How to Get a Story About You or Your Business in USA Today

I am often asked by clients to target USA Today for media coverage, and with good reason: USA Today coverage can have a significant impact on businesses and organizations. Here's why:

1. Circulation of USA Today: USA Today is the largest U.S. daily newspaper, with a Monday through Thursday circulation of over two million, and a Friday circulation of 2.7 million.

2. Additional Media Coverage Resulting from a Story in USA Today: Many media outlets -- TV in particular -- follow USA Today stories closely and do TV segments based on USA Today articles. So, if you're featured in USA Today, there's a good chance you'll receive coverage in other media outlets.

What are USA Today journalists looking for?

Here are some tips:

1. Hop on the hot news story. Sometimes, there's one story that the news is focusing on heavily (Hurricane Katrina, the Runaway Bride, etc.). Many times there are ways for your business to tie into the news of the day, which is pretty much all the media wants to cover. For instance, Hurricane Katrina is a hot news story at the time of this writing. In a USA Today story on gas prices related to Hurricane Katrina, a small business, gasbuddy.com, was quoted. In a story related to the financial impact of Katrina, a small business, Stone & Youngberg, a firm that deals in municipal securities, was included as a source.

2. Tie your business or organization into a current trend. USA Today rarely profiles individual businesses or organizations. But they will often include you in a larger trend story. For instance, if you make diamond jewelry for babies, you may not get your own business profile, but you may be included in a larger trend story about companies that offer "Baby Bling," according to Lifestyle Editor Kim Willis.

3. Offer several sources, notes Small Business Reporter Jim Hopkins. You may have a great trend idea, but if it's hard for the reporters to find sources, the story idea may die. Offering sources is one way to make the story happen -- and you can control the names you give.

So if you are looking for great media coverage, consider focusing on USA Today.

Copyright 2005 ? Margie Fisher

Margie Fisher is president of Margie Fisher Public Relations. This information was excerpted from her Special Report "How To Get a Story About You or Your Business in USA Today," available at http://www.margiefisher.com. You can also learn about her Pay for Results Publicity Program? and her free biweekly PRactical P.R. newsletter at http://www.margiefisher.com.

best cleaning company Highland Park ..
In The News:

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.
MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.
The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.
Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.
Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.
Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.
Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.
Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.
Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.
Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.
Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.
Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.
New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.
A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.
AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.
A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.
New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.
Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.
Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.
Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.
Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

PR: The Thrill of a Good Idea

The notion that a business, non-profit or association manager can... Read More

Inoculate Yourself Against Bad PR

What is bad PR?Well, if you're a business, non-profit or... Read More

Rise of the Creative Class

The fast changing dynamics of the world economy is forcing... Read More

Prep for a Successful Trade Show

Well, autumn is upon us and with the onset of... Read More

Passion with Purpose - The Winning Combination

The power of PassionPassion is an extraordinarily powerful spring. Without... Read More

Franchise Work Vehicles Should Have a Flag on Them

If you own a franchise and have company vehicles, be... Read More

The Key to Great PR

The Key to Great PR is PerseveranceBy Paula Gardner of... Read More

Media Savvy - How To Lead, Persuade, And Influence

Media management has become one of the strategic tools for... Read More

PR Is Just Smart Business

The name of the game is doing our part to... Read More

Managers: Paying for PR-Lite?

As a business, non-profit or association manager, your public relations... Read More

Keep The Publicity Machine Rolling with Reprints

More than half of America skips the Super Bowl, the... Read More

Public Relations: The Fundamental Premise

It seems difficult to believe at the dawn of the... Read More

Your Online Newsroom: How to Give Reporters a Tip

It's hard to imagine a reporter working today who doesn't... Read More

Is This Any Way to Run Your PR?

You bet!Especially for business, non-profit and association managers who REALLY... Read More

Competition in the News Creates Spin

In larger cities with many outlets they are competing for... Read More

Advertising and Community Relations -- Get the Best of Both Worlds

Have you ever noticed that in communities without big universities,... Read More

A Powerful PR Strategy

It really is powerful when a business, non-profit or association... Read More

Perception Persuasion Behavior: PR at Work

Managers ? the business, non-profit and association sort ? really... Read More

8 Ways to Use Local Publicity to Drive Your Business

While scoring anice story in BusinessWeek or USA Today is... Read More

Think Like a Reader, Viewer, or Listener to Get Great Publicity

About a year ago I read a feature story in... Read More

P.R. Strategies for Professional Service Providers

Promotion for Professional Services Providers requires a different approach than... Read More

PR tips for business

Question: Why should your business issue a press release? Answer:... Read More

Five Publicity Buckets For Marketing-Minded Financial Planners

Maybe you've seen another financial planner on TV, and thought,... Read More

Media Training - Essentials for ALL Office Professionals

Often the first point of contact the media has with... Read More

Boost Your Business by Partnering with a Non Profit Organization

Is your business looking for new and creative ways to... Read More

high-end home cleaning Winnetka ..