[ad_1]
The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Let’s make something clear from the beginning. craft with your brand Facilitate Your brand is two different functions. The first is a completely creative process, usually one where you lay the foundation before adding a single brick to your business. Your brand is your look, feel, and message. It has a tone, a personality, a presence, and that’s what you’re all about.
However, communicating your brand presence to the world is an entirely different matter. It must be interesting to your audience, in tune with the current market, and resonate with investors and stakeholders. And when it comes to the media (the individuals and news organizations that have the most influence in determining which brands get heavily promoted and which brands struggle in a vast landscape of competitors), it’s important to must sell media under the brand name.
How do you do that? By stimulating their curiosity and capturing their attention. Securing media coverage depends on getting influencers to take a closer look at your brand and spreading the word about all the good news you already know about your company.
In over 20 years of experience as a public relations specialist, here’s what I’ve discovered about selling brands to the media.
Selling point #1: A compelling story
Media people are humans first and journalists second, and like you and I who go out to buy something new, we want to be interested in something potentially rich and exciting. I am. Now, the way to generate that interest is through engaging storytelling. In fact, compelling storytelling is at the heart of an on-point media pitch. It’s your job as a spokesperson to craft a story that integrates your brand’s history, values, and influence, but it’s also your job to make sure that story is relatable and emotionally engaging. is. By infusing authenticity and originality.
For example, there may be nothing new to say about Brussels sprouts under the sun. But one day, one of my restaurant customers discovered that he had discovered community gardening as a boy while volunteering with his uncle, and that his passion for organic, farm-to-table produce was born to him. When I started talking about how I connected, all of a sudden my pitch became “Uncle Barney’s”. The Brussels sprouts on his menu came alive with personality and flair. I had a similar experience with an interior designer. She tells me how sitting on her floor as a child and watching her mother paint in her basement led to her obsession with color and space. I did. Voila, you’ve promoted your brand.
The key is to always do something over the top by injecting a personal element into it. Because media coverage is moving in that direction. These days, your product or service isn’t as important as your giving back, your impact on your community, or your origin story. Media professionals are always looking for something unique. Show your humanity by delivering it in a way that only you can.
Related: 5 surefire steps to pitch your story to the media
Selling point #2: Clarity and conciseness
Next is the appeal to the ears. The media industry is abuzz with announcements of the “latest and greatest” and the ocean of submitted content is positively overflowing. To get your work to the top without drowning, you need to realize that time is precious in this fast-paced industry and act accordingly.
When marketing your brand, make sure your message is concise and easy to understand. Clearly explain what makes your brand unique and why it matters to modern consumers. Even better if you can showcase how your brand addresses a specific need or aligns with specific trends in the market. It’s short and punchy. A well-crafted elevator pitch is what the media wants to hear.
Related: You’re not just selling a product or service – you’re selling a brand story. Here are three steps to ensure a successful sale.
Selling point #3: Visual interest
Appealing to the eye is equally important to drawing attention to your brand, and pursuing this step can actually be fun. Enhance all your brand materials with visually appealing images, high-quality thought-provoking photos, stylish infographics, and fun video snippets. Everything should support your brand’s story and message, but in a graphic format rather than a text-only language. I like people like this. The media welcomes this. They are providing media with ready-to-use content that is already ready for public consumption.
Selling point #4: Data-driven impact
Seeing may be believing, but in the business world, fact almost always trumps imaginative fiction. Stories still matter. Your story will always take center stage, but you need to back up your brand’s story with concrete data and evidence of effectiveness.
The media is attracted to brands that can demonstrate quantitative as well as qualitative success, so brand pitches are ideal for seamlessly understanding customer satisfaction ratings, market share percentages, and social impact. It’s a place. This is where you appeal to the intellect by incorporating relevant statistics, case studies, and testimonials that speak to your brand’s relevance in the market and give backbone and relevance to your story.
Related: Time to hire or fire? How to rank employees and identify low and high performers
Selling point #5: Media-friendly assets
Finally, don’t underestimate the value of providing your media with eye-catching, user-oriented assets that are customized to portray your business in the best possible light and in the most appealing packaging. . Here, we appeal to the media’s sensibilities with material that serves as a great resource to supplement and support the stories the media expects to be written and broadcast.
A media kit containing high-resolution images, printable logo formats, links to video content, key points that make your company stand out, and other relevant information that infuses journalists’ articles with details and descriptions exclusive to your brand. We recommend that you create one. . And when you start receiving interview requests, be ready to respond immediately. The purpose of any brand pitch is to get the media interested in exploring your brand further. Once you hang it on the line with a hook, the sale is complete.
[ad_2]
Source link
