The title entrepreneur makes it mandatory that you wear many hats, including that of being your own PR agent. But with Public Relations there is protocol, and even within the "rules" there is the expanding world of Social Networking who plays an entirely different game.
Here's some things helpful tips from the experts at Cision of what to do- and NOT do- to improve your hit rate with the journalists who really matter and in return target the media to build more productive relationships.
What's the Problem?
Journalists are consistently complaining about misdirected pitches. Some professionals have gone as far as blacklisting inappropriate pitchers. Chris Anderson wrote a blog post entitled, "Sorry PR people: You're Blocked", and actually listed the names and emails of those he had currently blacklisted. While a Contributing Editor from Wired said, “Pitch me stories. I write features, which means I need good characters, conflicts, tensions and interesting pitches". Make sure you are doing your homework and giving properly directed pitches to the correct people.
Journalists still need PR pros
Current research has discovered that 44% depend on PR pros for interviews access to sources and experts. Although the rise of social media and blogging has helped journalists tremendously, public relations is still something they rely on.
Finding and Hitting Your Own Bull's-Eye
News is consumed differently now so make sure your content is mobile friendly and easily assessable for your audience. There are niche sites for pretty much any topic you could think of, if you do your research correctly, you can get the closest to your target.
Social Media's impact on PR & the media
Remember that the focus is on the social capital of the journalist, not the outlet. Since news is consumed differently and through various different outlets, make your sites available to everyone. By targeting your specific audience you become more direct-to-consumer friendly. But most importantly, remember you're dealing with communities, not audiences. You have the power to directly have a relationship with your consumers.
Key facts that make up your New Media Mix
- What is my goal?
- Who is my target audience/community?
- How visual is my story?
- Is my idea timely?
- Is my news actionable - and how?
Blogger Outreach
Just because you can reach out to a blogger, doesn't mean you should. Building relationships with bloggers takes time. You have to fully understand their specific niche. Truly influential bloggers are made up of almost 10% professional journals and 90% independent freelances who are passionate about their topics. Do not ignore the little guys since there is no such thing as "off the record".
Research the Outlet
Take time to look at writing style, voice, and tone. After understanding everything they cover, research what they don't cover since this could potentially save you time down the road. Here's a tip from a Managing Editor at Popular Woodworking; "Send us information that is useful to our readers. If you look clearly at our Web site and (pitch the areas) in which we cover, I will look at your pitch. If the sender does NOT do their homework, I will not look at the pitch".
Identify the Right Contacts
"Pitchers should do their homework. I often get things that are completely out of the realm of what I do." - Movie Editor, Philadelphia Daily News. By looking at past bylines, reports, and posts you start to identify the right contacts and can target them more efficiently.
Developing Relationships
Start developing relationships by researching past coverage of the individual you're pitching to. Find a current article they've written and reference it. Send an introductory e-mail complimenting their work. Or start by asking about current and upcoming story ideas. Comment on their blog posts or online articles and follow them on Twitter.
Quality VS Quantity
A Reporter from Modern Healthcare says, "The ideal package is a press release attached with a personalized message: here's why you should care, here's the newsworthy element...". And an Entertainment Reporter from WABC-TV agrees by adding, "...a great pitch, shortly done, gets me to do things, and that makes me happy, because that makes the client look good, you look good, and me look good". It's better to send out fewer, personalized releases and never send a release/pitch without an introduction. Your introductions should be clear and brief and even if your release isn't used, your contact will appreciate effort.
Respect Preferences
Through surveys, researchers have discovered that most contacts prefer e-mail. Don't leave long voicemail's or follow up via phone unless you are required to do so at your job. And, if you haven't heard back, don't panic, but also know when to step back and when to push.
Deadlines
A Reporter from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said, "Earlier in the day is always better, as opposed to calling me with some huge store idea at four in the afternoon, when I'm on deadline". With this being said, be aware of lead times/editorial calendars. Do some research on their companies to recognize their usual business hours which will help you determine the best time of day. Also, know their policy on embargoes.
When in Doubt, Include an Opt-Out
Your subject lines must be accurate. For example, if sending a press release, don't be shy about identifying your message as a press release. Also, share with recipients how to opt out of receiving future emails from you and honor their opt-out requests promptly.
Be Prepared, and Follow Through
Have the right spokesperson available and the necessary product information lined up. If you are suggesting a story that needs to include opinions from several different people, have their contact information and availability ready for the journalist
Steps to follow to create a great pitch:
- Know your pitch inside and out
- Find contact on Twitter; do a Google Byline search
- Send a brief e-mail to introduce yourself and why your pitch is a good fit for them
- Be transparent, for example, tell them if you're pitching the story elsewhere
Make all your resources available and even if the pitch isn't used, you've still established a relationship!
Here are some tools and resources provided by Cision to help you target productive media relationships even more...
- Blog.cision.com
- Navigator.cision.com
- Journalisttweets.com
- Katie Evans
