When you get an interview, don’t ask the reporter to print your website address in their article – you’ll just annoy them. They’re already giving you free publicity, and if you start pushing then they will do what comes naturally and push back.
Instead, give them a good reason to include your website URL in their story. Here are 5 different ways…
1. Identify your company by your URL. Instead of saying your company is My Really Cool Company, call it MyReallyCoolCompany.com.
2. Offer free information at your website. For example, if you’re a plumber then it could be a free report on “How Not to Get Ripped Off When You Hire a Plumber.” If you’re teaching people to make money from home, it could be “10 Businesses You Can Start For Under $100 and Run From Home.”
3. Offer a free service at your website.
4. Offer free software, free cheat sheets, a free quiz to determine if they have “x” problem, etc.
5. Hook them in the interview, reel them in on the website. Give the reporter several tips on how to solve a problem, and then tell him that his audience can find 17 more tips at your website.
Your goal is to make the reporter WANT to share your URL, rather than begging them to share it. This can make a difference in whether or not your website address makes it into the article as well as the effort the reporter makes in sending readers there. And when you provide the right incentive you’ll also find that far more of the audience members find their way to your website.
