Thinking of expanding your business? By branching out from the UK, you can open yourself up to a whole world of new customers. But how to spread the word about your brand?
Take a look at our guide to successful international press coverage:
- Choose Your Targets Wisely
The world is a pretty big place. You need to narrow things down if you’re going to get press coverage outside your local area.
Think About Demographics
Start by thinking about your current customer base. Who loves your product and your brand? And what demographics do they fall into?
Then think about which other countries have comparable demographics. Countries that have a similar culture and similar spending power to the UK will be the easiest to target.
Think about Any Local Links You Already Have
Having a local link in a target country makes you newsworthy. You’re not just a foreign brand. You have a real-life connection to the place in question.
Have you worked with a top designer from a particular country? Or are your products manufactured abroad? Big up any local links in your communication with journalists and they’ll find you much more interesting.
2. Research Your Publication Shortlist
As with any press coverage, it’s all about the research. First on the list. Who is your target audience and what publications do they like to read?
Once you’ve got a shortlist of publications, there’s more digging to be done. Aim to find out the following about your chosen magazines:
- Lead time. So you know your deadlines for submitting pitches.
- Editorial calendar. So you can craft pitches that chime with topics already scheduled.
- Sections. So you know where your brand and story could fit. And you know which editor to contact.
- Journalists. So you can research them and any other stories they’ve covered in the past.
- Translation, Translation, Translation
The translation is the biggie in this list. It really couldn’t be more important. PR is all about communication.
How will a journalist feel if they receive a press release full of spelling and grammar mistakes? And how will you persuade and excite your reader in another language?
Call in the Professionals
The stuff you’ve remembered from secondary school French just won’t cut it. You need to call in a professional translator for all your international PR needs. That means translating your press release. And your pitch email too.
Remember to Translate for International English Audiences too
When you’re writing emails and pitches, UK spelling and grammar won’t cause too many problems for international English audiences.
But keep language professional. Some informal phrases aren’t used outside of the UK and could be confusing.
Individual words can also pose communication problems. Flip-flips are thongs in Australia. And homely translates as plain and ugly in the US.
So avoid the pitfalls and translate for international English audiences too.
3. Go Global with your Website
Your pitch or your press release should always send a journo to your website. What will they find there?
Your website has to appeal to an international audience (or at least the other countries that you’re targeting). Time to think about:
Language
A website a journalist can’t understand is pretty pointless. Get your website professionally translated for a top notch user experience. Or, if you’re short of time and money (and don’t mind skimping a little on the quality), add the Google Translate service to your existing site pages.
Currency
Adapt your website so visitors can see the price of your products in their local currency. And accept payments from all around the world. This makes it much easier for a journalist to feature your products.
Images
An image speaks a thousand words. Your website photography needs to appeal (and be sensitive) to different international cultures. Change things up if you need to so journalists can easily download and include images to go with their write-up.
- Celebrate Summer All Year Round
It’s always summer somewhere. Warmer months may be on the way in the UK. But in Australia, they’re heading into winter. When you’re planning an international pitch, think about the season in the country you’re approaching.
And think about big holidays too. Christmas and Easter fall on the same day anywhere in the world. But watch out for differences. For instance, many countries celebrate Mother’s Day on different dates.
Then there are the holidays we don’t necessarily celebrate here in the UK. Thanksgiving is obviously a huge deal in the States. Bastille Day is big news in France. And a number of South East Asian countries celebrate Chinese New Year along with the Chinese.
A little global holiday research can help to maximise the chances of your pitch. Add dates to your PR calendar and get planning.
- Remember that an International Journalist is still a Journalist
Journalists are pretty much the same the world over. They’re busy. And they get inundated with PR pitches. You should try to:
Do the Legwork
Make life easy for the journos you contact. Write an email title that perfectly summarises your pitch. Include all of the info they need in your press release. Give them high res images or make sure they know they’re available should they need them.
Stand Out from the Crowd
Your brand is much more likely to stand out from an email inbox if a journalist has already heard of you. Find them, follow them and chat to them on social media.
And always send individual emails. If you’re translating into another language this can be time-consuming. But it will be time well spent if you want replies to those emails. Tailor a pitch for each journalist and publication and you’re much more likely to get them interested.
- Make Use of International PR Platforms
Don’t go it alone. There are press platforms out there that can help with your international PR plans. Press Loft is one of them.
Our international PR platform can do the hard work for you. We’ll connect your brand with journalists from around the world. And get your brand the international press coverage and the reach you’re looking for.
