PR is hard. It's taken us 9 years of learning, experimenting, and tweaking, but with over 500 publications in 2021 alone, we feel that we've cracked the code of getting noticed online.
And we want to share it all with you.
Some may know that we at Truesix take biannual workations – we take a week off from our regular tasks, travel somewhere new, and work on something for us (rather than the work for clients that regularly makes up our hours).
This year, that project was putting together a collection of resources for DIY PR. Everything we know, all in downloadable, easy-to-use templates and lists. Ranging from templates for email pitches we've used to get published in TechCrunch and Forbes, to full media lists for journalists in different niche's, like startups and 5G.
All of these resources are available for download in our store.
Ready to get into it?
1. “The art of business blogging” ebook
Our magnum opus – the step-by-step guide to writing a kick-ass, well-performing, conversions-driven blog post.
The format is simple: there are 10 lessons, each lesson is followed by a task.
With each task you get closer and closer to your perfectly-crafted blog post. And in the end? You're invited to send it over to the Truesix team for feedback on the piece, followed by a 1 hour consultation!
As full-service as an ebook can get.
We cover:
- How to come up with consistently great topics that your readers care about
- How to perform basic keyword research
- How to structure your blog post so that your readers stay interested to the end
- How to start writing. Tips and methods to get the content out and onto paper
- Copywriting and language hacks that instantly elevate your writing
- How to format your post for the modern, lazy, online reader
- How to write a headline that grabs attention and doesn't let go
- How to edit your blog post so that it looks polished and professional
- Distributing your blog post to drive traffic
Here we put in all of our knowledge to building the perfect blog post. It's a labour of love, and we truly believe that when followed, you'll end up with a stunning result.
Why buy copywriting, when you can learn the skills yourself?
Our ebook is available for download here.
2. Press release pitching template
If you want to see the exact press release templates we used to get Printful in TechCrunch and DeskTime into FastCompany, then you're in luck.
Get the template for yourself – download it for free!
3. Press release template – startup funding rounds and startup news
To send your news to a journalist you need a press release – the industry go-to format for sharing big news.
We've put together an easy-to-use template that's built specifically with startup funding rounds in mind.
It can also be tweaked to be used for any other startup news, which can look like collaboration with other major businesses, growth news, and more. The possibilities are endless – literally.
Download the startup press release template for free.
4. Media lists
It goes without saying that if you have news that you want covered, you have to get in touch with someone (a journalist, an editor, a newsroom) to ask them to cover it.
That's where media lists come in.
You'll know, if you've ever tried – putting together a list of media from a specific industry is easier said than done, let alone finding specific journalists that write for that media outlet!
We've been building media lists in various tech niches for years, and are happy to share them with you, to accelerate the time you go from idea to publication. Here are the different industry lists we have available, along with the links to download them:
- Startup media list
- Ecommerce media list
- EdTech media list
- Drone media list
- Fintech media list
- Telecommunications industry media list
Choose the industry you're interested in, download the spreadsheet, and pitch away!
5. Journalists to follow on Twitter for easy* publicity
*potentially
One way to snag some easy publicity for yourself, your business, or your product, is to follow journalists on Twitter.
Every once in a while, they tweet out a request for a quote for a story they're working on. If you can provide a relevant and thoughtful quote, then you may very well be featured in their story!
This is a low-effort, low success rate, but potentially high-yield activity. If you're someone that checks Twitter regularly already, then this might be an easy way to get that low-hanging fruit.
Get our list of journalists to follow on Twitter here.
6. No-pitch media websites for easy publicity
Writing isn't an easy thing to do, and it's even harder to get that writing published on a media outlet.
What is also known as guest blogging is a well-known approach to increasing your visibility, growing authority, improving SEO, and driving traffic to your site.
It's a great tactic. The problem is that it's difficult to implement. It's hard to get editors to notice you, for them to agree to your topic, and get published on their site.
But there are some websites out there that have a much lower barrier of entry – a self-service publishing approach.
We've put together a list of websites where you can submit your articles directly. Much easier.
Plus, it will give you the experience (and portfolio!) to support you in subsequent pitches!
Get the list of no-pitch websites here.
7. How to pitch a guest blog post – pitch template
Guest blogging is one way to gain exposure using your knowledge of a certain topic and personal experience as the main selling point. This is ideal for times when you want media attention, but you're in between funding rounds, or simply don't have any major news on the horizon.
We've used this method to land publicity in Business Insider, The Next Web, and many more.
Get the free template for pitching guest blog posts here.
8. List of websites that accept guest blogs
Before you start writing a guest blog post, it's probably a good idea to have an idea who you'll be pitching it to.
Unfortunately, not all media outlets accepts guest posts, and each outlet that does accept them has different requirements.
We've put together a list of media outlets that we've come across that accept blog posts, complete with any provided instructions on what their requirements are.
Get the list of guest-post accepting websites here.
Happy writing!
9. Pitch template for pitching a journalist your story
For every business niche there's a journalist who covers just that. These are the people that are worth getting to know, because they're the ones who are most likely to write about you and your business.
Once you've found them, you have to write to them with your story.
How do you do that?
Well, you act like a human, be courteous, and succinctly explain why your story is something they should be interested in.
This is easier said than done, but we've put together a template you can use to approach journalists without seeming like an asshole.
Get the journalist pitch template here for free.
10. How to get featured on a podcast – 3 pitch templates
Podcasts are a force to be reckoned with – as a rising media format, podcasts are another way to get noticed – get in front of a new audience, grow your thought leadership, and increase your visibility.
There are a few ways you can get in on the podcast fun, and we've got a pitch template for every one of them:
- Become a podcast guest pitch template – this is when you, personally, are offering yourself as the guest speaker
- Offer a guest to be interviewed – for when you're reaching out to a podcast in lieu of someone else (a client, a boss, a manager, etc.)
- Offer a topic to be covered – for when the podcast covers news stories without having a guest speak about them (yes, we have had these sorts of situations come up)
So all that's left for you to do is find the podcast you'd like to be featured in, the interesting person or angle, and then pitch away!
Header image courtesy of Sarah Pflug.
December 29, 2021
ByJulia Gifford
In