When it comes to SEO, getting high quality links can often be a difficult task, and probably one of the highest quality links that a website could ever gain can come from an often under utilized source — the media. A link from a major site like Fox News, The Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, or any other major publication can make an enormous difference in rankings plus help drive referral traffic and build credibility.
But getting links on these types of sites can seem next to impossible for most business owners and even most SEO companies. While these steps won’t guarantee a link from a major media outlet, following these five simple steps will greatly increase the chances of getting mentioned in the media:
Follow A Few Reporters: Chances are your niche is covered on a national level by a select few reporters. Try to follow them and try to even network with them and mention you'd be interested in being quoted in one of their pieces. It sounds like a long shot but you'd be amazed at how often it actually works.
Editorial Calendars Can Be Gold: Most publications that don't have urgent deadlines such as magazines, talk shows, and website stories are planned weeks or even months in advance. To try and make the reporter's job easier, they publish editorial calendars mentioning what stories will be covered or written about in the near future. This is a fantastic way for you to position your business to be mentioned in those stories, especially if you've already networked with some of the reporters.
Use A Press Connection Site: There's numerous websites out there that connect journalists looking for an authority in a niche with actual niche authorities, and this can be a fantastic way to get mentioned especially on smaller media outlets. Register for a few of these sites and set some preferences and alerts for your niche and wait to see what you get!
Make Your Own Press Coverage: It's not the same but it's fairly easy these days to get mentioned on a niche blog, article, or even a press release. Don't be afraid to create your own news on important sites as it can still have a large impact on your marketing campaign.
Network, Network, Network: No matter how great you are at the steps mentioned above, there's simply no substitute for being friendly with reporters and having them come to you for stories. It makes your life easier and will lead to higher quality mentions, so get out there and find ways to network with some reporters! It isn't easy but once you get some solid connections, the mentions you can get from them can have a tremendous impact on your business.
Again these five steps certainly aren’t fool proof and they will require a large amount of time and dedication, but getting mentioned in the press can make an enormous difference for a small business and can really jump start the marketing campaign for virtually any type of business.
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