Build genuine relationships before you ever pitch. Earned media runs on trust, and trust takes time. Instead of blasting emails, follow the writers, read what they actually care about, engage with their work, and become part of their world. The real win comes when your story feels like a natural fit, not a forced ask.
If you're starting with earned media, ensure that you focus on building authentic relationships with journalists and influencers. It's tempting to chase quick wins, but trust is the foundation of success. When I began, I focused on understanding what makes a story resonate here, local trends, cultural nuances, and timely issues matter. The most important thing to focus on is crafting compelling, genuine narratives that align with your audience's values. Don't just pitch; listen to what journalists need and tailor your approach accordingly. Be patient persistent, and always deliver value, whether it's exclusive insights or a fresh angle. My early days taught me that a single, well-placed story can outweigh a dozen rushed pitches. Stay curious, keep learning, and don't shy away from feedback. It sharpens your skills. Earned media is about storytelling that feels human, not forced. Build those connections, and the results will follow naturally over time.
Focus on relationships—genuinely. Not the transactional kind where you ping a journalist with a templated pitch and hope for a miracle, but real conversations, built over time. I remember working with a founder at spectup who was obsessed with getting TechCrunch coverage. Every week, he sent cold emails with no context, no rapport, just a "Hey, cover us" type of message. It was painful. We had to pause and ask, "Why would they care?" So instead, we started engaging with journalists on Twitter, commenting thoughtfully on their articles, even sending a quick "loved your piece" email without any pitch. Six weeks later, that same journalist came to us, curious about what we were building. Earned media isn't earned by shouting the loudest—it's earned by showing up consistently, having something meaningful to say, and actually understanding what makes a story newsworthy for the person on the other side. Also, timing. If your product isn't ready or your story's half-baked, wait. At spectup, we often tell founders not to chase press until they have something truly useful or exciting to say—one well-placed piece beats five fluff mentions. So yeah, slow down, build trust, and remember: the media owes you nothing. You've got to earn it, literally.
The best advice I'd give someone starting out in earned media is to stop trying to pitch everything and start building real relationships. Editors and journalists don't want generic outreach they want relevance and value. What helped me early on was picking a niche and becoming genuinely useful in that space whether it was through insights data or commentary. If you focus on being a source not just a self promoter your pitches will land more often. The most important thing is consistency. One good feature can open doors but showing up regularly with high quality input is what keeps them coming back.
One piece of advice I'd give to someone just starting out in earned media is to focus on building genuine relationships and providing real value before asking for coverage. As an SEO Content Writer, I've learned that the most important thing is to understand your target audience and the media outlets or influencers that serve them, then craft tailored, relevant stories or pitches that resonate. Prioritize authenticity and consistency over quick wins—because trust and credibility are what turn one-time mentions into ongoing earned media success.
If you're just getting started in earned media, the most important thing to focus on is specificity. Generic stories don't get picked up—distinctive ones do. Early on, I fell into the trap of chasing volume over value, thinking more pitches would equal more wins. But the real traction came when I took the time to deeply understand the audience of the publication and tailored every pitch to the outlet's voice, their recent coverage, and what their readers actually care about. Editors aren't looking for you to promote your brand; they're looking for something their audience will thank them for sharing. That means your job is to make their job easier—do the research, bring them something with a strong angle, and always connect it to a larger trend or insight. Earned media is a long game, but if you treat it like building real relationships—not just backlinks—you'll start seeing compounding returns.
I got more than $4,500 in bookings in less than 48 hours from one mention in the news by doing something that most people don't do: making a story so newsworthy that it sounded like a segment pitch instead of an ad for my business. I quickly learned that the media doesn't care about your business; they care about the story when I started my private driver service in Mexico City. So I didn't try to sell my service. I brought up the issue of why wealthy tourists were staying away from local drivers even though luxury tourism was booming after the pandemic. I based the story on worries about safety, cultural differences, and the fact that there weren't many trustworthy, bilingual options for VIP guests. That got me more than just a mention. What changed? I supported it with data from within the company. I showed that 60% of the 72 wealthy clients I talked to specifically asked for bilingual drivers because they were worried about safety and communication. That number told a bigger story, and that's what the news outlets ran with. Don't chase coverage if you're just starting out. Make insights that no one else has. Journalists don't want to promote you; they want to know things that only you can tell them. That's how you get coverage that works.
When I started in earned media, I quickly realized that patience and genuine relationships matter more than quick wins. My advice is to focus on building trust with journalists and influencers by understanding their audience and needs—this means doing your homework before pitching. Early on, I spent hours tailoring each message instead of sending mass emails, and it paid off with better coverage and lasting connections. Also, don't chase every opportunity; prioritize quality over quantity. One well-placed story can open more doors than a dozen generic mentions. Finally, measure the impact beyond just media hits—track how coverage moves your key business goals. That mindset helped me turn earned media from a checkbox into a strategic growth lever.