Let's clarify something right from the start: crafting your brand and promoting your brand are two distinct functions. The first is a wholly creative process, usually the foundational floor you lay before ever adding one brick to your business. Your brand is a look, a feel and a message. It has a tone, a personality, a presence — it's what you're all about.

Getting that brand presence out there into the world is a whole different matter, however. It has to land with your audience, align with the current marketplace and resonate with investors and stakeholders. And when it comes to the media — those individuals and outlets that are hugely influential in determining which brands will be highly publicized and which brands will flounder amid the vast landscape of competitors — you actually have to sell them on your brand.

How do you do that? By piquing their curiosity and capturing their attention. Securing media coverage depends on enticing influencers to take a closer look at your brand, then (consequently and hopefully) widely disseminating all the good news about your company that you already know.

Here's what I've discovered about selling a brand to the media in my 20 years as a public relations specialist.

Media people are people first, journalists second, and just like me and you when we're out shopping around for something new, they want to be interested in something potentially enriching and exciting. Nowadays, the route to elicit that interest is captivating storytelling. In fact, at the heart of........

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