understanding how to communicate them, and to whom, should be a strategic part of your business. In 24/7 news cycle when social communities are constantly in dialogue, the content you provide can be valuable to your target audiences and help you build awareness and credibility within your industry and markets. neWs releases optimize your headlines with keywords used by people when they search, embed relevant links. Be prepared with data points and case studies to help the reporter see the depth of your idea and how you can support it with newsworthy content. Follow up with a phone call to gauge interest and further discuss the story. Walk through the possibilities of how it could be told in print, online, through video and audio, and why it would elicit a response from the audience. Sparking engaged discussions is a growing objective of the media. experT CoMMenTary News releases, long considered the staple of media relations, have decreased in importance in recent years as more companies communicate directly with audiences via social media, such as company blogs. And reporters continue to be skeptical of widely distributed releases, as they want to be the ones breaking the news. Yet releases still have value, especially if written in ways that optimize their those interested in your topics can find resources like you online. Optimize your headlines with keywords used by people when they search, and embed relevant links to more information so your release leads people to your business. News releases demonstrate growth and evolution at your of which are important for potential prospects and employees. Write releases about recent hires, customer wins, new products or services and company moves. Positive, transactional announcements are most appropriate as subject matter. Send your release to the most appropriate and important reporter in your industry, giving him/her first chance to write the story. Then send it to other relevant media contacts. Distribute the release on a paid newswire if the news is important to a large number of people, and send it out through free distribution services now available online. Post the release on a news section of your website and, if you are active in social media, make sure to tweet a link to the release to your followers on Twitter and post it on your company Facebook page. If you're closely following a trend or a major news item affecting your industry and feel you have a unique point of view, feel free to offer yourself as a source to the media covering the topic. If you feel passionate about an issue and have enough points to offer a fresh perspective, draft a letter to the editor or post comments to a story that appears online. Please take care your comments alienate customers or employees. piTChinG sTory iDeas When your story idea doesn't logically fit into a news release format, consider formulating a story pitch. Be familiar with the reporters you approach by thoroughly researching them and familiarizing yourself with what written on your topic or industry. Give a logical reason why they should consider your story idea, in a well-written, compelling email. Or if you follow the reporter on Twitter, send a direct message. minnesota BUsiness September 2011 ConTenT News no longer comes only from professional media. Now news is shared in the form of content created by a source and shared by others who find the information valuable. Every business, even the smallest, has valuable information it can develop into content. Content can be written, videotaped or shared in innovative ways, like the newly popular infographic. When you produce content, your business becomes its own publisher. Your content can be shared on a company blog or YouTube, and then tweeted about and linked from your Facebook page. It can also be sent to online publishers and traditional media, so they can follow your thinking, which helps establish you as an industry thought-leader Generating news for your business may seem daunting at first. It requires organization, commitment, self-editing, listening to those important to your business, quality writing and keen time management. Luckily, most entrepreneurs and business owners are already skilled in these areas. Now that you understand the ways to prepare, package and disseminate information, you can start spreading the your Beth LaBreche (blabreche@labreche.com) is CEO of LaBreche. She specializes in such reputation management services as brand strategy, online presence, visual communications and public relations, including issues management, crisis communications and media relations.