Episode 184: New to PR? 3 Ways to Get the Media's Attention
Want to land media coverage without hiring a PR agency, paying for ads, or having industry connections? In this episode, PR expert Gloria Chou shares the exact framework that has helped thousands of small business owners get featured in Forbes, The New York Times, Marie Claire, and more—without spending a cent.
You’ll discover the 3 C’s of cold pitching—Consideration, Compliment, and Confidence—and how to use them to write pitches that actually get opened, read, and responded to. Whether you're launching a product, pitching a story, or building brand visibility, these tips work—even if you're just starting out.
✅ How to Pitch Journalists: Master the 3 C’s to Get Free Press and Stay on Trend
How to use the 3 C’s of pitching: Consideration, Compliment, and Confidence
How to find the right journalist for your niche using free PR tools
Why subject lines matter—and how to write one like a headline
How to use specific compliments to build journalist relationships
How to show up with confidence as a solution—not as someone begging for attention
How to pitch seasonally and stay relevant with trending topics
You don’t need ads, connections, or a blue check to get featured in top media. What you need is a PR strategy rooted in empathy, relevance, and confidence. In this episode, Gloria Chou reveals how to write cold pitches that convert—so you can land press, grow your brand, and get seen as the expert you are.
Product Businesses! Download my free HOW TO GET INTO A GIFT GUIDE/PRODUCT ROUND UP roadmap for free HERE to get more sales and traffic to your site this season.
If you want to land your first feature for free without any connections, I want to invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought-after industry expert. Register now at www.gloriachoupr.com/masterclass.
Resources Mentioned:
Join the PR Secrets Masterclass
Join the Small Biz PR Pros Facebook Group
DM the word “PITCH” to us on Instagram to get a pitching freebie https://www.instagram.com/gloriachoupr
Connect with Gloria Chou on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloriaychou
Join Gloria Chou's PR Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/428633254951941
CPR Pitch Framework (Credibility, POV, Relevance)
Source of Sources – HARO Alternative
Perplexity AI – Journalist Research Tool
Additional Resources:
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TRANsCRIPT
00:00:00 Gloria: What's up, small business heroes? Welcome back to another episode of Small Business PR where we make PR and marketing super accessible for the everyday small business hero. Now you've heard me talk so many times about how to approach a journalist, and we have had so many success stories of thousands of really tiny following product owners and service providers get featured in the world's top magazines, podcast stages without pay to play and without knowing the journalist. And that is using my CPR method: credibility, point of view, and relevance. So if you haven't mastered that yet, go to gloriachoupr.com/1 to listen to my signature cold pitching framework.
00:00:35 Gloria: But today, we're gonna talk about the three elements of the energy, the frequency, and hacks you need to have to get that yes from a journalist. The three C's that you need to have with every pitch, with every interaction, whether it's with a supplier or a person on the other side who's judging whether or not you're gonna get an award or a journalist are these three. You want consideration, you wanna give them a compliment, and you wanna have confidence. So let's talk about the first one.
00:00:59 Gloria: The first C is Consideration. Are you considering if that journalist is actually writing that beat? You wanna do your diligence. You wanna know if the journalist is covering health, if you do something health related. If you do food and wine and they make products that are not anything that's consumable, maybe that's not the right pitch. Right? You wanna be super considerate if you are pitching the right journalist. And how do you find that out?
00:01;21 Gloria: So in our PR program, obviously, we have a database that's updated and a global database of over 127 different niches of all the journalists, and I give you really granular and specific insight as to what they cover. But you can start finding journalists on a couple things. So you can sign up at sourceofsources.com, which is a new HARO. And every day, they will ping you with all the journalists' requests. So, obviously, respond to the one that fits you and consider whether or not you are the right person to speak for it.
00:01:46 Gloria: Now a lot of times, we tend to pigeonhole ourselves. If we do something in beauty, we think, well, all we can talk about is makeup and cosmetics, and that's not true. Maybe you can talk about something with parenting if you're also a mom. If you have something that's formulated with clean, ethical, nontoxic chemicals, maybe something about sustainability.
00:02:05 Gloria: So think about not just your [inaudible] and niche, but consider some of the other adjacent industries or topics that you can talk about as well. So that's what I mean by consideration.
00:02:13 Gloria: Another important part about consideration is considering the journalist audience. So what are they looking for that season? Now, my CPR method teaches you how to pitch not with your benefits and features, with relevance because that's what journalists want. They want a relevant pitch for that season. So if you make something like a sweater, you're probably not gonna pitch it in the summertime. If you make skincare that's super heavy and luxurious, you're probably gonna wanna pitch it Q4 or Q1when it's cold and not for summertime.
00:02:40 Gloria: So think about being considerate as to what people are looking for, what are their trends, what are the solutions that you can provide for that season, for that holiday, for that point in time? That's what I mean by consideration. It is probably the most important thing of all when you are pitching, considering what the journalist writes and how you can be a solution at that point in time for the audience.
00:03:01 Gloria: Now I know you probably make more than one product. You might have so many things. But the point of getting a yes from a journalist is being very specific. Again, you're not a McDonald's and you're not for everyone all the time. So even if you make a ton of product, think about the one to three products or a bundle that's perfect for that season, whether it's mother's day gift guide or it's a Q4 or it's a summertime thing or it's for travel minis, be considerate of that.
00:03:24 Gloria: Also, when I say consideration, I want you to be considerate of a journalist's time. What does that mean? It means that you are not sending blocks and blocks and blocks of paragraphs and all these attachments that's going to trigger the spam filter. My CPR method tells you exactly the anatomy of the pitch so you can keep it short, succinct, and to the point. You want the subject line to be very considerate, which means the subject line should say exactly what it is.
00:03:45 Gloria: For example, samples available. Three, you know, inclusive plus size swimwear for all body types under a hundred dollars. You see how that reads like an article? That is a considerate subject line, and don't hide it. A lot of people are saying, “Well, I am a skincare expert, and I have three tips for wintertime.” Well, then you don't tell them what the tips are. So be considerate and don't bury it. Right? That's what I mean by being considerate.
00:04:08 Gloria: Another way you can be considerate if you are writing, if you are pitching for a product roundup to get featured in a listicle or a shopping guide or a best of is to consider putting in all of the nooks and crannies and all the things about your product. So the price point, where it's sold, do you offer samples? What about shipping? Is it made to order? All of those things. Right? Is it available on your website? And, also, if you do have an affiliate link like a win or ShareSale or on Amazon, put that in there as well.
00:04:35 Gloria: Be considerate. That's really what I mean, and that's really how we're able to get a yes from that journalist who doesn't know us is by being considerate of all of these things. And I teach that in my program so that you can make a perfect pitch and get a yes so that you can get featured over and over again to get that beautiful SEO that’s gonna build that trust with your audience.
00:04:55 Gloria: The second thing, which is the second C, which is Compliment. Now this is a hack I love to use because journalists are people. Right? They're people, so stroke their ego. Show them that not only have you read their writing, but that you actually love what they wrote.
00:05:08 Gloria: So if you make outdoor gear and you're pitching to someone for an outdoor magazine and that journalist writes about that, you might say something like, “I love that roundup you did of the best outdoor bikes. I actually bought one for my daughter, and she loved it.” You see how beautiful that is? It's a beautiful way to start your email with a compliment that also shows that you have considered what they write about.
000:05:28 Gloria: Compliments go a long way, especially if it's genuine. Not just a blanket compliment like, “Hey. I love your writing.” Right? Be specific. And it's very easy. You can just Google or use Perplexity.ai, which is my new favorite AI enabled Google. I think it's better than Google search now. And you can type in who are the people who usually write about these topics, and then you can start to go down the rabbit hole.
00:05:47 Gloria: If they give you a journalist and you can ask it, “Okay, what are the latest articles?” And then you can reference that article when you give a compliment. I love that whether it's for email, whether it's for DM. It's a beautiful icebreaker that lets them to lean in and to show that you've done your research.
00:06:04 Gloria: Now the third C in the way that you can reach a journalist, three hacks, if you will. The third one is Confidence, not desperation. Now I teach you how to be confident in my program to empower you and give you access to the top 1% of journalists. But confidence can also be something that is the way that you speak.
00:06:21 Gloria: So which if you are pitching in the DMs or in email, we don't wanna do is beg or be pushy or just keep pestering them. What you wanna do is be confident that you are providing a solution for their audience. Right? I don't care if you make fidget spinners or if you make a mouse pad. You probably started this business to solve a problem. So lean into that confidence.
00:06:41 Gloria: Instead of saying, “Please feature us, we cannot have the budget to afford an ad” or, you know, “We just wanna make sales,” or “Please help us fill our Kickstarter goal goal.” The journalist doesn't care about that. Be confident and say, “Hey. I know that your readers are looking for lingerie that is plus size, and they can't find it online, and that's why I have a solution for them.” Or “I make inclusive beauty and for all melanin skin tones.”
00:07:03 Gloria: We have people in our program who actually makes all these products, and we have someone who makes nipple and breast covering tape and shapewear for all different colors. You see how confident that is. Right? You're basically solving a problem. Or you can say, “As we get into graduation season, XYZ is trending.” Or you can say, “As we get into the bridal season, I'm noticing this shift.” So be confident. You are an authority because you created something and you know about your customers.
00:07:27 Gloria: Tap into that. You have vessels of information. You can pull them. You can share insights in a way that the journalist will never be able to do. So use that to your advantage. Talk about what your customers are seeing. Talk about their pain points. Talk about what's best selling right now. What ingredients are happening? What are the trends? And that's what I mean by the third C, which is Confidence.
00:07:48 Gloria: So there you have it. The three C's of getting a yes from the journalist. I want you to lean into all three. And please check out my free PR Master Class, which shows you exactly how to write a pitch, and that's from thousands of times where I cold pitch hacking the system, and now you can do the same. I've had people watch this training and get featured right away, so go to gloriachou.com/masterclass. That's Gloria C-H-O-U pr.com/masterclass to get featured right away.
00:08:13 Gloria: And, again, this is purely organic, powerful earned media that gives you SEO. This is not pay to play. This is not you giving an influencer thousands of dollars in free product. This is you positioning yourself with such a good pitch that the journalist has to say, “Yes. I'm willing to include you.”
00:08:28 Gloria: That's it for today. Watch my PR master class. And if you know of another small biz owner who you know deserves to be seen, heard, and valued, please send them this podcast episode. And I would so appreciate it if you can leave a rating and review. Thank you so much for being here.
00:08:44 Gloria: Hey, small business hero. Did you know that you can get featured for free on outlets like Forbes, The New York Times, Marie Claire, PopSugar, and so many more even if you are not yet launched or if you don't have any connection? That's right. That's why I invite you to watch my PR secrets masterclass where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought after industry expert.
00:09:12 Gloria: Now if you wanna land your first press feature, get on a podcast, secure a VIP speaking gig, or just reach out to that very intimidating editor, this class will show you exactly how to do it. Register now at gloriachou.com/masterclass. That's Gloria Chou, C-H-O-U-pr.com/masterclass so you can get featured in thirty days without spending a penny on ads or agencies. Best of all, this is completely free, so get in there, and let's get you featured.