1. Start off by write a list of the publications (online and offline) and news outlets of where your ideal client ‘hangs out’. Of course, Startups Magazine will be top of the list!  If you are struggling to work this out, you can ask up to 10 clients, past and present, which newspapers, magazines, blogs etc. they watch, read, and listen to. You may find a common thread there… again Startups Magazine may be the golden common thread!

Once I asked this question and quite a few people read the local parish magazine! Going local is always a brilliant place to start, and you could even ask if you could write a monthly column or a six part series for the local magazine.

The editor may be really pleased to have such an esteemed expert in the village!

2. Once you have a good list of outlets where your ideal client hangs out, my next piece of advice is to go to the magazine aisles in the supermarket and take note what you see and buy the ones that are relevant to your client base (for both leisure and work). I love doing this – I find it a mouthwatering experience. It is so inspirational to pick up the target magazines and to leaf through them and to imagine that one day soon you may feature in one.

Next job from the selection you have, pick out your two ‘dream publications’ (and obviously the ones most frequently mentioned by your clients that they read), buy them and get to know them inside out (one journalist told me to get to know the publication ‘forensically’).

You may want to do this for a month or two so that you can get used to the layout and the journalists writing the pieces.

If it’s not magazines or printed matter but podcasts, radio, or TV…do the same – tune in and listen for a good few weeks so you get used to the format and you will be ‘visioning’ where you will fit in.

3. Prepare your press kit or bio. You can see my press kit here as an example that works. The minute you have your bio prepared then you can go in and approach your dream targets.

I recommend keeping your bio (or press kit) to one page as people are so busy and may not click down to the next page, so try to keep all the essential info short and sweet.

Ideas on what you should include in your bio if you are positioning yourself as an expert:

• Any awards you may have won
• A good head and shoulders shot
• Topics or key notes you talk on
• Affiliations you are connected with
• Testimonials
• Press logos
• You can even mention if you wish, your social reach eg X followers 10,000, Instagram: 15,000 etc. This will give reassurance that you already have a great tribe with whom you could share details about the forthcoming appearance – everyone wants more eyeballs even the press for their readership/listening figures and this could help out when pitching!

4. So the next step when you have your bio all ready for sending, go back to those magazines/radio shows and refresh your memory about why you should appear there, in which section, and why the audience would relish your story, expert tips, or thought-leadership. Once you are fully prepared and have been getting on the radar of the dream journalist contact for a few weeks (this involves liking or sharing their instafeed/tweets etc) do your approach.

5. Doing the outreach stage, check out on LinkedIn, X, or BlueSky what the journalist is writing about that week and where it resonates, compliment their work (be sure to check that when you do pitch, they are not on holiday as this will be a wasted opportunity) and say: “Expert available for comment on travel/small business/whatever your expertise is.

My clients do this and are frequently securing quality features in leading media outlets, so step out of the wilderness and get major visibility for your personal brand.

Good luck and let me know who you get on!

For more startup news, check out the other articles on the website, and subscribe to the magazine for free. Listen to The Cereal Entrepreneur podcast for more interviews with entrepreneurs and big-hitters in the startup ecosystem.