Whether you are wanting bragging rights, amazing SEO backlinks, or national exposure – I’ve got you!
1) Find Journalist Requests
There are loads of ways to do this, but I have ALWAYS found that the most efficient is the #JournoRequest hashtag on Twitter.
Journalists use this to get the quotes they need for their stories, or sometimes even folks to profile or interview.
Typically tweets in this hashtag are quite urgent and journalists need a quick response.
This is your opportunity to offer MASSIVE value.
You’ll be surprised by the results.
2) Reply Fast with Value!
Get the journalist requests whilst they are fresh and reply via Twitter DM AND email if the journalist leaves one. You want the max opportunity to get seen.
Now – let’s have a think about what the journalist wants here. Typically they are writing a piece and need a quote or some expert information in a timely manner.
3) Write Your Content (There and Then!)
Make it as frictionless as possible for the journalist. Take 10-20 minutes to write something that is going to need as little editing as possible and send it in the first message. Make it a NO BRAINER for them to quote you.
4) Include Your Bio and Info
This is your chance to get what YOU need out of the deal.
Write a short bio of how you want to be represented. Include the link or links that you would like included in the article. This is SUCH a good SEO opportunity.
Make the link as relevant as possible. For example the other day I got quoted in an article about air fryers. A hook that I thought the journalist would like is that I have perfected the art of making “soft-boiled eggs” in the air fryer. Instead of offering a link to my main website, I offered a link specifically to the air fryer boiled egg recipe.
If you don’t have as relevant link – I might dare to say that it would be worth BASHING out a blog post or video there and then, uploading it, and giving that link.
You can always update the article later on to make it even more valuable.
5) Follow Up
If you don’t hear back within a couple of hours – it’s worth following up, perhaps under the guise of “do you need any additional info?”.
When you do hear back, it’s always worth asking when you can expect to be published and if they would be willing to send you a link when it is published – most journalists are super happy with that – after all they are grateful for your help with the article.
6) Track with Google Alerts
I have “Google Alerts” setup up for things like my name, and the names of my brands. This way I will often find that the articles get sent to my email by Google Alerts before the journalists even tell me about it.
It’s always an exciting moment when you see a fresh new press mention with a link to your website!
Never Miss a Journalist Request
If you want to use this strategy to the MAX – you should be using a tool I created called JournoMofo.
It scours Twitter for journalist requests and emails you any that are relevant to you and your business as they come in.
This is a HUGE time-saver and a way to make sure you never miss a red-hot opportunity.
I’ve used it in the past week to get mentions and backlinks from national publications like The Daily Mail, The Times, and Ideal Home.