How do I get spotlighted in a magazine article?

I thought this would be great advertisement.

That’s the million-dollar question that I get asked all the time (sometimes clients ask to be spotlighted on TV or in newspapers or in a blog, of course, but it’s the same idea).

I wrote a book in answer to that question (the Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Kit), but I’ll cover a couple of tips here:

--Provide a killer story angle or breakthrough product.  Remember, the media wants something newsworthy and interesting.  The fact that you created a pen isn’t interesting.  The fact that you created a pen that is ergonomically correct and helps arthritis sufferers is more interesting.

--Make yourself easily “find-able” to the media.  The media likes to search for sources on the internet.  So if you write lots of articles for websites and article directories, participate and offer blogs, and get coverage in other media outlets that have websites where they post the content, the media can find you easily. And don’t forget to have a great, search engine-optimized website, which is one of the best ways for the media to find you.

--Offer a story idea that is relevant to the magazine writer or reporter.  Research the types of articles the writer covers.  Make sure your idea wasn’t covered recently.  Mention the previous articles that the writer has written, and how your idea complements them.
 
Best of luck on getting magazine coverage!

Sincerely,

Margie Zable Fisher
PRactical P.R. Columnist for womenentrepreneur.com
www.theprsite.com