Free Publicity Opportunities Using News Search Engines

Related: Basics of Free Internet Publicity, Often Overlooked Free Website Publicity Tips
 

News Search Engines and Publicity

My friend Marlon Sanders has often said,
 
“Find out what people are buying and sell it to them…”

The same is true when you’re trying to sell a journalist a story idea that will result in publicity for you, your product, or your service.

You have to find out what’s “hot,” i.e., what has already attracted the attention of journalists.
 
Fortunately there are several wonderful Internet resources for figuring this out quickly and easily. There are three that are most popular: Google, Yahoo, and Topix.

Google, for instance, has developed an automated grouping process that pulls together related headlines and photos from approximately 4500 sources. You can even trace the history of a developing issue by clicking the "sort by date" function on the page containing all reports on a given topic.

Here's the home page at www.news.google.com

Type a keyword of your choice into the search box next to the "Google News" logo.

Once you click enter, a page full of links will appear.

These links connect to all the stories Google News has found that contain the keyword you typed in. The stories will be in chronological order, with the most recent report placed first. To access the story, all you have to do is click on the link Google provides.

You can use Google News to see who’s writing on your topics, contact them, and offer a follow-up, sidebar, additional angle, etc.

Use keywords to collect stories that have already captured the attention of journalists

Here’s an example, using the keyword “parenting” on Google News' site

Here's an example of one story that appeared on the "parenting" search. It was written by a reporter for an Indiana newspaper:

Think about this.

If you're an expert on parenting living in, say, my home town of Pittsburgh, PA, you would have probably never known this article had been written in Indiana.

But because of news websites like Google, you can find out in seconds.

And if you sell books online, or you speak professionally all over the country, you've just been given a chance to get free publicity for yourself that would have been unavailable to you just a few years ago.

But before I explain what you should do next...

There's one other important part of this article you'll note by scrolling down to the next page.

Journalists love tip lists because they require no work or effort on their part.

ewspapers and magazines can simply reprint them word for word, and even edit the list according to the space available. TV stations use them as fillers on slow news days or to be used as a “tag” on related stories (a tag is similar to a “sidebar”).

Reporters working on deadline can use tip lists to fill extra space if their stories come up a little short of the word count needed for the page.

All you need is six to ten items that tell people how to do something—like solve a particular problem. Examples:

The 10 Safest Ways to “Cheat” On Your Taxes

5 Most Effective Ways to Ask For A Raise

5 Most Common Reasons You Don’t Get the Job Offer You Want

10 Questions You Can Expect in a Job Interview—and the Right Answers to Give

10 Little Known Ways to Stop Your Snoring

17 Hidden Secrets to Help You Jump Start Your Ho-Hum Marriage

10 Safe Ways To Express Your Anger

There’s a lot more you can do with tip lists, surveys, “factoid fillers” how-to articles and other short features to attract the interest of journalists.

But there's some other important information I'd like to bring to your attention right now.

Here's an article I found by clicking another link on the Google "parenting" page we looked at above. This one was published in the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.

The article itself doesn't include a tip list, but there IS something at the bottom that really jumped out at me -- something that you shouldn't overlook if you want free publicity.

In the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, they actually invite you to contact the reporter who wrote the story. They not only give you her email address, but they provide forms you can fill in...
This is a GIFT!

They're actually making it extremely easy and simple to contact the reporter and introduce yourself.

So how do you take advantage of it? 

Sample Pitch Letter

Dear Ms. Cleworth,
 
I just wanted to say "thank you" for the excellent article you wrote on teen parenting in the October 22nd edition of the Daily Tribune.
 
As the editor of a website on parenting, and author of a number of parenting "how to" articles, I was very happy to see the coverage you gave this important subject.
 
As I travel the country speaking to groups about parenting, I find so much concern, and frustration, among parents of teens.
 
And as you noted in your lead...the teens years ARE the toughest for parents but there are ways to smooth the road.

I've taken the liberty of including links to two articles I've written on precisely this subject, and if you visit my online media room at www.beagreatparent.com, you'll find many more.
 
There are also links to other resources, AND several tip lists that you may want to keep in your future file should you decide to do a follow up story.
 
This topic is my passion, Ms.Cleworth. I've spent years working with teens and parents to help both find solutions to the many problems and conflicts they face in our society today.

If I can help you in any way in the future, please call on me.
 
Best wishes,
 
Jane Smith
Publisher, www.beagreatparent.com 
 
PS I also publish a weekly newsletter offering tips for parents and teens. Your readers who may like to subscribe can go to www.beagreatparent.com/freenewsletter for more information.

You can probably figure out what's happening here.

You're positioning yourself as an expert this reporter can call on in the future -- or even immediately.

I'd recommend that you follow up your email with a phone call a day or two later.

And be sure to add the reporter to your "Media Hit List" so you can send regular press releases about what you're doing that may be helpful to them.

********IMPORTANT**********

Remember, getting publicity and marketing yourself through publicity on radio, TV and in newspapers is not usually a one shot deal.

It's a series of small steps, taken over a period of time, that build up relationships with media people who can showcase you for their audiences.

By following the steps I've described above, you greatly increase your chances of reaching your publicity goals.