By Jenna Weinerman

Published Dec 30, 2015

Updated Dec 23, 2023

A little positive buzz in the media is an incredible way to elevate your brand recognition and earn new clients. The one small problem? Getting your company covered by the media is easier said than done!

While there’s no magic wand to miraculously land your company on the front page (at least – not that we know of!), a bit of elbow grease (and persistence!) should get you relatively far. Here are our top five tips for getting your company covered by the media:

1) Create a targeted media list

To start, target low-hanging fruit, and create a list of easy targets – local newspapers, blogs, or media contacts that you already know. Before you reach out – get your name out there! How? After you’ve compiled a list of relevant media contacts, like, comment, or share their articles with your social network.

When you reach out, come with a story in mind. Maybe you’d like the town paper to cover that your company killed it last year with record-breaking home sales, or maybe you want them to cover your most recent client appreciation strategy. Either way, make sure that you’re reaching out to the media contact whose beat matches your pitch.

2) Conduct a client survey about your town

Reporters love writing about survey findings. Conduct a client survey, and share your results with local media outlets.

Short, lifestyle-related surveys about your town tend to work best for this. For example, poll clients about their safety concerns around town, or their thoughts on the local school system. If you’re not getting great feedback, offer incentives like discounted tickets or gift cards.

3) Implement outside-the-box client appreciation strategies

Would you tune in to the news to hear about a real estate agent who bakes hundreds of cinnamon buns for his clients every year?

… We thought so! The truth is that everyone loves a feel-good client appreciation story! For example, consider the true story of this real estate agent, who with the help of his family, bakes hundreds of cinnamon buns every year and delivers them to all of his past clients. The media was wowed by his unique approach to client appreciation (and possibly, the prospect of scoring a free cinnamon bun!), and the Orlando Sentinel picked up his story.

Local publications love covering outside-the-box client appreciation stories – yours could be next!

4) Co-host a workshop or speaking engagement

Partner with local businesses or nonprofits in your area to host a speaking engagement, learning workshop, or holiday event. To start off, partner with other businesses in your area who complement your expertise. For example, your company could partner with the local bank to host a first time home buyer’s workshop. Or, your company could partner with the local hardware store to offer homeowners unique tips on how to winterize their property.

Then, invite relevant media contacts to attend the event. For example, invite the reporter who writes about home finance to attend your first time homebuyer’s workshop.

5) Create a press kit for your media friends

Give the media all the tools that they need to write about you, and set up a press kit on your website. Your press kit should include your company’s logo (colored and black-and-white versions) so reporters can easily download your branding.

Also, include basic facts about your company, like how many offices you have, how many agents are on your team, or any other relevant business statistics that you’d like to share. The easier that you make it for the media to gather facts about your business, the easier it will be for them to write about your company. If you have one, also include a link to your blog so that reporters who are interested in writing about your company can easily read up on your latest updates.

Getting your company covered by the media is most likely not going to happen overnight. It requires building rapport with media contacts, facing rejection, and most of all, doing something “newsworthy.” However, a bit of work on your end will pay off eventually, often in terms of better brand recognition and inbound leads!

Jenna Weinerman

Jenna is Updater’s VP of Marketing and a published ReloTech expert. She’s an endless seeker of knowledge, a lover of craft brews, and a huge Philadelphia sports fan. Follow her on X here.