May
9, 2016

5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

As a startup, one of the biggest hurdles you’re going to face is building an initial reputation. With zero customers, zero brand recognition and little in the way of capital you could use to bolster your image, you’ll have to rely on alternative outlets and inexpensive tactics to give you early traction. One of the best ways to do this is by getting your startup featured in media coverage^[1], but doing that is often easier said than done.

Related: 5 Pro Tips for a Successful Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Campaign^[2]

The benefits of media coverage

Getting your business covered, or at least mentioned, in high-profile news articles or other publications can be a massive benefit for your brand:

• Brand visibility and reputation. First and foremost, you’ll get your brand recognized by a wider range of people, and you’ll start getting noticed as more of a major player or thought leader, especially if you’re covered consistently over time.
• User acquisition. The mere mention of your brand name can lead more people to your website and social media accounts, facilitating your user acquisition strategy immensely.
• Investor and partner interest. In your early stages, you may also attract partners, vendors and investors to your startup — without having to hunt them down yourself.
• Talent and recruitment. Successful startups depend on successful teams, and your media exposure may help you naturally attract more talent to your business.

How to get media coverage

Use these tactics to get more media exposure for your startup:

1. Submit a press release.

This is the fastest, and some may argue easiest, way to get media exposure for your brand. The first key (and biggest challenge) is to find a newsworthy event for your startup. If you’re literally starting up, you could do a piece about your launch; otherwise, you could write about a recent funding round, a major milestone or a big event coming up for your company.