All businesses occupy a perch. By that, I mean the manner in which their business operates throws off data that sheds light on their industry, competitors, suppliers or customers. Here’s some examples:

• The number of times men click the profiles of fair-haired women on match.com answers the question whether or not gentleman do prefer blonds. Similarly knowing how beards fare in the romantic ecosystem might offer a clue about how long the current trend in facial hair is going to last.

• The average cash balances of a wealth manager’s clients over time sheds light on whether investors are growing more conservative or more speculative.

• The ratio of top-offs for premium versus regular gasoline offers insights about how confident consumers are feeling and how sensitive they are to price changes.

If you want media coverage, start looking more closely at the data your business throws off.  Further, look for opportunities in feature coverage, not spot news coverage, which focuses on what is happening at that moment.

Feature news tends to step back and take a more strategic look how companies, economies and countries are rising and falling in response to changing trends or events. This is where having a perch works. Because if you have a point of view and some evidence to back up your thoughts on prevailing trends, reporters want to talk to you.

As an aside, there are opportunities for ‘expose’ type coverage, where the article focuses on individuals or companies simply because of who they are or what they are doing. These opportunities exist, but as a percent of the total news hole, they’re much rarer, and the ‘yield’ that can be earned from them may not be worth the effort.

If you want more consistent coverage by the vetted media use your perch, start counting and start talking.