How do you get an article in your local newspaper?
Or your local TV news station to come to your event?
Or land an interview on your local radio station?
Press relations, or news media relations/outreach (same thing), is one of the core functions of many public relations professionals.
So, just how do we go about getting our clients or employers press coverage?
Step-by-Step Press Relations
I’m going to walk you through the process I use so you can do it for yourself (if you want to). Here’s how I’m planning to break down the process and share it with you in the upcoming week/months, starting with the first today:
- Intro to press relations
- Selecting news outlets and contacts
- Preparing your press list
- Preparing your press materials
- Working your press list
- Preparing for the interview
- Leveraging your press coverage
Know that I’ll likely skip a week here and there to break up this training to discuss other matters.
Today we’ll take care of the intro and then get to the rest of these seven sections — which are subject to change.
Press Coverage Defined
Before we dive in, let’s make sure we clearly define press coverage.
Press coverage is getting the press to report on you, your company, or your product.
Securing a press story can be considered “free advertising” because you’re getting the word out about you. That may be why people confuse it with advertising. But there’s a HUGE difference, especially when it comes to your pocketbook.
A press story is earned media. That means you’re at the mercy of the news outlet whether or not they decide to run your story. You have to earn the right to become their news.
And when you do, providing they’re not a “pay-for-play” (P4P) media, it’s FREE.
(NOTE: Some news outlets and news or talk shows have turned to the P4P model to generate more revenue. For example, the Phoenix lifestyle hour-long show “Sonoran Living,” which airs on ABC 15 in the Phoenix market, at one point charged $1,500 for a segment. Not sure what their current price is. You can be far more promotional in P4P segments since in reality it’s an advertorial — it straddles the line between advertising and PR — or editorial content. Unless my client wants to spend the money, I advise staying away from them because there are ample, free, bona-fide editorial opportunities to pursue.)
The other bonus to press coverage is it’s like a third-party endorsement. The biggest drawback is it’s difficult to control what the press reports about you. They may get things wrong or have an agenda (beware of “investigative” reporters!).
Advertising Defined
To my dear mother’s dying day, she never quite understood what I did for a living. She’d often ask, “How’s your advertising business going?”
Advertising is paid media. You purchase the 30- or 60-second spot on radio or TV; or the quarter-, half- or full-page ad in a newspaper or magazine. Or you pay for online advertising.
Whichever route you go, you get to control the message. You can pretty much do or say anything you want.
Advertising costs in newspapers vary significantly based on factors such as the publication’s reach, ad size, placement, and whether the ad is in color or black-and-white. Here’s an overview of approximate full-page ad rates in major national newspapers:
- The Wall Street Journal: A full-page black-and-white ad costs approximately $277,200, while a full-color ad is around $354,823.
- The New York Times: A full-page ad in the business section on a Sunday can cost about $245,451.
- USA Today: Full-page ads range between $100,000 and $150,000, with premium placements (like the back page of the main section) potentially costing more.
Contrast that to advertising in a community newspaper where a full-page ad may only cost about $650 — with discounts available for long-term placements.
But if you land a front page story in The New York Times… it’s FREE.
Hence, the beauty of PR.
Super-Priced Advertising
Super Bowl LIX is coming up on Feb. 9, 2025.
But the real game started months ago — when FOX (which currently has the rights to the Super Bowl) sold out all the ad slots just a week after Halloween. That’s three months before kickoff. And it’s one of the fastest sellouts in a decade.
And the price to play? A cool $7 million for just 30 seconds of airtime.
With nearly 114 million Americans glued to last season’s game, it’s no surprise that brands like Coors Light, Dunkin’, Nerd, and Budweiser are happily opening their wallets again. For them, it’s prime time to dominate the spotlight.
But here’s some perspective: In 2004, a 30-second spot was $2.3 million. By 2010? $2.9 million — not a huge leap. Fast forward to 2016, and the cost had skyrocketed to $5 million.
Now? We’re at $7 million. Inflation? Sure. But the real MVP here is the cultural pull of the Super Bowl. When it comes to reaching millions, it’s still the undisputed champ.
Most mid- to small-sized businesses don’t have $7 million sitting in the bank.
This is why you should make PR part of your promotional mix.
Stay tuned to learn more about how to get on your local news BEFORE your competitor does.
The 3 Big Takeaways
- A press story is like a third-party endorsement.
- Know the difference between earned media and paid media.
- Advertising can be very, very pricey. Hence, the beauty of PR.
Have you been in the news? How did you secure that press story? Do share!
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s AuthenticityPR’s Chief Authentic Officer and also functions as the fractional CCO for technology startup Converus.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University. He’s a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also holds an Italian citizenship. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies italiano, practices guitar, gardens, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves in his church, watches BYU football, and plays Dominion and Seven Wonders. Email Jeff.
