How to Get Press for Your Business

Most businesses approach press backwards. They decide they want coverage, then look for someone to give it to them.

Editors work the other way round. Here is how to meet them where they are.

Why most pitches fail

Because they are about the company.

"We launched a product" and "we hired a CEO" are not stories to anyone outside your building. An editor's job is to publish things their readers want to read, and your milestone is not automatically one of them.

The pitches that work answer a different question: what does the reader learn, and why now?

What makes a story publishable

Four things, and you need at least one:

• Data nobody else has. Your own numbers, aggregated and anonymised, are the most underused asset most businesses own.
• A contrarian view you can defend. Not contrarian for its own sake — a genuine argument against the standard advice in your field.
• Timeliness. Your work connects to something happening this week.
• A human story. Something specific and true that a reader remembers.

If you cannot say what the reader learns in one sentence, it is not ready.

How to pitch

Find the individual journalist who covers your space and read what they have actually published. Not the outlet — the person.

Then send something short: subject line that states the story, two or three sentences on why it matters now, one line on why you are the person to comment, and an offer to talk. No attachments, no press release, no preamble.

Most pitches go unanswered. That is normal and not a reflection on your business.

Free routes worth using

• Op-eds. Most publications accept opinion submissions and publish their guidelines openly.
• Expert commentary services. Journalists post requests for sources; answering well and fast gets you quoted.
• Podcasts. Far easier to get booked than print, and often a better audience.
• Local and trade press. Less competitive, and closer to your actual buyers than national coverage.

When to use an agency

When writing is not your job, when you want several placements coordinated rather than one, or when you have tried pitching and it has not worked.

What you are buying is the story development, the writing, the targeting and the management of it. What you are not buying — from anyone — is a guarantee that an independent editor publishes you.

How we work

Share your story and who you need to reach. We develop the angle, write the piece to editorial standard, and manage placement. You review and revise until it is right, and nothing publishes without your approval.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get press?

Weeks rather than days for most routes, and unpredictable for earned editorial. Anyone promising a specific date is promising something they do not control.

Do I need a press release?

Usually not. A short, specific email to the right journalist outperforms a formal release for most businesses. Releases matter mainly for formal announcements and wire distribution.

What if my business is not interesting?

Almost every business has a publishable story — it is usually the thing you find obvious. What you know from doing the work is more interesting to outsiders than you think.