20 Jan What To Do When News Stations Repeatedly Ask You To Advertise

Brand awareness is essential for reaching out to new audiences and your existing clientele. But what do you do when you want earned media coverage, and news stations ask you to advertise instead?

Have you experienced this? Perhaps the producer brings in the sales team, you receive a pricing sheet, or an ad representative keeps calling you. Do you want to advertise? Are you already advertising? How can you get around this and get the earned media coverage you’re wanting?

The simple answer is – to start thinking like news coverage.

That means taking a look at what is going on in the news. How can you apply your business to the top news categories such as health, finance or money, heart-felt or positive stories, or events? What can be talked about now to be timely? 

Thinking like a news producer often takes practice, patience, and understanding what the public is looking for, but it’s possible.

Aim to avoid ‘selling’ your product or service and instead tell a story about it. How can you improve people’s lives? Why should the audience care? Answering these questions will be the first few steps to creating a news story rather than an advertisement.

Next time you’re looking for earned media and receive a pricing sheet to advertise, remember these tips and create a pitch for a story instead.

If you need help securing media coverage for your organization, look no further. We’re happy to discuss a plan with you.