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Ten Tips For Working With the Press
Getting quoted by the press is one of the most under-recognized but powerful sources of free advertising. As a result, members of the news media are often the target of unscrupulous or ridiculous attempts to get covered. As business professionals, it's our job to always try to present information to reporters and editors that is truly newsworthy. When successful, it is actually more like an endorsement than an advertisement, and such "passive endorsements" are far more effective than paid display ads in newspapers or magazines. It definitely gives you credibility when your clients and customers see you quoted as an authority in your field.
Following are some recommendations that should help you get noticed:
It's true that mass-distribution outlets can help a reporter find you, but you will probably have far more success reaching out to individual reporters and editors who are most likely to be interested in your story idea. Remember that they receive hundreds of press releases on their desks each week, and probably thousands more in their e-mail inbox. Work on building a trusting, mutually beneficial relationship. You may have a great story, but if a reporter doesn't know you from Adam (or Eve), you have less of a chance to make that good first impression.
It is helpful to write your press release in the writing style of the publication you are pitching a story to. Yes, this requires you to actually read it on occasion! As marketing director, it was worth every penny in subscription costs to have a stack of publications on my desk. These gave me a wealth of story ideas and the names of reporters to contact who were interested in writing stories like mine. It also gave me a sense of the writing style of each particular publication. Let's face it, Daily Variety has a much different tone to it than the Real Estate Journal.
Don't assume that because your press release hit the newswires or the newsdesk that the editors at a particular publication are aware of it. It's your job as the one who cares most about your message to follow up with the right people. One technique I've found useful is to ask the newsdesk which reporter would be most likely to be interested in the subject of my story. Doing this requires you to be able to give a one or two sentence summary of your story idea, but this is how I landed my first article in the Wall Street Journal. I simply called the closest bureau and asked if there was a reporter that might be a good match for my story. I was forwarded to her voice mail and she called me back a day or two later.
It pays to be prepared to make a quick pitch by voicemail, even if it's just a teaser. Explain in just a few sentences what your story idea is, and that you wanted to find out if they are interested in covering that type of story. That may be the only opportunity you get to make the pitch. E-mail is a great way to make contact if you already have an e-mail address for them, but you don't always have that at the beginning of the process.
If you don't sound passionate about your story, don't expect a reporter to get excited about it. Maybe this seems self-evident, but don't take it for granted.
While it's your job to follow up and try to make contact to pitch your story, never, never, never be the pesky salesperson. You are there to help with a story, not bother them about one. Pestering reporters will just turn them off to your message. The Biblical advice contained in the Golden Rule is important here. You don't want sales people bugging you, and reporters don't want to be bugged either.Be
The best thing you can do is be helpful and be genuine. Don't ever be tricky or minipulative. Reporters are simply looking for good information to make a good story, and if you provide them with that, you stand the most chance of getting quoted in a story at some point. It's a relationship thing. Sources that stand out from the crowd will be the ones who take the time to build a friendly relationship with members of the press.
Because reporters and editors work in such a deadline driven environment, it works in your favor to bend over backwards to adjust to their time constraints. If they are working on your story, their deadline is your deadline. In the course of your conversations, try to find out when their regular deadlines are so that you can (a) get information to them in a timely manner, and (b) avoid bothering them around that time.
It can take weeks, sometimes months, to go from press release to publication. Keep in mind that reporters are working under numerous deadlines for numerous stostories.Bey one time. Your story may be the most important one to you, but even if a reporter likes your story and intends to follow up on it, it may take time for that to occur. I've had reporters call me back months after I made a pitch, long after I thought the story idea was dead, to get more information on it.
Simple one-dimensional stories are good. Multi-dimensional stories that fit into a regional or national trend are infinitely better. If you are wanting to get mentioned in the press, I highly recommend reading the prominently placed stories in newspapers, magazines, and trade journals. You'll find that the feature stories are not usually write-ups about a particular company, but about a trend wherein a particular company has a role. As a general rule, a trend story consists of at least three perspectives, which means you may need to share space with a couple of your competitors. Don't figit.Look, it's the nature of the business. In fact, be preparMulti-dimensionalames and contact information for colleagues who are not outright competitors who can add another perspective to the story. This is all the more reason to develop a good relationship with the reporter!
These are some of the valuable lessons I've learned in dealing with the news media.
If you are a reporter or editor, I would love to hear from you on this subject. Do you have more advice you'd like to give to business professionals about how to work with the media? Please e-mail me your suggestions at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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