By Nadia Kaminskaya · The Brand Lab
I have been featured in Grit Daily, VoyageTampa, and Florida outlets, and I never hired a PR firm to do it. I also run a newsroom now, so I see both sides of the pitch. Here is the playbook.
Local press is one of the most undervalued moves a small business can make. A single feature builds trust that no ad can buy, earns you a real backlink that helps your search rankings, and increasingly gets your business cited when someone asks an AI assistant for a recommendation. The best part is that you do not need a PR firm or a budget to get it. You need a real story and a way to pitch it. Because I have earned features without an agency, and because I now sit on the receiving end of pitches, here is exactly how to do it.
Why local press still matters in 2026
Three reasons an earned feature is worth the effort:
- Trust — being covered by a news outlet is a third-party stamp you can’t give yourself.
- Search — a link from a real publication carries weight that social posts don’t.
- AI — the assistants people now ask for recommendations lean heavily on what credible outlets say about you.
One earned feature can work for you for years across all three. (That last one is its own skill — see how to get recommended by ChatGPT.)
Step 1: Find your newsworthy angle
The mistake most owners make is pitching an ad instead of a story. Reporters don’t care that you exist — they care about what’s new, timely, surprising, or useful to their readers. Your angle might be:
- A milestone.
- A piece of local data only you have.
- A reaction to a trend.
- A community effort.
- A genuinely contrarian take on your industry.
Ask yourself what a reader would find interesting even if they never became your customer. That’s your story.
Step 2: Build a simple media list
You don’t need hundreds of contacts — you need the right handful:
- List the local outlets, newsletters, and reporters who actually cover your world (small business, food, health, or real estate in Tampa Bay).
- Follow them and notice what they write.
- Note the specific person, not a generic tips inbox, whenever you can.
A targeted pitch to five relevant reporters beats a blast to fifty who don’t cover your beat.
Step 3: Write a pitch that actually gets opened
Keep it short. A specific subject line, then three sentences:
- What the story is.
- Why it matters now.
- Why you’re the person to tell it.
Make the reporter’s job easy — include a couple of facts, a quote they can lift, and an offer to provide more. Don’t attach a giant press release as your opener. The goal of the pitch is a reply, not a sale, and it’s one piece of a bigger thought-leadership strategy. When I open a pitch, it’s almost always because the subject line promised something my readers would actually want.
How to pitch FL Innovation News and other local outlets
Start local and specific. Outlets like FL Innovation News exist to cover exactly this: Florida founders, small businesses, and the people building them. Pitch a story, not a promotion, tie it to why it matters right now, and offer to be a source even for pieces that are not about you, which is how you build a relationship a reporter remembers. Then follow up once, politely, a few days later if you do not hear back. One good follow-up is professional. Five is why you get blocked.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get press coverage for my business for free?
Lead with a real story, not an ad. Find a timely or surprising angle, build a short list of reporters who cover your world, and send a tight, specific pitch that makes their job easy.
How do I write a press release that reporters open?
Start with a specific subject line and three sentences: the story, why it matters now, and why you can tell it. Keep it short, include a quotable line and a couple of facts, and offer more rather than dumping everything up front.
How do I get featured in local news in Tampa?
Pitch local outlets that cover small business, like FL Innovation News, with a story tied to a current trend, milestone, or piece of local data. Build a relationship by being a helpful source, not just a subject.
Does press coverage help SEO?
Yes. A link from a credible publication helps your search rankings, and coverage increasingly influences whether AI assistants recommend your business, which social posts alone cannot do.
The bottom line
You do not need a PR firm to get press. You need a story worth telling and the discipline to pitch it well. Find your angle, target the right reporters, keep your pitch tight, and start with local outlets that are actively looking for founders like you. Do that consistently and earned media becomes one of the cheapest, most durable marketing assets you own.
Have a story worth telling? Pitch it to FL Innovation News, or let Branding Bosses help you find the angle and land the coverage.
Related on FL Innovation News
- The Brand Lab — the full column
- Entrepreneurship — more from the Entrepreneurship desk
- 5 Signs Your Small Business Brand Looks DIY
- More from Nadia Kaminskaya
About the author
Nadia Kaminskaya is the founder of Branding Bosses, a Tampa branding and marketing agency, and the founder of Sunshine Wellness Aesthetics. An immigrant entrepreneur who started her first business at sixteen, she is a brand strategist and fractional CMO who has helped grow more than fifty brands across beauty, wellness, home services, and professional services. She believes great branding is measured in revenue, not vanity likes. Find her at brandingbosses.com and on Instagram at @msbrandboss.
Read more from Nadia Kaminskaya on FL Innovation News, or visit brandingbosses.com.
