I'm no PR guru, but I've long had an interest in how the world of PR works, especially in a DIY way. In the past 6 months, my business has been mentioned in Forbes, Thrive Global and Grazia magazine, all through some DIY tips and tricks.
Here's the #1 tip you can start with today.
You might not use Twitter (I know that I and most of my Gen Z counterparts don't), but journalists do. And they're the ones we want to connect with.
Your homework for today is therefore to start a Twitter account - you don't even have to use Twitter, you just need to have an account.
Once you've got your account set up, follow the hashtag #journorequest.
I've been following #journorequest for a couple of years, and every single day, journalists at top publications in the UK post calls for people who got a dog during lockdown/ entrepreneurs who've got something to say on imposter syndrome/ single mothers who spend £100 per week on ice cream.
Keep an eye on the hashtag and check it a few times a day until you find a request to which you could realistically link your business.
Requests for views on topics like imposter syndrome/ the 4 hour workweek/ the gender pay gap are great because you don't need to have a very unique business or opinion to get featured. From my experience, I've found that the requests often come from journalists rushing for a deadline and will take quotes from the first decent people who reply.
The secret here is to act fast - and by fast, I mean within 5 minutes of the tweet going out.
Any longer, and the journo is likely to be buried under dodgy PR representatives jostling to get their client coverage, and your chances of being approached will plummet.
Once you've sent your pitch (either in email format or via Direct Message - usually the journo will specify which one they want), make sure you're regularly checking your emails in case they reply needing more info. I missed out on coverage in Man Repeller and MTV in the past few months because after saying I was interested in providing a quote, I forgot to reply to the journo's response. You live and you learn.
So that's tip #1 for getting press: set up a Twitter account, and follow #journorequest.