Getting media coverage for your business can be tough. What follows are a few helpful tips to ensure local media coverage: from building relationships with journalists to formulating a pitch no reporter could resist.

Begin by building strong relationships with the media. If you have a certain item you would like to pitch (like a new product, service or location), it helps to have a good foundation already in place through various social media outlets.

1. Research journalists who cover your business market. Connect with him or her on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter months before you send your pitch or press release. (MuckRack is a great way to find journalists who cover your industry.)
2. If your journalists keep a blog, read their posts regularly. Stay updated on stories they post online. Make comments – the more engaging, the better – to stay connected.
3. Sign up for HARO, otherwise known as Help A Reporter Out. HARO sends out multiple emails a day, with reporters from all over looking for industry leaders to lend expertise to stories.

Once you’ve built the foundations for relationships in the media, your pitch will usually be better received. You still need to make the pitch transition go smoothly.

1. If a journalist asks to interview you that day, say “yes” without fail. The media world spins quickly, and reporters often face short deadlines. Even if you are busy, you should make time for quick questions over the phone.
2. Offer your journalist something of value, whether it is a connection to another industry expert, pertinent blog posts, or an idea for a follow-up story.

All the focus you’ve given to your business help make you an expert in your industry, but often block the ability to see the larger picture. What you’re pitching may sound exciting and informational to you; to a reporter, your pitch may be cumbersome and, worse, an uninteresting news piece. A few of the following tips help you help your journalist understand just how great your pitch really is:

1. Define your story in one sentence. If that sentence can engage the journalist, he or she will ask a lot more questions.
2. Present your story so that it provides value: how will your new service or product benefit the audience?
3. Include people in your pitch. Truly engaging stories (that is, stories that sell) focus on the human aspect, as opposed to a faceless company profile.
4. If possible, provide reporters with actual people who have used your product or service. Testimonials boost credibility and potential target audience – and lend that extra personal touch.