By Aileen Anthony

In the previous Word Matters, I wrote about why businesses should consider building a Media Cheat Sheet before asking for media coverage. The reason is simple. Journalists shouldn’t have to wade through a corporate profile, presentation deck, press releases, and several webpages just to understand what your organisation does.

So, what should actually go into a Media Cheat Sheet?

You do not need to overcomplicate it. Start with a simple principle:

If someone knew nothing about your organisation today, what would they need to know to understand your story accurately?

Here is a simple checklist.

1. Who Are You?

Start with the basics. Describe your organisation in one or two sentences. What do you do? Who do you serve? Where do you operate? What makes your role in the market relevant?

Avoid corporate language here. If your description requires another paragraph to explain what the first paragraph means, simplify it.

The test is simple. Can someone outside your industry understand it?

2. What Do You Want to Be Known For?

This is different from asking what products or services you sell.

What is the bigger space you want your organisation to occupy?

You may be a technology company, but perhaps the bigger conversation is productivity. You may be an agricultural company, but your story may sit within food security. You may provide financing, but the larger issue could be SME growth and financial inclusion.

Define that space clearly because it gives journalists context for where your organisation belongs in a wider conversation.

3. Define Your Important Terms

Every industry has its own language. The problem begins when we assume everyone understands it the same way.

If you use terms such as AI transformation, sustainability, regenerative agriculture, financial inclusion, circular economy or digital ecosystem, explain what they mean in the context of your organisation.

Be precise. If ten people in your company define an important term ten different ways, journalists are unlikely to have an easier time.

4. What Problem Are You Solving?

Do not begin with how wonderful your solution is. Explain the problem first.

What is happening in the market? What difficulty are customers experiencing? What gap exists? Why have existing approaches not solved it sufficiently?

Most importantly, explain why the problem matters. When journalists understand the problem, they have a much better foundation for understanding why your solution deserves attention.

5. How Do You Actually Solve It?

Now explain what you do.

Keep the explanation straightforward. What happens? Who participates? How does your product, service, technology or business model work?

This is particularly important for technical businesses. Do not hide behind phrases such as “proprietary technology”, “innovative platform” or “next generation solution”. Explain what actually happens differently.

Clarity is more convincing than adjectives.

6. Where Is the Proof?

Claims need evidence. Include the facts that substantiate your story. These could include customer numbers, market presence, research findings, case studies, productivity improvements, cost savings, partnerships, certifications, funding, patents or measurable impact.

If you say your solution improves something, show how.

If you say the business is growing, quantify the growth where possible.

If you say customers benefit, provide an example.

This is where a cheat sheet begins moving from corporate messaging to something genuinely useful.

7. What Are the Best Use Cases?

Sometimes the easiest way to understand a business is through a real example.

Include two or three short use cases that demonstrate how your organisation creates value.

What was the situation? What did you do? What changed?

A good use case gives journalists something tangible to work with and may even reveal another potential story angle.

8. What Is Happening Around You?

Your company does not operate in isolation.

Explain the wider ecosystem.

What market trends are shaping your industry? Are regulations changing? Is customer behaviour shifting? Is new technology changing how the sector operates? Are there national priorities or economic issues connected to what you do?

This context helps journalists see that your story may be part of something bigger.

9. What Can You Speak About?

Do not limit your cheat sheet to what the company wants to announce.

Identify the subjects your spokesperson can credibly discuss.

Perhaps your CEO can comment on industry transformation. Your technical lead may be able to explain an emerging technology. Your operations team may have insights into changing customer behaviour.

This helps move your organisation from being the subject of a story to becoming a source for other stories.

10. What Should You Not Say?

A useful Media Cheat Sheet should also establish boundaries.

Which claims require qualification? Which figures are confidential? Which terminology should be avoided? What has not yet been validated? What can the company confidently say and what should it not claim?

This is especially important when several executives speak on behalf of the organisation.

The objective is not to make everyone sound identical.

The language can change. The meaning should remain consistent.

The Final Check

Once your Media Cheat Sheet is ready, give it to someone who does not work in your industry.

Then ask them three questions:

What does this company do?

Why does it matter?

What does this company seem to know a lot about?

If they struggle to answer, the cheat sheet probably needs more work.

A good Media Cheat Sheet does not need to contain everything about your organisation. It needs to contain enough for someone to understand the organisation, the subject and the bigger story around it.

Because when journalists understand your business better, they can ask better questions. Better questions create the possibility of deeper stories. And perhaps the most useful outcome is this: when another story emerges six months from now, they already know why they might want to call you.

Before You Ask for Media Coverage, Build the Cheat Sheet