3 Things to Consider Before Pitching National Media Outlets

Perhaps you have landed a profile about yourself or your company in a local publication such as a business journal or other local business-related entity, and perhaps your company has done well navigating the uncertainty of the current times. You’ve found your footing during the pandemic and innovated accordingly — not to just keep your head above water, but to thrive. After reading about other comparatively lackluster companies in the news outlets you follow, you believe your company deserves national media coverage.

But, before you pitch nationally, there are a few things you should consider on the back end, so your pitch is well-read, and you’re not left scrambling at the last minute to provide reporters with information that should be readily available. At Omni Public, we have helped clients such as the Tampa Bay Wave land their stories in coveted publications such as

Forbes, Cope Notes on CNN, HyperloopTT on Cheddar and Nickelytics on TechCrunch. We have also worked extensively with various publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, INC, and so on.

Here are foundational things you should have prepared before you send that pitch…

1. Press Kit

A good press kit is underrated. If you want your company represented accurately, make sure your fonts, logos and color scheme are easy to access. Check that your founder and executive team bios are up to date on the website. Do you have approved photos and video content that are easy to access on your website? Is your media liaison’s e-mail address easy to find for journalists to reach out for press inquiries? Journalists do not like having to go on wild goose chases to find information that you should already have on your website, so . don’t make their job harder when they are trying to cover you.

The things that should be included in your press kit are:

1. A place for your press releases to live on your website
2. Approved photos and videos
3. Pictures and bios of founders
4. Logos
5. Color schemes and fonts so that they are not misrepresented in the press
6. A contact person for press inquiries. It’s better if this is a specific person

rather than a generic information desk e-mail address

Here are a few examples of excellent press kits: Minimise Global and HyperloopTT

2.Talking Points

Even if you trust your team, go over messaging before you reach out to the media. Make sure that every person who will do an interview has talking points ready and is well versed in explaining new product rollouts and recent accomplishments. While each member should give a personalized perspective, there should be consistent framing on the company’s history, trajectory, and goals.

3.Data

Before making claims about your achievements, put data on your website to support them. Direct journalists to outlets where they can fact-check any claim made by your team. Journalists always fact-check, and will likely ask about supporting evidence, so make sure it is readily available. Source all data accurately, and if possible, have contacts available that the media can reach out to for confirmation.

Every company wants coverage, and in today’s media landscape, there are thousands of outlets and hundreds of thousands of journalists waiting to cover you. Working with the media is easier for some than for others, and it will help everyone involved if you have your ducks in a row and everyone is on the same page about messaging and expectations when working with journalists.

If your company needs guidance on any of these points, feel free to reach out to me at ch@omnipublic.global I’m always open to meeting new people and seeing how the Omni Public Team can be helpful.