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On Thursday November 22, I attended the Globe & Mail Small Business Summit at the MaRS Discovery District – http:\/\/toronto.smallbusiness-summit.ca\/<\/a> .\u00a0 It was a great day full of insight and networking, I would recommend you attend next year.<\/p>\nOften, I\u2019m asked by small business owners on how to get their name \u201cout-there\u201d and get some PR or media coverage. \u00a0\u00a0Of course, on a limited budget, this can be difficult.\u00a0 Well, one of the session\u2019s at the Small Business Summit was a \u201cDragon\u2019s Den-Like\u201d panel consisting of Globe and Mail Small Business Editor Sean Stanleigh, Ivor Tossell , tech journalist and Marivel Taruc, CBC news broadcaster.<\/p>\n
The purpose of this session was to understand how to pitch your business or idea to a media outlet, be it web, print or TV and get some media coverage. \u00a0\u00a0There were 5 entrepreneurs that were pitching their business.<\/p>\n
Each pitch was given 3 minutes!\u00a0 That\u2019s it!\u00a0 And they had to do it in front of the panel and approximately 250 people!<\/p>\n
Money was not the reward for the winning pitch, instead, it was a feature story in the Globe & Mail Small Business section.<\/p>\n
I commend all the participants for pitching their businesses; not an easy task to stand there and get critiqued.\u00a0 The panel gave some great feedback and below I captured 4 main points.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
How-to-Pitch Your Business to the Media<\/strong><\/h3>\n1) Relevance to\u00a0current news stories<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you can tie your business into a current story in the news (past or future stories work too), it gives the media outlet more reason to consider your business because they can tie it to that lead story and \u201cride-the-wave\u201d.\u00a0 For example, perhaps you are a software company that develops voting software for elections.\u00a0 If there was a news story about voting mishaps during a recent election, that gives your business some leverage.<\/p>\n
2) Hard numbers<\/strong><\/p>\nMaking statements out of thin-air does not help your cause.\u00a0 If you say you are the largest distributor of baseball gloves in Canada, you better have some hard unbiased stats that show this.\u00a0 The media is in the business of reporting \u2013 truthful and honest reporting.\u00a0 So, you can\u2019t make claims that are business goals, they have to be reality.\u00a0 The media\u2019s reputation is on the line.<\/p>\n
3) What makes you different<\/strong><\/p>\nMedia outlets, according to this panel, get hundreds of requests for stories per month. To be able to \u201csell\u201d their respective stories, they want to provide fresh stories to their audience that are unique.\u00a0 So, if you can identify why YOUR BUSINESS is different, that will put you ahead of the other hundreds of requests.\u00a0 \u00a0Perhaps you make custom jewellery, but you use materials from developing communities around the world (like www.imoniq.com<\/a>).\u00a0 This can be distinctive because your business\u00a0 is supporting developing entrepreneurial communities around the world –\u00a0 a sense of social entrepreneurialism.<\/p>\n\u00a04) Identify some challenges<\/strong><\/p>\nDon\u2019t pretend your business is perfect and has no challenges or competitors.\u00a0 Remember, media wants to tell a story, so, if your small business isn\u2019t strong enough to hold a story on its own, identify the problem and challenges surrounding it.\u00a0 This way the media outlet can introduce your business by telling a story about those problems and challenges facing the community or society in general. For example, perhaps you provide counseling to youth.\u00a0 If you identified trends about kids who are experiencing anxiety, perhaps, if you connected your business to \u201cbullying\u201d in schools, you could get some traction.
\nReal Growth for Real Business.<\/p>\n
Reality Business Consulting is creative Internet Marketing Company in Toronto that works with business owners one-on-on to get found online and generate sales with their Internet Marketing Strategy. We produce real and measureable results to grow your business by using proven marketing, website, social media and SEO principles to attract new customers.<\/p>\n
I am George Giantsopoulos, the principle of Reality Consulting.\u00a0 I am an experienced marketing professional, presenter, philanthropist and an accomplished entrepreneur myself.\u00a0 Through my hands-on experience of already successfully starting a business from scratch and my extensive marketing experience, I provide unique and knowledgeable insight for any business.<\/p>\n
Check out my full BIO or Learn more about my marketing expertise by reading my blog at: http:\/\/www.realityconsulting.ca\/be-real-blog\/ or by following me on Twitter at: https:\/\/twitter.com\/Reality_Consult<\/p>\n
If you can tie your business into a current story in the news (past or future stories work too), it gives the media outlet more reason to consider your business because they can tie it to that lead story and \u201cride-the-wave\u201d.\u00a0 For example, perhaps you are a software company that develops voting software for elections.\u00a0 If there was a news story about voting mishaps during a recent election, that gives your business some leverage.<\/p>\n
2) Hard numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n Making statements out of thin-air does not help your cause.\u00a0 If you say you are the largest distributor of baseball gloves in Canada, you better have some hard unbiased stats that show this.\u00a0 The media is in the business of reporting \u2013 truthful and honest reporting.\u00a0 So, you can\u2019t make claims that are business goals, they have to be reality.\u00a0 The media\u2019s reputation is on the line.<\/p>\n 3) What makes you different<\/strong><\/p>\n Media outlets, according to this panel, get hundreds of requests for stories per month. To be able to \u201csell\u201d their respective stories, they want to provide fresh stories to their audience that are unique.\u00a0 So, if you can identify why YOUR BUSINESS is different, that will put you ahead of the other hundreds of requests.\u00a0 \u00a0Perhaps you make custom jewellery, but you use materials from developing communities around the world (like www.imoniq.com<\/a>).\u00a0 This can be distinctive because your business\u00a0 is supporting developing entrepreneurial communities around the world –\u00a0 a sense of social entrepreneurialism.<\/p>\n \u00a04) Identify some challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t pretend your business is perfect and has no challenges or competitors.\u00a0 Remember, media wants to tell a story, so, if your small business isn\u2019t strong enough to hold a story on its own, identify the problem and challenges surrounding it.\u00a0 This way the media outlet can introduce your business by telling a story about those problems and challenges facing the community or society in general. For example, perhaps you provide counseling to youth.\u00a0 If you identified trends about kids who are experiencing anxiety, perhaps, if you connected your business to \u201cbullying\u201d in schools, you could get some traction. Reality Business Consulting is creative Internet Marketing Company in Toronto that works with business owners one-on-on to get found online and generate sales with their Internet Marketing Strategy. We produce real and measureable results to grow your business by using proven marketing, website, social media and SEO principles to attract new customers.<\/p>\n I am George Giantsopoulos, the principle of Reality Consulting.\u00a0 I am an experienced marketing professional, presenter, philanthropist and an accomplished entrepreneur myself.\u00a0 Through my hands-on experience of already successfully starting a business from scratch and my extensive marketing experience, I provide unique and knowledgeable insight for any business.<\/p>\n Check out my full BIO or Learn more about my marketing expertise by reading my blog at: http:\/\/www.realityconsulting.ca\/be-real-blog\/ or by following me on Twitter at: https:\/\/twitter.com\/Reality_Consult<\/p>\n
\nReal Growth for Real Business.<\/p>\n