Episode 143: 10 Ways to Get Featured in the Media for Free
From helping thousands of small businesses get featured in their dream magazine outlets, TV, podcasts, gift guides more, I am sharing the top 10 angles ANYONE can pitch to the media, for free, zero PR connections required! If you want to get featured so you can get more sales, visibility, and authority, this episode is for you!
Here’s What We Cover and More:
The difference between a story topic and a story angle.
Three powerful angles: leveraging seasonal trends, commenting on major company news, and using community data or surveys.
How to challenge industry norms, make bold predictions and tell heartwarming local stories.
Leveraging current regulations and policies for relevant pitches.
Using gift and product guides to expand your reach.
How small business owners can get featured in top-tier media outlets without prior connections or a big budget.
Mastering PR is about creating unique story angles and leveraging timely trends to stand out in the media landscape. By implementing these strategies, anyone can transform from an unknown entity to a sought-after industry expert in just 30 days.
Product Businesses! Download my free HOW TO GET INTO A GIFT GUIDE/PRODUCT ROUND UP roadmap for free HERE to get more sales and traffic to your site this season.
If you want to land your first feature for free without any connections, I want to invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought-after industry expert. Register now at www.gloriachoupr.com/masterclass.
Resources Mentioned:
Join the PR Secrets Masterclass
Join the Small Biz PR Pros Facebook Group
DM the word “PITCH” to us on Instagram to get a pitching freebie https://www.instagram.com/gloriachoupr
Connect with Gloria Chou on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloriaychou
Join Gloria Chou's PR Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/428633254951941
Additional Resources:
Listen On Your Favorite Podcast Platform
Follow & Review on Apple Podcasts
Are you following my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today so you don’t miss any future episodes!
I would also appreciate it if you would leave me a review! Reviews help me make sure I am providing the content that you need! Plus, you will be entered to WIN a 1:1 pitch writing session with me where I will help you find your press-worthy angle! Click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review”.
Transcript
00:00:00 Gloria: All right, all right. I'm so excited for this episode of the Small Business PR Podcast. This is going to be a really juicy one and one you're going to want to allocate some time to because I am going over 10 fabulous story angles anyone can pitch. That's right. Anyone, regardless of whether or not they have a website, a following, if they have a viable product or if they've even sold anything, these are the stories that you should consider pitching to an editor and it works and I'll tell you why.
00:00:27 Gloria: But first things first, know that a story topic is different than a story angle. A story topic is always there. It's like a theme, whether it's business or parenting or food recipes, but your angle is your take or your point of view on this bigger story topic. Because remember, experts have, point of view and that's what we're trying to do when we pitch is establishing you as an expert. And that means you have insight, you have data, you have something to say about something.
00:00:56 Gloria: It doesn't mean that you are reinventing the wheel and talking about something no one's talking about. No, what we wanna do is talk about something people are already talking about, but adding your little new piece of insight or your fresh take. So that is something I talk about all the time in my PR Masterclass. If you haven't watched it yet, make sure you go there after this episode at GloriaChouPR.com/Masterclass. I'll break down exactly what I mean by, with this, okay?
00:01:23 Gloria: So let's get into it. The top 10 story angles anyone and everyone should consider pitching if they want to land media this year. So let's get started. Number one is a seasonal story angle. Now what I mean is an angle maybe about spring summer beauty trends, about what to cook or eat in the wintertime. Maybe it's something about, back to school, right? If you are doing something related with children, education, learning, that is always a seasonal trend, right? Maybe it's something about graduation. So something about May and April or June and people looking for jobs, that's always a great thing to pitch.
00:01:57 Gloria: Another thing is around the holidays, right? We have Mother's Day, Christmas, Valentine's Day, so many holidays for you to be able to write, on the coattails on. So a big one for a lot of my audiences, they make physical products or they are in e-commerce. And so around the holidays, around Christmas time is a great seasonal story angle to pitch. Things like, you know, what are three gifting trends saying about us?
00:02:22 Gloria: I once wrote a pitch for someone who makes tie-dye sweatshirts and oversized baggy loungewear. And the whole thing was about, what the way that we're gifting this year, what it says about us, because we were going through a really difficult time in the pandemic and we wanted comfort. And so that was kind of nostalgia for our childhood tie-dye day. So that was kind of what I mean by pitching something around the holidays. What are the gifting trends? How are people relating to each other? That is what I mean by season.
00:02:49 Gloria: Another really big topic is Earth Day and sustainability because we have so many founders in the PR Starter Pack who are clean beauty founders, who make something sustainable. And I know that a lot of people are looking to pitch this angle. So think about how you can do it around a seasonal or like a holiday or something that has to do with a certain time in the year. So that's number one is seasonal.
00:03:11 Gloria: Number two is writing on the coattails of a bigger story or company news of a Fortune 500 company. Now, a good thing about this is that if you comment positively or negatively on, let's say, what Amazon or Google is doing, they're not going to come after you, right? I actually had somebody in the PR Starter Pack. She makes jewelry on Etsy. She's 22 years old and she was just starting out. And she actually was commenting about how Etsy had really predatory policies for small business owners, right? The sellers on Etsy.
00:03:43 Gloria: Whereas Etsy was kind of making themselves to be the go-to small business supporter, that they were supporting small business artisans, she actually found that it was quite the opposite. So she ended up sending a tweet to a reporter and getting on the phone with them right away because of this angle, which is that she was saying like, hey, this is what Etsy is doing in their marketing campaign. They're saying that they are starting this campaign for support small business.
00:04:07 Gloria: But as a small business, I'm finding that their shipping policy and refund policy and forcing me to pay for my own shipping, all of that was really against small business. So that's what I mean by riding on the coattails of a bigger company. And if you say anything bad about them, chances are they're not gonna come after you, right?
00:04:23 Gloria: Another thing is commenting on what's happening in the news, right? So right now, what is the breaking news? Right now, for example, as I'm recording this, we're all about the world of NFTs and crypto and blockchain. Right? Nobody really understands what's going to happen with NFTs. We just know that it's all the rage. So maybe it's something with NFTs. So think about how you can write on the coattails of a bigger company or maybe comment on what a Fortune 500 company is not doing so well.
00:04:53 Gloria: So maybe it's something about privacy or what Facebook's not doing well, or maybe it's Google or something like that. Because again, they're not going to come after you. That's number two is writing on the coattails of a bigger breaking story or commenting on a Fortune 500 company.
00:05:07 Gloria: Number three is a data-driven, survey-driven approach. If you have access to your community, which you do, you're already one step ahead of the journalist because the journalist is not going to go and survey your audience. They don't have time for that. Here's what I mean. For example, if you are a career coach, like the PR Starter Pack, Vincent, who many of you might have met in my PR Masterclass, Vincent is a career coach and he built a career coaching platform. And he knew he needed PR because it was such a saturated marketplace.
00:05:40 Gloria: And what we did is we came up with an idea for him to do a simple survey where he surveyed 2008 recession grads and cross-compared their attitudes with 2020 pandemic grads. And so that was really interesting proprietary data that compared two different communities, both looking for jobs, but maybe they had different experiences or maybe not. And so being able to just say on LinkedIn, hey, I'm doing a simple survey on Google Forms.
00:06:08 Gloria: If you graduated in either 2008 or 2020, fill out this five question survey, that already allowed him to bring this data up and start conversations with people at Forbes, New York Times, TechCrunch, Inc., Entrepreneur, and so many more. And he actually was able to get on not only Forbes, but Inc., Entrepreneur and was named Nashville's 40 under 40, one of the business entrepreneur leaders.
00:06:31 Gloria: So how many of you would love to have the same results? That's why I think using a survey or something with data is so, so awesome. And look, you don't have to be a data scientist. I'm awful at math. I don't know how to use an Excel spreadsheet. It couldn't be as easy as going into a Facebook group or whatever it is at, where you have community and say, Hey. For example, if you are a mompreneur, be like, hey, moms, I'm doing a simple survey about moms who do X and moms who do Y. And I want to cross compare because it's always interesting. It's always interesting to have that data.
00:07:04 Gloria: So it doesn't have to be this crazy, complicated thing. It could be as simple as giving a shout out on LinkedIn or on Facebook and surveying your community. Because remember, you're sitting on a goldmine of information. Do you have, you're like a conduit of information in a way that the journalist is not going to be able to get the data. So definitely use that to your advantage.
00:07:27 Gloria: The fourth one is a story about families, youth, women, or marginalized demographics. Now, we are in a space and time where it's so important to be inclusive of all people from all backgrounds, right? DEI, it's really a hot topic. So if you can help elevate the voices of those who usually don't get to have their voice be loud and heard, maybe that's something you should consider.
00:07:52 Gloria: For example, in episode five of this podcast, I interviewed Dr. Greta Anderson, and she is one of the few black female pro golfers who was trying to make golf super inclusive by making it easier for beginners to join the game of golf. And using the CPR method, which is the method that I teach, she was able to get on Women's Golf, Golf.com, Golf Magazine Podcast, and secure so many brand partnerships.
00:08:17 Gloria: And so this has transformed the way she thinks about the impact that she makes beyond just being a golf coach, but being someone who actually is representing the new generation of what it means to be a golfer. So that's on episode five of the Small Business PR podcast. So think about how you can elevate new groups of people, marginalized voices, whatever that is, and just be a conduit for elevating that. Be a conduit of information to help people who historically haven't been seen, heard and valued. So that's another great angle to pitch.
00:08:48 Gloria: So for example, it could be about women in NFTs, right? I think I read somewhere that only like 2% of women are involved in blockchain. So if you have a story about that, then that's amazing, right? Or it's women in STEM or whatever it is. That's number four, is elevating the voices of marginalized or people who historically haven't been seen, heard and valued.
00:09:10 Gloria: Number five is a story about going against the grain. Now, maybe an unpopular opinion, maybe something that you know to be true or think is true that most people would be a little bit shocked or confused to hear. Right? Now, I'm not saying that you should ruffle up feathers just to make things controversial, but you probably have insight and experience and a perspective that might be different from other people. Don't be afraid to stand out because a lot of times it's the people who take a stand are the ones that get heard.
00:09:41 Gloria: So for example, if you're a beauty founder, or if you're in wellness and you know that there are some hot trends or ingredients that are being labeled as clean beauty, that aren't really that way or really not sustainable, then use that. If you're a fitness pro and everyone's saying, this is a hot new fitness trend, and you're saying, well, that's actually not so good for you for X, Y, and Z, don't be afraid to pitch that. I'll give you an example.
00:10:09 Gloria: Spiffy Darko, who is in episode 14 of this podcast. He is a multi-passionate entrepreneur and content creator. The pitch we wrote for him once he was in the PR Starter Pack was about three ways. The other online gurus are misleading you about going viral. So what we did was we talked about all the different tips and tricks that you hear from all the other online gurus that he found to not to be true, that he found to not actually work for him. And then he offered tips on what to do instead.
00:10:37 Gloria: So for example, instead of posting every day, he found out that you should post less than that. Or people say you should have a pretty feed. He found out that that doesn't actually matter. So what are some of the other industry experts saying in your industry that you may or may not agree with from personal experience, don't be afraid to pitch that. That is power, right? And so that's number five is going against the grain and going against the status quo to share something that's different than what other people are sharing.
00:11:04 Gloria: Number six is predicting the future. Now this is kind of a secret weapon. And I talk about this on my PR Secrets Masterclass is that none of us have a crystal ball. None of us are psychic. So being able to just give a very simple, casual prediction, it's really a great way to strike up a conversation with the journalist, right? Because legally there's no right or wrong. It's just your point of view.
00:11:28 Gloria: A lot of times I see this talk, these talking heads on TV, giving predictions about where the stock market's going to go or what's going to happen. And a lot of times they're wrong, but because they actually went ahead and pitched it, they got on, right? So why have it not, be you? Again, it's all about being fearless about taking a stand. And yeah, you can be wrong, but at least in that point in time, you had a new perspective that maybe allowed people to enter the discussion.
00:11:56 Gloria: So for example, if you are a psychologist, right, and you are working on mental health, right? It might be predicting, like what's going to happen in your industry in the next two years. Or if you're a chef, it might be, this is what I predict as the hottest ingredient for the end of the year. Or what is an interesting pairing with wine? Whatever it is, I'm sure you have some predictions, insights, and people love to see into the future. That's human nature, right? We always love to read those stories. So that's, number six is predicting the future.
00:12:25 Gloria: Number seven are heartwarming local stories, stories that are specific to a certain city or geographic region. For example, if you have a business that is very locally centered. If you give back to the local community, if you have a charitable partnership or it's something that is really specific to your city, then definitely pitch that, right?
00:12:47 Gloria: So for example, if you are two tech founders and you both met in college and then you decided to build a startup and invest in local talent in your city, instead of hiring remote workers, that would be an incredible story. It might be something about charity. So if you have a business that might not be brick and mortar, but if you are partnering up with a local organization, that would be another great way to pitch that local story. So that is number seven is pitching a local story.
00:13:15 Gloria: Number eight is a regulatory angle. What I mean by this is anything that's related to what's going on in policy, in law, that's always going to make it super relevant. And remember, relevance is literally the most important part of my CPR method because relevance tells the journalist why they should open the email and respond to it right now. Nobody wants to see a pitch that could be used five years ago or recycled for five years later. So we wanna know why the story matters right now. And what better way to do that than to comment on something that's happening in the law.
00:13:47 Gloria: So for example, if you're in finance, it might be something around the tax season or new policies with SBA loan forgiveness. I recently wrote a pitch for a PR Starter Pack member and she is a healthcare consultant. She's a retired doctor. The whole thing was about the new No Surprises Medical Act. Maybe Google up what's changing in your industry and the new laws and policies and the things because that's always going to make it more relevant to audiences.
00:14:15 Gloria: If you are, for example, a therapist, maybe it's something to do with mental health policies. If you're in wellness, maybe there's something to do with, like policy spending and grants for women and women's healthcare. There's always something that could be related to the regulatory landscape. So do your research and this might be your in.
00:14:37 Gloria: Now, number nine is one of my favorites and it's one of my favorites in the Starter Pack community as well because so many people have gotten so much success pitching this angle and that is the gift guide angle or product guide angle. So what I mean is, you know, like if you have ever read an article about the 10 best products for vegan moms or the five best things to gift to this, you know, your kids this year, what I mean is, is something that's specifically focused on a product. And so there are so many seasons and holidays for that.
00:15:08 Gloria: And I encourage you to think beyond just Christmas and kind of the end of year, right? Because there are ways to make your product relevant every holiday and every season. So get creative here. And if you want to listen to exactly what a journalist who actually writes these gift and product guides wants to see in a pitch, then go to the very first episode of this podcast, the Small Business PR Podcast, where I interview a journalist who writes for Forbes, Refinery, Brit and Co.
00:15:36 Gloria: And she talks about exactly her timeline, when she likes to receive pitches and what she likes to see in the subject line. And what better way to get your product in front of millions of new people, then pitch it for a product or gift guide. It's literally the best way to advertise for free. So definitely go into, definitely re-listen to episode one and make sure you join us in the PR Starter Pack where I have lists of hundreds of writers who write these gift and product guides.
00:16:06 Gloria: Now the last one is very interesting because it's for people who have a deeply personal experience and someone who's not afraid to write. So this is Pitching Your Story as an op-ed, an opinion piece, or something that is authored from your own point of view. And Ada, who is a part of our Facebook community, she is a bootstrapping founder creating clean beauty lip products.
00:16:27 Gloria: And when she was DMing me, she's like, Gloria, I really need your help with coming up with an interesting pitch. And then, and instead of suggesting to her to pitch something around clean beauty, which is the most obvious one because she makes clean beauty products, I said, you know, you're an Asian American makeup artist. And there's a lot going on right now in the media with Asian hate crimes and kind of like the relationship of Asian Americans in society.
00:16:51 Gloria: So maybe it's something about that. Maybe you've seen some interesting things as an Asian American makeup artist in Hollywood and the way that we're represented in media. And so when she did pitch that, she actually was able to write an op-ed for cosmopolitan.com and she worked with their writers and then they put the finished article that she wrote on the front page of Cosmo.com. Not only that, they also shared it on their Instagram with over 3.4 million followers. And at that point, she had around 100 followers herself.
00:17:23 Gloria: So this is all possible. These are all the ways that you can think about pitching your story. And I've given you 10 really great ideas to start. And obviously, if you're in our Facebook group and you can join us at getfeaturednow.com, you can see all of the other trainings and ways that other people are pitching, whether it's for podcasts, whether it's for something related to their kids, whether it's something that's data-driven or any of the 10 that I've mentioned here.
00:17:49 Gloria: So I really hope that this episode has given you so much to think about and I cannot wait for you to leave a comment or DM me and tell me which of the 10 you are gonna go with. Now, cheers to you and let's make this year the year you are seen, heard and valued. Let's start pitching.
00:18:07 Gloria: Hey, small business hero, did you know that you can get featured for free on outlets like Forbes, the New York Times, Marie Claire, PopSugar, and so many more, even if you're not yet launched or if you don't have any connections? That's right. That's why I invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought after industry expert.
00:18:34 Gloria: Now, if you want to land your first press feature, get on a podcast, secure a VIP speaking gig, or just reach out to that very intimidating editor, this class will show you exactly how to do it. Register now at GloriaChouPR.com/Masterclass. That's Gloria Chou, C-H-O-U-P-R.com/Masterclass. So you can get featured in 30 days without spending a penny on ads or agencies. Best of all, this is completely free. So get in there and let's get you featured.