Marketing Yourself to Local Media

Sometimes the best way to market your website is by getting yourself on a local TV or Radio program. Most cities and towns have a TV or Radio station with a mandate to feature items of local interest. They are often looking for story content to fill these shows. It may be a talk show or evening news broadcasts or even a local business spotlight feature, but they all need stories and guests for those programs. Why not you? Get in touch with your local TV reporters and Radio personalities and invite them to tour your business. Tell them you are available for interviews and provide them with an “angle” they can use to get your story out to the general public. Did you just sign a big contract or win an award? Is your business new to the community? What makes your business unique? The more work you do for the Media, I.E. planting the seeds of an idea into their heads – The better chance you’ll have of being featured.

When approaching the Media, focus on your business goods and services not on your website. They are interested in you what you have to say but are not interested in your website marketing efforts. It’s almost a given that you have a website but the Media does not want to concentrate on this fact. Extolling the virtues of your new site design will not help convince them to put you on the air. They want stories which keep the audience watching and listening. Give them something to use without even mentioning your site. It’s a strange way to market I know, but once you make it onto the show, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to plug your website where it counts – In front of thousands of new people.