| Anna Jasinski 
Trying to gain media coverage for your brand or clients can often feel like an unending uphill battle. The shifts in the media landscape, even very recently, have been seismic. Newsrooms are cutting budgets and transitioning more focus to digital, social and multimedia. And most reporters will tell you that they are overburdened and overwhelmed, as immediacy is sometimes prized above all else. If you don't demonstrate relevance instantly, your press release and pitch risk missing the mark, says Mike Sharp (@Sharp208), a former journalist turned PR pro. Before making the move to PR, Sharp was a video journalist, with experience in TV, radio and newspaper reporting. Now, he's the public relations coordinator at The Idaho Foodbank, where he manages media outreach and communication for the non-profit. Having been on both sides of the playing field, Sharp understands PR pros' opportunity to provide valuable content and align themselves as an ally and resource for journalists covering their industry. Here are Sharp's 6 tips for earning more media coverage. Present the news angle immediately. Check your press release headline for "nonsense" or unnecessary language, says Sharp. In order to draw eyes from media – and prevent a move to the virtual trash bin – headlines need to immediately provoke and inform. Show relevancy, recommends Sharp, by focusing on how your story impacts people beyond your company or organization. "Who does it impact? How does it touch the heart, affect the pocketbook, or put health at risk?" he says, thinking of questions he had to answer as a journalist pitching editors and crafting stories. 
Package the story. "Journalists are now expected to turn out three to four stories a day – if not more – and everyone is short-staffed," says Sharp. "They want your release to be more effective." By packaging your content well, with a relevant and relatable headline, quotes that speak to the impact, and multimedia, "you can help build the story for them," he says. "Show them what it could look like." Keep in mind, though, that journalists will be using these assets to complement, not replace, their reporting. Make your multimedia and content easy to adapt and include a media contact who is immediately available to answer questions and provide additional information. Cultivate relationships. Be a resource first, Sharp says. "Position yourself as a source, before you have a press release you need covered." Reach out to journalists covering your industry to let them know you're an accessible expert who’s willing to help. They're more likely to come to you if you put yourself out there, he added. Then, when you do have a release you want them to cover, don't just pitch the content or your brand. "Connect the journalist with a person your news is impacting directly – put the story in their hands." It's a great relationship builder, he says. If you're looking for another avenue to connect with the media, tools like ProfNet can help you find opportunities to respond to journalists’ queries and showcase your expertise. Connect the dots. Once you build the relationship, you have to tune in and listen, says Sharp. The biggest struggle he's faced in making the move over to PR is figuring out how each news outlet needs to be pitched. "They are all different," he says. "You have to individualize – there isn't just one way." Do the legwork to figure out what a specific journalist needs and likes, and listen when you do talk to them. Do they only want hard news? Are they looking for good feature stories? Reporters change beats often, too. So it's important to doublecheck they’re on a beat that’s relevant to your story. You have to be able to connect the dots from your news to their needs. Follow up. After putting out a press release, Sharp advises following up with a personalized message that reinforces your relevance via the journalist's preferred communications channel (email, phone, social media). In your outreach, show your impact and news angle quickly, similar to writing a good headline. "Can you tie yourself into a story without it being forced? You have to get to them in a way that doesn't feel like noise," Sharp says. Sum up why your news matters in quick bullets, which are easier to consume on the receiving end. Ask questions. If you're not getting replies or coverage, "don't be afraid to ask why," says Sharp. Sometimes it's just the nature of the news. Something timelier may have come up that meant your news was pushed aside. But, it may be that you're not being explicit in communicating your relevance. By asking why, you may find the missing puzzle piece for generating more media buzz around your brand's news. Download our guide Redefining Newsworthiness: New Opportunities to Earn Media & Attention to get more tips and examples of brands that reassessed their story and earned valuable media coverage. Author Anna Jasinski is an audience relations manager at PR Newswire. Follow her on Twitter at @annamjasinski for more on PR, content best practices & social media. | 
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