Everybody Wants to Be Seen
Getting featured isn’t luck. It’s Media Relations.
A few years ago, I sat across the table from a driven startup founder. She had just created an excellent app for remote learning. She had a team, a website, and a logo that exuded individuality. But no one was discussing her brand. “We’re doing everything,” she lamented, “but we are invisible.”
She is not alone. Today, thousands of brands are yelling into the vacuum, posting on social media, introducing products, attending events, and hoping that someone significant is listening. What’s the truth? Many folks aren’t. Because getting noticed is not an accident. It is by design. And the design begins with media relations.
In this blog post, we’ll reveal the inner workings of media relations. You’ll learn what it means, why your narrative may be overlooked, what journalists look for, and how to cultivate partnerships that make your brand worth writing about.
What is Media Relations, Really?
Media relations is more than just sending emails to newsrooms and hoping a blog would feature your product. It’s about establishing trust, two-way trust between you and the storytellers of our time, journalists.
Many people confuse media relations with public relations (PR) or advertising. PR is the bigger picture of how the world perceives you. Advertising occurs when you pay to control the message. What about media relations? That means earning your place through valuable, timely news that is relevant to the public.
The founder I mentioned earlier wasn’t getting influence because she relied on generic press releases. She hadn’t taken the time to build real connections with the people behind the news. Everything changed when we showed her how to approach journalists as collaborators instead of targets. Her story made it into EdTech Digest, and that single piece brought her both investors and new users.
Why You’re Not in the News (Yet)
Let me tell you about Sam, a 40-something tech founder who built an AI-driven bookkeeping tool for freelancers. He emailed 25 journalists with his launch story. Not one replied. He was confused because his product was smart and helpful. Here’s the problem: he had no angle. Yet, he has a product.
The 3 Reasons Journalists Ignore Pitches:
- No Story: Journalists write stories, not product blurbs. If there’s no human interest, challenge, or impact, there’s no hook.
- Wrong Timing: If your pitch doesn’t align with current news cycles or seasonal relevance, it gets buried.
- Poor Targeting: Sending the same pitch to a lifestyle blogger and a tech editor? Big mistake.
We worked with Sam to discover the tale. It turns out that he developed the software after witnessing his wife’s struggles with tax season as a self-employed designer. That tale, the why behind the product, earned him a mention in a local startup blog.
What Journalists Actually Want
Imagine being a journalist and getting 100 emails per day, all shouting “ME! ME! ME!” Would you read any of them? Probably not, unless one of them made you pause. That’s what media relations is really about: creating a pause.
So what makes a pitch stand out?
- Newsworthiness: Something genuinely new or different.
- Relevance: Aligned with the journalist’s beat and audience.
- Emotion: A human angle that moves or surprises people.
How Strong Media Relations Build Trust and Visibility
Back to our founder friend. After some media features, she began to experience increased website traffic. People began to recognize her at networking gatherings. She was no longer a stranger. She wasn’t “that woman from the EdTech article.”
That is the beauty of earned media: it provides your business with legitimacy that money cannot buy. When a journalist shares your tale, his or her audience listens. They trust the messenger, therefore they trust you. That’s something no paid advertisement can match.
Prime88 Concepts’ client has witnessed this personally. One feature on the proper platform generates podcast invitations, investment interest, and even speaking engagements. It’s a cascade effect that begins with a relationship.
You Belong in the News. Let’s Get You There.
So, let’s take a look back.
You do not need a viral moment to be noticed. What you need right now is a story, a journalist who is interested in it, and a strategy for connecting the two. This can be done by you personally or by a PR firm or professional.
At Prime88 Concepts, we don’t just pitch. We are here to collaborate with you, shape your story, and share it with the right people.
Reach out to Prime88 concepts and start your media journey
Conclusion
Being seen isn’t about shouting the loudest. It’s about saying something worth listening to and making sure it gets to the right ears.
So, if everyone wants to be in the news. Why shouldn’t it be you?
