Earned media. Free press. Whatever you call it, it's the stuff that people hear and read about your business—the stuff you don't buy.

It's earned because you work for it. You work to do something newsworthy, you work to package it for the media, and you work to deliver it.

Experts say that free press is worth more, inch for inch, than paid advertising. That's because free press has the appearance of being a third-party endorsement of what you and your business have to say.

So what are the dos and don'ts? What can you do to enhance your chances of getting what you want... and avoiding or minimizing what you don't?

No Promises

First, beware of agencies or consultants that promise to get you a story, get one killed or get you one that says such-and-such. While the chances of getting covered get better every day (see "The News Hole," below), there are way too many imponderables for such a guarantee to be worth much.

Don't Try This Alone

As with most things, two heads are better than one. Some businesses recognize this by convening standing communication groups... or somehow otherwise staying intentional about the media.

A lot of corporate communication groups meet routinely. This helps keep you ahead of stories, looking for opportunities, serving as a reality check, shaping up messages, and more.

A word about routine. When communication groups meet routinely, a lot less falls through the cracks. Maybe more important, the inevitable crisis or bad news has less energy when you're looking at it as a group, with intention and some context.

The News Hole

It's huge. And getting even bigger.

I don't need to repeat what just about everybody already knows. That content-hungry blogs and podcasts and cable and specialty print and electronic media have created a practically bottomless, international demand for whatever sometimes remotely passes as news.

So, the chances are excellent that you'll get your 15 minutes. The question is, Where will a story do you the most good?

Scratch Where There's an Itch

Wen you're planning your story, think about who should hear it, when and where. That'll make a difference all the way around... from when you release your news, to whom, and so on.

Your tactics depend a lot on your strategic goals. Let's say that you're a professional practice looking to beef up your bench by poaching recruits from other firms. Or looking to attract a merger prospect or buyer. Then wouldn't it make sense to focus your pitch on trade or industry media that get read or heard by PLY (People Like You)... and not on general B2B media or general circulation papers?

The Media Are Like a Conga Line

Your client or boss says, "Get me profiled in 'The New York Times.'" Maybe this is realistic. More likely, it'll take a little ramping up to get her or his story to the Big Time.

Tell them OK, but that this sale will take some softening. Explain that the media often follow whatever and whoever they see in front of them. That reporters and editors at the Times read other media—some equal in stature to the Times, most not.

It's these lesser beings that offer your best bet to get covered. Start where the sale is easier and then leverage whatever story you get into a bigger one and then a bigger one and so on.

The Myth of the "Exclusive"

Editors and reporters live in a very competitive world. Despite what they'll preach about "balance" and "fairness," they want a head start on whatever news you have to report. That's why they call it a "scoop."

The risk used to be that you'd only get one bite of the apple. If you showed preference to one paper over another, for example, then the paper you slighted would probably regard the story as stale.

I'm not so sure that's the case nowadays. Or, that it makes much of a difference. If you get the play you want, where and when you want it, then it shouldn't matter much if your story doesn't get decent play in a competing medium in the same market.

What has changed is that the market for news has become so elastic. Though, granted, you're liable to step on some toes if you offer an exclusive to a particular news outlet, there are a bunch of other media openings that don't see themselves as threatened or injured by a prior story on your piece of news.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Doug Stern (www.doug-stern.com) is a freelance business writer and marketing strategist based in Louisville, KY. Contact him at 502-599-6624 or stern.doug@gmail.com.