About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Guides and advice, Opinion

My take on getting B2B brands covered in the national media

The national media has long been seen as the holy grail of many a PR programme but often a thorn in the side for B2B PR agencies like us! While logic says that B2B audiences are best reached through highly targeted trade or professional publications, emotion screams “but I want to be in the papers!”

And why not? At the end of the day the national media is read by a cross section of people and you could argue that more of your niche audience will be picking up The Times or The Guardian than Plastics and Rubber Weekly! More to the point, gaining a link to your business website in a high domain authority online news site can do wonders for your SEO as well as your brand.

However, national media coverage is hard to come by – but even harder for obscure B2B brands that have little direct relevance back to the issues of the day. A good B2B PR agency will be able to help you achieve this goal – but they will also require your help, patience and willingness to step beyond the comforts of your core B2B PR programme.

Here are the five golden rules I’ve used over the years to gain national media coverage for my B2B clients.

  1. Think consumer – a large amount of what goes into national newspapers is about consumer trends and affairs. Even though you may be a B2B business, how does your product impact your customer’s customer – which could well be the man in the street? Make the link!
  2. Never give up – selling a story to the nationals can take time and far more effort than other B2B stories do. For one former client I persuaded them to analyse a massive volume of data so that we could sell it exclusively to one national publication. It took several months and about the same again to go from pitch to publication. However it resulted in a full page feature on page six of The Observer. Keep the faith!
  3. Work backwards – Don’t start with what you want to say as a business; start with where you want to gain coverage, then work out what it will take to create the right story. There are usually quite rigid boundaries to be followed to get a national journalist to bite on your story so there’s no point trying to shoehorn something created for a different job. Be bespoke.
  4. Focus on you – Unless they’re very exciting, innovative or truly disruptive, most B2B products and services aren’t going to interest a national media journalist. However, your own business challenges may well be interesting, especially for small business, enterprise or entrepreneurial sections and columns. There are many topical issues that get featured and if one of them is something you face as a business, then you could be a contender for coverage. Think problems.
  5. Look, listen and read – The national media agenda is shaped by what happens each day, so you need to know what’s happening each day. My personal ‘go to’ is Radio 4 on the way to work. It’s amazing how quickly you can train yourself to make lateral connections to your clients. When a big cyber breach happens, the media needs security experts. When a high street chain goes bust they need retail experts. When the government introduces new tax rules they need tax experts. You get the idea…

About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Guides and advice, Opinion

Creativity in B2B marketing: what we learned from episode 1 of Shaking the B2B Tree podcast

Food for thought: how nutrition can transform your mood and wellbeing

Browse more blog posts

Shaking the B2B PR tree: Episode 1 banner detailing the episode contents with guest Victoria Jackson, acting global head of marketing, Silverdoor
Posted on
byHonor Williamson

If you haven’t heard about Shaking the B2B Tree yet, it’s a fresh new podcast from Skout launched by our MD, Rob Skinner, aimed at challenging traditional thinking in B2B marketing. The whole idea? To shake up the way we think about B2B marketing – challenge the usual, dig into

An image of healthy and nutritious food options
Posted on
bymarketing@skoutpr.com

When choosing what to eat, most of us think of calories, nutrients and the overall taste. But, did you know that your diet not only affects your physical health but also plays a major role in your mood, mental clarity and overall well-being. More and more studies display that food

A photo of the Skout PR team at the 2025 annual offsite at Alton Towers Resort
Posted on
byTom Embleton

Life in PR can be a bit of a rollercoaster, so what better place for Skout’s annual offsite than Alton Towers? Last month, we swapped our office for the theme park and two jam-packed days of strategy, team bonding and adrenaline-fuelled fun. Day one: Strategy with a side of pastries

Team image for 15 bday
Posted on
byRebecca Brown

This year marks a milestone for Skout – it’s our 15th birthday! What began as a leap of faith from our founder Rob Skinner has grown into a thriving B2B communications agency built on authenticity, relationships and a healthy dose of workplace humour. In celebration, we wanted to take this

An image of the actress Millie Bobby Brown, a centerpiece of a blog about the role of clickbait and the impact on journalism
Posted on
byClaire Lamb

What started as a simple lunchtime read today ended up down a rabbit hole. It all started with Millie Bobby Brown. Like many women, I applaud her for calling out the media on their response to her appearance. I’m not going to go over it as it’s a tale as

Copy of International Women's Day template (1200 x 500 px) (2)
Posted on
byRebecca Brown

Did you know that as an agency we have a strong female presence across all roles within the business? In fact, two-thirds of our senior management team are female – this exceeds the global PR industry average of around 30%! That’s why we never miss the opportunity to celebrate International

A group of three women in a podcast environment with microphones.
Posted on
byHonor Williamson

Launching a podcast involves more than just hitting the record button. From selecting the right equipment to securing guest speakers, the early planning stages shape everything. But before considering the logistics, there’s one crucial question you should ask from day one: How will I engage my audience? Without a clear

A visual image showcases tech trends for B2B marketers. The graphic displays icons signaling tech trends such as AI.
Posted on
byJames Weaver

Things change quickly in the world of B2B marketing. With every ‘eureka!’ moment for new and disruptive technologies that herald to change the game, staying ahead of the curve is vitally important. Although artificial intelligence (AI) has been used by businesses for decades, today the technology is plastered across the

An image of a woman reading a business, financial and fintech newspaper
Posted on
byIsobelle Yoxall

It’s a new year for your FinTech business, and there’s big news on the horizon: a new product launch, exciting partnerships, or innovative features to announce. This makes for the perfect time to share your story with the media. Or perhaps you are just seeking fresh opportunities to make a

Fintech megatrends featured image - 2025
Posted on
byRob Skinner

Woah fintech, slow down! Of course, that is never really going to happen – so PR and marketing professionals, how are you going to keep up? The fintech landscape is evolving at lightning speed, driven by groundbreaking innovations and shifting consumer expectations. Projections show that the market could reach a

Get in touch

Skout
11 Market Place
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK10 1EB
Send us a message
Name(Required)

Send us a message