Follow Bekah to Austin, TX: My Favorite Hometown Media
Typically, if I do a “Follow Bekah to” blog, it’s about a place I visited and the local culture. But today, I’m switching things up to talk about my hometown, Austin, Texas! And instead of the local food and activities, I’m going to talk about my favorite media outlets.
If you want to read about food and activities, you can follow me to Round Top, Charleston, or Toronto. But if you are trying to get media attention in Austin, Texas, this post is for you. I may have started my PR career in New York City, I definitely work with PR firms from around the country, and I regularly engage with national media markets too, but...
Austin is my home turf!
What Makes Austin’s Media Different?
The first thing you ought to know is that Austin is an incredibility tight-knit community. The local motto is “Keep Austin Weird” which we take as a pledge to support local businesses and artists.
When you’re pitching a client to an Austin publication, keep this in mind. Try to angle the client as local or even just a little weird and media contacts are much more likely to jump on the opportunity to chat.
Compared to some other big city media markets, Austin doesn’t have a huge number of local publications. Of course, that means less potential to get media placements. But in my experience, with fewer publications, each one covers a wider variety of topics. That makes it pretty straight-forward to find someone to give you media coverage.
Top Austin TV Shows to Pitch Interviews
If you want to get your client on TV for an interview, there are several shows to pick from in Austin. Here are a few of my favorites:
These are all great options if you are trying to book a cooking segment, how-to segment, or something else visual.
I have also had luck with these TV stations when I want to pitch a nonprofit leader with an upcoming event, authors promoting a new book, and medical professionals to comment on the latest health trends.
Top Austin Parenting Publications to Pitch
Nicole Villalpando at The Austin American Statesman is a great contact for parenting topics. She writes the Raising Austin column and covers any kind of news that impacts families around Austin.
Austin Family Magazine is another great publication if you know what you are doing ahead of time. Like many regional magazines, they have a 2-month lead time, so get in touch with them as soon as you can.
Top Austin Publications to Pitch Events
I have found that Austin is a very supportive community and the local media really does want to cover all the local happenings around town. If you have an event happening in Austin, get the word out there with these local media outlets.
Again, keep lead time in mind if you’re pitching something like Austin Monthly. In any case, it’s always better to send event info to early than too late.
And if you want more strategies for pitching Austin (or any other media market) I have a crash course for publicists available now!