I think the biggest risk involved in trying to get more press coverage is wasting time and money. When I ran my computer games business, we hired a PR company for a year and they placed precisely zero stories about the company but cost us tens of thousands of pounds. Make sure that you measure costs and time against actual and likely benefits and keep them in balance.
However, in a triumph of optimism over experience, I have recently hired a PR firm to promote my copywriting business, Articulate Marketing.
I would guess that people are afraid, often irrationally so, of the risks of appearing stupid, being misinterpreted or inadvertently co-operating in a negative story about themselves. I think this partly because of the public’s perception of journalists (I always get an ironic laugh when I introduce myself as a journalist and say “I’m interested in truth, beauty and justice”), which is inspired mainly by the gutter press and partly because they don’t understand how the media works and what they are after.
So let me explain where I stand. All the journalists I have met in my five years as a writer have been smart, professional, dedicated people who are genuinely interested in writing good, interesting stories.
Scientific, management and general business magazines and papers are highly likely to be straight and fair with you and a few simple precautions will protect you against the rest.
For most companies, the benefits of increased press coverage are clear:
- Increased visibility to customers, investors, suppliers and partners.
- Press coverage can make you look more impressive and credible (good for small companies).
- It’s free advertising. A company profile in a major magazine would cost thousands if you had to buy it as ad space.
- For individuals it’s a chance to raise their profile and career prospects.
- It can generate surprising connections and introductions. Even a small circulation magazine with 50,000 readers will reach more people than you are likely to meet in a year.
- A higher public profile definitely improves recruitment and retention.
- It can lead directly to leads and sales.
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