A major obstacle startups face is getting media attention and press in a saturated market. With the internet emerging as the most popular platform for businesses of all kinds to communicate, its becoming more difficult to get noticed. According to Internet Live Stats, in 2005, the year both YouTube and Reddit were launched, there were only about 65 million websites in the world. You may wonder why I just used the word “only”, 65 million seems like an ocean of domain names. But that 65 million would only make up 6.5% of the websites online today, as the 25 year-old internet recently launched its 1 billionth website. Hopefully this puts into perspective the challenge of internet marketing and getting solid press coverage. So, we put together a list of 5 things you can do to improve your position in this massive cyber space.

1. HARO

HARO (Help A Reporter Out), is a service that allows local and national reporters that are looking for people with knowledge in specific subjects, to garner content for both parties. The reporter gets a fresh source of quotes, insights and case studies from specialized sources from all over the nation to keep a healthy bound of content coming from their end. While you (the person being featured) gets coverage to an audience that is in their industry, and exposure to a boundless market that would otherwise go untapped.

2. Create a relationship with a reporter

As like most things in life (and business) good relationships are vital to success. Personify your company by building relationships with the people around you. So that when you need to make an announcement that needs the exposure you may not be able to muster from posting on your own blog site, you call the reporter and write up something together. A win-win for both parties, they get the content, you get the feature. And, when they need more info on a story that may fall in your industry, you’re on the top of their minds. This basis of a relationship is the foundation for the next two tips.

3. Help a reporter by giving them leads

Reporters are constantly looking for stories to write about, and new markets to get into. When they need a hand in a situation where you’re of no help, you can at least point them in the right direction. Or if you hear of a story that you think worthy of a spotlight, you can email them the lead and let them run with it. This further solidifies your relationship with them, and fosters more teamwork for the future.

4. Email the reporter and give them props on their article

Whether the article was about you or not, reporters love hearing positive feedback on their work, and also proves to them that you’re actually on their side and not merely using them as an outlet for publicity. So, you should spend the time to actually read their work, and invest yourself into their writing. Having outside eyes on the reporter’s side is extremely valuable for them. You can tell them what they’ve done well, and where they might want to adjust something to better resonate with their audiences. Creating this synergistic team work will not only ensure that you’ll have a constant stream of press when you need it, but that it’ll be positive content focused on bettering your image.

5. Don’t send them your press releases (seriously)

Most media publications take one look, then quickly discard of them. Don’t waste your time or theirs. Sending a blind press release about your company is like cold-calling. These outlets get thousands of the same sort of email every day, and will see nothing unique or valuable in your’s. Its far better to create that relationship, and collaborate on building more dynamic content that will stand out better in the flooded realm of the internet.