When you wake up in the morning and turn to the news, you feel as though you end up seeing either an overnight breaking story or a recap of the things that have gone terribly wrong within your community and across the world. It would seem as though the media does nothing but scour the earth for the lowest of low people, celebrity sightings and the most body cringing story. However, that really isn’t the case. Believe it or not, the press wants to cover local “feel good” stories.
Having media contacts and friends across the country and even internationally, most of them have shared their desire to see things other than death and sadness covered. That may sound shocking, but it’s true. A balanced media outlet has good investigative reporting, breaking news and community stories. It is good business for them to bring the best of all of these categories to the public’s attention. Of course ratings is the driving force of news outlets and that often comes with the sad or scary stories, but they know the public can only stomach so many bad news stories before they stop watching all together. So you may wonder, what does this have to do with you and your business?
I’m willing to bet that on any given week or even month you and your business play some part in what would make a great feel good story. You rallying other businesses together to create summer jobs for teens or sharing leftover stock with a non-profit organization, is good news. Of course not all of your good news is going to make the 6 o’clock news, but by sharing what your business does for others it is a good look for you in the community. People want to rally behind or align themselves up with good things.
By writing today’s post, I want you to get your good news out there. I would love to see your efforts and successes shared with others. Now with what I’m about to share, don’t think a good press release and a good publicist can be replaced. Swift and specific results go hand-in-hand when you utilize expert tools and resources. But if you’re in between using your public relations agency or want to show the news outlets you are approachable, there are a few ways you yourself can attempt to get feel good press coverage.
So how do you share these stories with the media? Great question! Here are a couple of ways to do it.
- Follow the media and share your brief story on Twitter. Don’t be afraid to send your local news reporter or news outlet a tweet.
- Comment on news stories shared online that are not identical but related to your story.
- Share your good news story on your own website and social media sites.
Trust me. You may not get a response right away, but do not skip these avenues. Either the media will share your story as you’ve shared it or they will think to use you as a resource for future stories. Either way you have provided yourself with more exposure to the public.
Again, a press release and publicist will be your most effective and efficient way to expand coverage, but if getting in the news today isn’t a priority for you, try the tips above and be ready to share your story.
Have you tried any of these tips in the past? Were you successful in getting in the news?
Please leave your thoughts and comments below. They may be used in the future for another article.
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Above Promotions is a full service publicity, marketing and promotions company, founded with the purpose to serve an array of clients that are looking to expand their presence in the marketplace. From a local to international market, Above Promotions Company can provide the exposure that goes above your expectations. Visit http://www.abovepromotions.com today.
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Ebony T. Grimsley is the Creative Director and Owner of Above Promotions Company. She is also the recent author of “Because You’re Small: Effective Marketing Strategies for Immediate Implementation.” To find out more information on the book, please visit http://www.abovepromotions.com or purchase online at Amazon, Booktango and other online bookstores.
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Above Promotions - Public Relations, PR, Digital Marketing Agency Tampa, FL 
Great tips as usual. Yes we do share our feel good stories on twitter, other social media & our website. I do comment on other similar news stories but never mention what we do or have done. What kind of comment do you recommend businesses leave on similar feel good stories?
An easy one you can use is “Great article. As a fellow business owner it’s great to see others also giving back in the community. We at (insert company name) have been focusing on x, x and x over the past few months/years. Just the other day we x. Again, great article. Thanks for sharing our stories.”
You’ll end up on their radar and others who read the comments after you. Win-win!