Black Belt Web Marketing.pdf - Costa del Sol

Regional Media: Oftentimes local newspapers and magazines eagerly seek news with a local
angle. Some of your initial successes in getting media publicity will come from local
media.
Trade Press: Special interest trade journals, e-zines, newsletters, etc. that reach your targeted
audiences should be a top priority.
General Media: these are generally the ones with the largest circulation but the most difficult to
act on your news release. Your event has to be truly significant or interesting for it to
interest editors. The payoff though if you are successful is worth it.
Industry Analysts: Establishing a one-to-one relationship with industry analysts is especially
critical. It’s important to get them well acquainted with the features, technology, and
specifications of your site or product.
Associations: Generally associations have a newsletter or other publication. It generally reaches a
narrowly defined audience. News releases should be specifically aimed at this market. This
could be an important category of contacts in your media list.
Recommended Method of Contacting the Media
The short, e-mail news release is most likely to sit well with media contacts. Follow these
guidelines in your approach to the media:
Short e-mail releases: The e-mail news release you send to the media should be a short and
concise description of your web event. The reason for the shortness is the nature of e-mail
and the safe assumption that the recipient is busy, working on deadline and inundated with
press releases. Provide just enough information to pique the recipient’s interest and
encourage a request for more information, such as a full press release, or visit to your web
site.
Use the Two-Step Approach: Don’t try to convince the media to give you coverage on first
contact. Instead, your objective should be to entice them to visit your site for more
information or to request a full press release. It’s too difficult to fully present your case for
coverage in a short e-mail, which is generally the only kind that gets read.
Target Your Media: It’s especially important if you plan to regularly contact the media to exercise
care in targeting which ones to approach. Mail only to media which is likely to have a
strong interest. Modify your release if necessary to increase the chances of hitting your
target. If you send an inappropriate release to a medium contact, the damage done may
prevent an appropriate one at a future date from being considered. Get off on the right
Lesson 9 Pg. 25