Get your tax preparation service company in the news

Eleven tips to assist your tax prep in obtaining coverage

Get in the news to boost your tax company's profile.

Why is media coverage so important to those that provide tax preparation to consumers?

News articles and mentions, especially positive ones, help to improve a company’s reputation and increase overall awareness for your company.

Many prospective customers don’t know about your company until they see your company included as a thought leader in news stories. After reading about or seeing a TV interview that includes your company, people tend to think of your company first when it’s time to make a buying decision.

Taxes must be filed every year, so how do tax preparation service companies make themselves stand out and get mentioned in a news article?

After working with several tax preparation service companies, we’ve found two ways that tax preparation service providers commonly fail when it comes to getting news coverage:

No. 1: Not knowing how to spot newsworthy items to share or promote.

No. 2: You aren’t pitching your company the right way.

If you previously tried getting news coverage and failed, chances are your tax preparation service company was making one of these two mistakes.

I want to help you find newsworthy items about your company to assist your tax preparation service company in earning media coverage.

Here’s a list of 11 tips to assist in securing coverage for your tax preparation service company.

I suggest reading the list and finding two or more items that best fits your company. Once you review the list, then let’s talk about next steps you and your company can take to successfully gain positive mentions in the news.

Reviewing and then submitting for local, industry, and national awards is one of the first low lying fruits you should look into. These are often found through your local business journal, industry trade media, business magazines, local newspapers, and other publications. Some of the best are “40 under 40” or “Best Places to Work.” There are a number of benefits to entering your company for awards and even more benefits when you win.
Seasonal stories and opportunities are also a plus, especially for tax prep providers when the tax season has new changes each year. Your company can offer ways people can prepare for the tax season before they get their W-2 form with new regulations. Keep in mind that tax season starts months before the April 15 tax deadline.
Speaking of legislation changes, providing insight to the media about these changes is helpful and necessary. The media is looking for thought leaders to share their expertise about these changes. Draft social media posts and blog posts on these topics
Celebrate April 15 and other tax-related “holidays” with food and prizes to get people to stop dreading Tax Day. Invite the media to such events to showcase how you are educating the public.
Don’t forget to review your company’s recent blog and social media posts. These topics can be used for pitching to the media. If you’re not blogging, why not give it a try?
Research editorial calendars in industry publications like The Tax Adviser and Taxes: The Tax Magazine for ways to add insight into upcoming articles and trends. These magazine stories need to be pitched several months in advance because it takes awhile to gather and print a magazine.
If you hired or promoted someone within your company, then take time to share notable hirings and promotions with local business journals and news outlets. These make great news briefs. You can also share your executive appointments and promotions within specific industry news media.
Think about your company’s pipeline including strategic partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions. These items are great to share with the news media, so you need to think about ways to utilize these exciting events.
Take time to submit a bylined article, letter to the editor, or opinion column to an industry publication. These are typically less than 500 words and can show that your company cares about the industry and the public.
Share your company’s charitable givings by distributing and submitting news briefs to the local community, businesses, and national industry trade media. A news brief is about a paragraph in length and shares the who, what, when, where, and why.
Highlight employees who have provided outstanding service. Perhaps it’s a military veteran or someone making a difference within the community? Highlight all of their efforts and contributions to positively impact the community.

If you’d like to speak with a PR expert, contact us at 888-PR-FIRM-8 (888-773-4768), and let's chat about where we go from here to get your tax preparation service company positive news coverage.