More Than a Mention: How to Build Lasting Media Relationships

More Than a Mention: How to Build Lasting Media Relationships

In today’s hyperconnected world, building authentic media relationships isn’t just a nice-to-have it’s essential. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur, a scaling startup, or an established brand, your ability to connect with media can dramatically shape your reputation, your reach, and ultimately, your success. But let’s be real: the media landscape is saturated. Journalists are flooded with pitches, and attention spans are short. So how do you cut through the noise? You build real relationships the kind that last.

At 9figuremedia, we’ve helped clients break through the media clutter to land powerful placements in prestigious outlets like LA Weekly Magazine, Fast Company Magazine, and Entrepreneur Magazine. These aren’t just flashy logos to stick on your website. They’re powerful platforms that lend credibility, amplify your voice, and open doors to new opportunities.

Why Media Relationships Matter More Than Ever

Let’s take a step back. Why should you even care about media relationships? Simple: visibility without credibility is noise. And credibility without visibility is obscurity. You need both. But the bridge between the two? That’s the media.

Media relationships are about more than just landing one-off mentions. They’re about creating lasting bonds with journalists, editors, and publications. These relationships yield:

• Trust and Reliability: When journalists know you as a reliable source, you become their go-to for quotes, insights, and story leads.
• Opportunities for Deeper Features: Think exclusive interviews, profiles, or recurring expert commentary.
• Broader Reach: Coverage in outlets like Fast Company Magazine or Entrepreneur Magazine exposes your story to massive, targeted audiences.

We’ve seen it at 9figuremedia time and again: a well-nurtured media relationship can lead to a domino effect of opportunities — one article becomes two, then four, then a speaking invite or investor interest. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

1. Understanding Media Relationships

Media relationships are just like any other relationship — they require time, trust, and mutual respect. You wouldn’t walk up to a stranger and immediately ask them for a favor, right? It’s the same with journalists. You have to build rapport.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Respect their time.
• Understand what they care about.
• Add value before making asks.

At 9figuremedia, we coach our clients to treat media contacts as collaborators, not just conduits. You’re working together to tell a story that matters both to your brand and to the audience.

2. Know Your Target Outlets

Each publication has a unique voice, audience, and editorial focus. You wouldn’t pitch the same story to LA Weekly Magazine that you would to Fast Company Magazine and that’s exactly why research matters.

2.1 LA Weekly Magazine

LA Weekly Magazine is a cultural staple in Los Angeles. It thrives on stories that highlight local flair, creativity, and community.

• Audience: Creatives, artists, cultural enthusiasts, and LA locals.
• What They Love: Art, food, music, innovation, local activism.
• Pitch Tip: Tie your story to the city’s pulse. Is there a neighborhood angle? A local movement? Ground your pitch in something real and relevant.

We once helped a local fashion designer get featured in LA Weekly Magazine by focusing on her unique fabric sourcing process all done locally, supporting downtown artisans.

2.2 Fast Company Magazine

Fast Company Magazine is where innovation meets impact. It’s ideal for thought leaders who are shaping the future of business, tech, and design.

• Audience: Entrepreneurs, business executives, tech innovators.
• What They Love: Disruption, progress, ethics, leadership.
• Pitch Tip: Show how your company is solving real problems in a creative, future-forward way. Think big picture.

A 9figuremedia client in the edtech space was featured after we crafted a narrative around how their platform was closing the education gap for rural students using AI. Fast Company loved the innovation angle.

2.3 Entrepreneur Magazine

If you’ve built something from the ground up, Entrepreneur Magazine wants to hear about it.

• Audience: Founders, small business owners, solopreneurs.
• What They Love: Gritty stories, actionable advice, behind-the-scenes journeys.
• Pitch Tip: Be raw and real. Share your setbacks, your pivots, your triumphs. Offer takeaways that other entrepreneurs can use.

We helped a woman-owned fitness brand land a profile in Entrepreneur Magazine by leaning into her challenges from running workouts in parking lots during lockdowns to creating a full online platform.

3. Start With Research

Before you even type “Hi [Journalist Name],” you need to know who they are, what they write about, and what they’ve recently published.

9figuremedia uses a mix of media databases, social media monitoring, and plain old reading to uncover insights that make pitches personal.

• Read Their Work: What themes keep coming up? What tone do they use?
• Engage Authentically: Comment on their articles. Retweet their insights. Let them know you’re paying attention.
• Keep Notes: Build a journalist Rolodex. Who covers startups at Fast Company Magazine? Who’s profiling creative entrepreneurs at LA Weekly Magazine?

4. Mastering the Art of the Pitch

Crafting a compelling pitch is part science, part art. Here’s our proven formula at 9figuremedia:

• Subject Line: Clear, specific, curiosity-inducing.
• Personalized Greeting: Use their name. Reference a recent piece.
• Hook: Start strong. Why now? Why you?
• Value: What does your story offer their readers?
• Proof: Data, quotes, context.
• CTA: Suggest next steps. Keep it casual and polite.

Journalists don’t owe you coverage your job is to make it easy and enticing for them to say yes.

5. Working With 9figuremedia

When you work with 9figuremedia, you get more than media placements you get partners invested in your story.

• We craft narratives that resonate.
• We build press kits that stand out.
• We pitch strategically — not just broadly.
• We follow through to turn one feature into many.

Our clients have landed multi-page features, TV segments, podcast invites, and even investment deals all starting from the right media relationship.

6. Maintaining the Connection

Relationships aren’t built on one-off favors. Stay connected by:

• Saying Thank You: A genuine note after a story goes live goes a long way.
• Offering Value Year-Round: Share interesting data, trend reports, or new angles — even when you’re not pitching.
• Being Reliable: Meet deadlines, provide quotes quickly, and don’t flake.

9figuremedia clients often get called back for future pieces because they’re known as responsive and thoughtful. That’s no accident — it’s part of the strategy.

7. Case Studies from the Field

LA-Based Wellness Brand Lands in LA Weekly Magazine

We helped a wellness startup tell their founder’s personal healing journey — which resonated deeply with LA Weekly Magazine’s focus on authenticity and community. The feature boosted their local sales by 60%.

B2B Platform Featured in Fast Company Magazine

A tech founder was struggling to explain their impact. We reframed their message around solving burnout for remote workers — and Fast Company Magazine took notice. Investor interest surged within weeks.

Underdog Entrepreneur Goes Big in Entrepreneur Magazine

A barbershop owner in Atlanta had built a six-figure business with zero ad spend. We helped craft his story around creative hustle and community building. Entrepreneur Magazine loved it, and it led to a regional TV segment.

8. Metrics That Matter

Media isn’t just about exposure — it’s about impact. Here’s what we track at 9figuremedia:

• Impressions: How many eyeballs saw the piece?
• Engagement: Shares, comments, backlinks.
• Traffic & Leads: Website hits, email signups, inquiries.
• Brand Sentiment: Are people associating you with your core message?

We use analytics tools and post-campaign debriefs to refine and improve every round of outreach.

9. Final Thoughts

Media is about people — not press releases. If you want to get featured in outlets like LA Weekly Magazine, Fast Company Magazine, or Entrepreneur Magazine, you need more than a good story. You need relationships rooted in empathy, relevance, and value.

And if that sounds like a lot? Don’t worry that’s why we’re here.

At 9figuremedia, we help you build bridges to the media world that aren’t just effective they’re lasting. Because once you’re in, you’re in for good.

Need help turning your story into headlines? Let 9figuremedia guide the way. From pitch to publication, we’ve got your back.