Isn’t it great when someone gives you a word of mouth referral, recommending your business to one of their friends. How brilliant would it be if someone could recommend your business to, say, 10,000 friends?
That’s exactly what a trusted journalist can do. And then some.
So, I have created a list of who I think are the top 20 most influential business journalists writing about SMEs, today. All of whom are currently active on Twitter.
We are not talking your Robert Pestons, they are never going to write about small businesses. But these are people who write daily for national newspapers – and their respective websites – with audiences of tens of thousands.
The goal here isn’t to get a journalist to tweet about you, it’s to get them to know, like and trust you. And then to write about you.
You’re going to need to be smart about it. No journalist is going to engage with someone who just likes and retweets their content. That’s like standing next to them at a party and laughing at everything they say. It’s annoying.
You need to listen, learn about their work, figure out where your connects might be and then you can approach them, share content, respond to requests, or even – and here’s the golden goose – have a laugh. Share a joke and you’ll be remembered fondly (share a bad joke… god help you).
Twitter is the perfect platform for starting to build relationships. But you need to be smart.
So good luck. If you have success, or I’ve missed any, please let me know in the comments.
Updated 20-Nov-2018
Journalists to follow on Twitter – see my (John’s) twiter list of the below by clicking here
- Myron Jobson @Myron_Jobson
Myron writes for and their spin-off site This is Money - Claire Burke @GDNclaire
Editor of the Guardian’s Small Business Network - James Hurley @jameshurley
James is Enterprise Editor at The Times and writes a lot about small business and start-ups. - Matthew Caines @mattcaines
The Telegraph have a special small business section called Telegraph Small Business Connect, which Matt edits. - Hajra Rahim @hajrarahim
Journalist working alongside Matt Caines at Telegraph Small Business Connect. - Jack Torrance @theJackTorrance
Business reporter @telegraph, covering property, outsourcers and support services. Also happy to display his email: jack.torrance@telegraph.co.uk - Louise Eccles @louise_eccles
Award-winning freelance finance and consumer journalist. Former Daily Mail. - Hazel Sheffield @hazelsheffield
Hazel writes for a number of outlet but mainly the Indy Venture section of the Independent - Yessi Bello-Perez @yessibelloperez
If you’re involved in tech, or especially women in tech, Yessi is Editor at UK Tech News - Peter Evans @peterevans10
Enterprise Editor at The Sunday Times, writes about small business in the UK and very approachable - Emma Sheppard @EmmalouSheppard
Freelance journalist writing for a number of outlets on business. Invites story ideas by email or DM - Kate McGough @KateMcGough
Producer at BBC Breakfast and BBC Business - Elizabeth Anderson @lizzyandersonuk
Money and Business Editor at the i newspaper - Praseeda Nair @notpraseeda
Freelance who likes start-up stories - Calum Macdonald @CalumAM
Broadcast Journalist at BBC Radio 5 live - Jon Card @joncard
Freelance journalist specialising in small business, enterprise and technology. Previously written for The Guardian and The Telegraph. - Lucy Douglas @lucydougtweets
Managing editor of Courier Media who publish business stories every Friday. Previously written for The Guardian and Professional Beauty. - Lucie Mitchell @luciemitchell
Freelance journalist and editor specialising in small business and HR. - Francois Badenhorst @FranBerBad
Business Editor at AccountingWEB.co.uk he actively invites emails or DMs on Twitter. Great resource for accounting and finance professionals in the UK - Simon Caldwell @_SimonCaldwell
Deputy editor at Business Advice which specialises in micro-businesses - Claire Burke @GDNClaire
Editor of the Guardian B2B network.
