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Every week I see people asking the same question:
"How do I get featured in Forbes?"
Most people immediately think they need a huge business, a celebrity connection or an expensive PR campaign.
The truth is much simpler.
Journalists at Forbes don't wake up looking for businesses to write about.
They wake up looking for stories.
That's a very different thing.
A few weeks ago, I launched a brand-new clothing business called Masc Femme Clothing
No existing audience.
No PR budget.
No investor funding.
No famous founder story.
Within two weeks, we landed coverage in Forbes.
Here's exactly how.
Stop Pitching Your Product
One of the biggest mistakes founders make is pitching:
"We've launched."
"We've released a new product."
"We've updated our website."
Nobody cares.
That's not a story.
Journalists care about:
Trends
Data
Consumer behaviour
Cultural shifts
Surprising findings
Expert insights
Timely conversations
The product is often secondary.
Find A Conversation That's Already Happening
The best PR doesn't create interest.
It joins existing interest.
For Masc Femme, we looked at Pride Month and asked:
"What are people searching for right now?"
Instead of talking about T-shirts, we analysed search data around LGBTQ+ travel destinations and identified which locations were seeing the biggest growth in interest worldwide.
Now we had a story.
Use Data Whenever Possible
Data is one of the easiest ways to turn an opinion into a headline.
Examples:
Fastest-growing travel destinations
Most searched hairstyles
Emerging fitness trends
Rising food trends
Regional differences
Consumer spending habits
Data gives journalists something tangible to report.
The question I always ask is:
"What can we measure?"
Make The Headline About The Reader
Nobody clicks:
"Company Launches New Product"
People click:
Manchester Named One Of The World's Fastest Growing LGBTQ+ Destinations
Searches For Half-Up Hairstyles Surge During The Heatwave
The UK Cities Spending The Most On Dog Treats
Notice how the brand isn't the headline.
The audience is.
Give Journalists A Ready-Made Story
Your job isn't to tell journalists why your company is amazing.
Your job is to make their life easier.
Every pitch should answer:
Why does this matter now?
Why should readers care?
What's surprising?
What's new?
Can it be turned into a headline immediately?
The less work a journalist has to do, the more likely they'll cover it.
Newsjacking Beats Product Launches
Most founders spend months preparing launch announcements.
Meanwhile, journalists are looking for stories linked to:
Heatwaves
Travel disruption
TV shows
Celebrity news
Sport
Seasonal trends
Viral social media conversations
If you can connect your expertise to what's already in the news, you'll often get coverage much faster.
Expert Commentary Is Underrated
You don't need original research every time.
Sometimes you simply need a useful opinion.
For example:
What a travel expert thinks about airport chaos
What a hairdresser thinks about a viral hairstyle
What a vet thinks about heatwaves and dogs
What a fitness expert thinks about a TikTok trend
The media constantly needs credible voices.
Become one.
Build Relationships Before You Need Them
Most people only contact journalists when they want coverage.
The best PR professionals:
Follow journalists
Read their work
Understand their interests
Engage with their content
When you eventually pitch, you're not a stranger.
The Biggest Lesson
The Forbes coverage wasn't the result of luck.
It wasn't because we were a fashion brand.
It wasn't because we had a huge audience.
It happened because we understood a simple principle:
People don't share products.
People share stories.
If you can consistently find stories around your business, you'll create far more media opportunities than any product launch ever will.
Feel free to have a browse at the first collection: www.mascfemmeclothing.com
Stay tuned for Cupid Trends tomorrow
Soph
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