Information is the life blood of the media. The media are very good marketing channel for coaches to consider because they can help reach larger audiences. In addition they can give you coaching brand creditability and recognition. Furthermore they can position you as thought leader in the coaching industry. Having a feature published can lead to enquiries about your coaching service whihch can convert to increased revenue and profit.
Journalists are begging for good stories. Good stories are why we buy newspapers and magazines. Many coaches fail to realise that a newsworthy feature is a good story. Before sending your story to a journalist, ask the following: Will this story impact the reader? Will the story inspire the reader to do something? Is this story for the good of the community? If you have answered yes to any of the following then you have a good feature story which is likely to get published.
Below are some tips on how to get published.
- Do Your Research
It makes sense to do your research and find out which newspapers will reach your target audience. For example if you are a health and fitness coach, there is no point trying to get your story published in a IT publication. Most newspapers want stories that suit their audience. So as a coach, make sure you find the newspaper outlet that covers your industry
- Approach The Editor
All newspaper should have the email of the editor, so the best thing to do is write an email of intention, stating what your feature is about. You may have to send your request a few times because editors are every busy and you may not get an immediate response. They are also inundated with similar requests.
- Listen To The Editor’s Advice
Once you are able to correspond with the editor, listen to what they have to say. Most editors are looking for stories that will inspire their audience and not promotional notes on your coaching service. Also different newspapers have different writing styles, so make sure you find out all the information. Ask the right questions to get the right answers.
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- Produce Good Content
Once the editor has given you approval to write a feature, make sure your style of writing is engaging. Know the basics of storytelling by having an introduction, a body and an end. Before you write your story, have your objective in mind ie what are you trying to achieve. Makes you feature personal and use emotional words, like ‘powerful’ , ‘amazing’, ‘remarkable’ to keep your ready engaged. Don’t use long sentences or long paragraphs.
- Provide Good Photography
Do not send snap shots to newspapers. They will be rejected immediately. Provide high resolution professional shots with high resolution for better picture quality of your coaching service. A good selection of photos may actually prompt the editor to feature the story.
- Follow Up Calls
Once you have sent in your feature story, you must follow up to find out the day it will be published. This can be anything from one week to a few months. It is really up to the discretion of the editor and whether they feel your story will be compelling for their readers.
- Overcome Rejection
It is quite common for editors to reject feature stories that do not line up with their audience so do not take it personally. Try and get feedback and resubmit your coaching feature again. If it is still rejected, look for other newspaper outlets because there are several.
Remember getting a feature in a newspaper is a numbers game. The more of your target audience that you can reach, the more people will buy from you.
Good luck
Rita
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Then book your place at the FREE online training hosted by Profit From Coaching CEO – DJ Sobanjo where he shares “How To Set Up Your Coaching Business To Earn You 5 Figures A Month Even If You Only Just Got Started”.
This is a no-fluff training where DJ will reveal how you can grow your coaching, speaking and training business to 5 figures a month doing what you love – HELPING OTHERS.
SPACES ARE FILLING FAST.
Click here to book your place NOW.
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Have questions or want to share a few tips yourself? Leave a comment below and if you found this post useful, tag some friends on your favorite social network and help us spread the word!
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Is it alright to send the same article to different media houses, just in case?
Thanks. Useful signposting. 🙂
Thanks for the tips
Yes, this is good and I assume applies to newspaper/magazine from all types of niches. I often wonder whether my stories would be any good in a mainstream newspaper.
Great tips, Thanks!