Media: 10 tips to increase coverage in industry articles

“Why weren’t we mentioned in that article?”

published 2005

You have just arrived at work; you’re having a coffee and reading the paper when you notice a prominent article on your industry. It is discussing the latest hot topic and as you read down you see quotes from several of your competitors, however there is no mention of your organisation. Again!

Organisations that are regularly included in industry articles are often perceived by existing and potential customers, partners, employees and competitors to be market or thought leaders. After all, if the media are seeking them out for comment they must be industry experts or trend setters!

However, for organisations that are not included it can mean that they are perceived as not particularly innovative, active, or important in the industry.  This can be extremely frustrating when some of those quoted are known to be less substantial and virtual ‘newcomers’ to the industry.

So, how do journalists choose which organisations to get quotes from or mention in their articles? And how do organisations put themselves in a position to become quoted more often?

The ‘magic three’ rule often applies to industry articles: journalists typically quote three vendors in the industry on whatever issue they are writing about. The ‘three’ are often the three biggest organisations in the industry; however that’s not always the case.  However, regardless of why they are quoted, often these three vendors become established as the voices of the industry, which has a self-perpetuating effect - other journalists also look to those organisations for comment.

This poses a problem for the organisations not in this ‘three’ due to either smaller size or lack of existing media relationships; it can become very hard for others to break in and get a share of the discussion.

In order to ‘break in’, you need to find a good reason for the journalist to include you… a way of providing value to the journalist and creating a point of difference compared to the other organisations the journalist usually chooses to include. Taking on such a challenge won’t bring success overnight, as building relationships and changing perceptions takes time.

Combined with an ongoing proactive media outreach program, the below ten tips will help you increase your likelihood of inclusion in industry articles.

1. Come up with new perspectives on topical industry issues. If you can offer the journalist a different perspective that will add interest and value to their article (that isn’t being offered by your competitors), your likelihood of inclusion will greatly increase.

2. Take a controversial stance (where appropriate). Disagreeing with the industry incumbents and taking a controversial stance will put you in good stead for inclusion in an industry article, because journalists love conflict!  Just be sure that the contentious position you take is consistent with your brand positioning and message strategies.

3. Give ‘quotable quotes’. Put effort into your key messages; develop different ways of describing or referring to the issues of the discussion so that your spokesperson will give interesting, memorable and quotable quotes.  Work hard on ‘sound-bites’, those short succinct and memorable phrases that can almost become buzz-phrases.

4. Be available. Return media calls quickly and have a spokesperson that is available for comment - especially at short notice. (Many CEOs and MDs travel a lot - so have at least a second authorised spokesperson as backup for opportunities that require comment within the hour or the day.)

5. Have approved messaging ready to go. Research industry issues - those currently being covered in the media and those that may be simmering just under the surface - then develop messaging and get approval so that you will be able to respond quickly to media opportunities and requests.

6. Position spokesperson as an information resource. So that media have a clear idea of who your spokesperson is, and the topics that they are qualified/capable of talking on, distribute a bio of your spokesperson and a list of key topics that they can talk on to your target media.

7. Ensure spokespeople are media trained. By making sure that your spokespeople are media trained (or have had a recent refresher), you will ensure that they are used to the interview process, easy for journalists to work with, and will achieve the best results for your organisation.

8. Educate media on where your organisation fits in to the industry. Unless media have a good understanding of how your organisation fits into the industry they will be unlikely to include you in an industry article. Set up one-on-one briefings to introduce the spokesperson to key media and educate them about your organisation. Use this time to give the journalist good reasons as to why your organisation is important in the industry and highlight the key differentiators from competitors.

9. Respond to articles in the media. If you read an article that you would have liked to be included in and feel that you can offer a unique perspective or opinion that was not covered, respond to the journalist who wrote the article in case they may like to do a follow-up piece. Keep in mind that while this approach may not generate any immediate coverage, it will start a dialogue with the journalist.

10. Pitch industry article ideas. Another way of gaining inclusion in industry articles is to proactively pitch industry article ideas to journalists. This way, you position your spokesperson and your organisation at the centre of the article.

In conclusion, if you want your organisation to be perceived as a leader in your ‘space’ then you have to work at it.  More often it’s not who you are and where you have come from - it’s about being smart enough to realise what the media wants and being prepared to feed their appetite.