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Chapter 3 – The Ten Commandments for First Encounters
You will never be the first person to call a reporter or producer with a story idea. Every day, viewers and readers bombard the media with poorly written emails and long drawn-out voicemails requesting coverage for events that are usually not news worthy. Sadly, this dilutes the credibility for everyone else trying to pitch a legitimate news idea. People frequently complain the media is unresponsive to their calls and emails, but there’s a reason for this discourse. It’s not that reporters and producers don’t want to listen to the public; it’s impossible to field calls from every person, especially when one rambling caller can quickly eat up 20-minutes of time. Making matters worse, it’s easier for a reporter to hit delete on your email or voicemail than to review your entire message. Unfortunately, you can never shape or influence the media’s coverage without getting over this initial hurdle of making contact.
Every journalist is constantly measuring the value of a story during that first interaction with you or your business. Most experienced journalists believe they can tell within seconds of listening to a pitch whether it is a story or not, and they are usually right. Their attention span is limited over the phone, which is why you must be concise, comprehensive and coherent with every pitch. The quickest way to lose credibility with a reporter or producer is to ramble on for several minutes before explaining what your story is about.
There are no written rules for that first encounter with a reporter or producer, but just like life, there are unwritten rules to making sense of random chaos. There are ways to navigate this media maze so your emails and phone calls don’t get lost in the shuffle. There are also better hours and days to pitch reporters when their time is less pressing and their attention is more focused. But before you even make that initial contact, you must first learn how to effectively identify, pitch and communicate a news worthy idea. Here are my Ten Commandments for First Encounters, which will help you with every media transaction. You should treat these laws as sacred acts, and abide by them with all first encounters with the media.
Commandment One- Know Why Your Story is Newsworthy
Everyone knows the best salesman is a person who believes soundly in his product and this is why you must be absolutely convinced that your story is newsworthy. If you can’t sell that story idea to yourself, no reporter or producer is going to buy it. Likewise, if you don’t understand why your story is newsworthy it is going to be difficult to persuade a reporter that your story merits coverage.
In Journalism 101, students are taught the five W’s that help them identify the value of a story. They are the: Who, What, Where, When and Why, along with the How. You can use these rudimentary bullet points to help you identify why your story is newsworthy and what is important to stress in your pitch. Let’s do a quick lesson in the five W’s so you will understand how to apply them to your pitch.
WHO: Who is this story about? Who is the character in the center of the story? If you are pitching an organization, business or nonprofit you must identify a person to revolve the story around because the best stories involve people. You will improve your chances of coverage by identifying a sympathetic character that viewers and readers can relate to. I mentioned earlier in this book an example of a grandmother who walks to a volunteer center to help new widows find love. It’s highly unlikely any established news outlet would want to do a story on a volunteer center because the story lacks focus. However once you identify a sympathetic grandmother who is trying to help widows find new love the story suddenly takes on an emotional appeal. Pitch the story in February around Valentine’s Day or Grandparents’ Day and you suddenly have a timely hook. Locate your pivotal character before you start pitching so you can tell the media you have a person lined up and ready to talk.
WHAT: What is this story about? Here is where you need to bring focus to the idea. Many people pitch stories on their businesses, but when you ask them what the story is they say, “a story on my business.” That’s equivalent to going to a movie studio and saying I want you to do a story on my life. Well, what is unique about it? What is different? What is the conflict? What is the story you want to tell? You don’t need the focus of a professional journalist but you should definitely have a keen understanding of what the story will center around. For example, if you are pitching a clothing store, you need to identify what the story is behind the clothes. Perhaps, there is a young designer who is launching a clothing line with your business or maybe the new spring collection will have colors that are not traditional by nature. By identifying the “What” you will have an edge in pitching the story because your idea will be more focused.
WHERE: This should be one of the easier W’s to identify. Where is this story taking place? Does the location have any value or importance in the community? A diner in Iowa has little national news value, unless it is a Presidential election year when all of the candidates are pressing the flesh with patrons over ham and eggs. That pushes the diner to newsworthy importance, but if you include a character – perhaps a single, young, working waitress who has no health insurance— suddenly the story starts taking shape. Maybe your business doesn’t have any historical value, but it is an element you must examine before pitching the media. Take a moment to examine your entire surroundings before pitching the story because you might uncover something that increases the value of the story idea.
WHEN: Does your story have any timely components? Will your story take place on a single night or day? Is your story relevant at a certain time of the month? All of these questions could make your story timely, which will increase the value of your story.
Many museums offer wine and cheese at their summer evening events. That in itself is not usual, however if one night is devoted to raising money for charity or an evening is targeted towards singles, the event suddenly takes on a unique angle. If you are trying to get publicity for an organization like a museum, you might want to consider turning one night into a special event. The television stations might not be interested in the story, but the Arts & Leisure section of the local newspaper will be more receptive. In many situations, the “When” factor increases the value of a news story because the story suddenly appears rare, timely and new.
When I worked for NBC in Miami, singer Ricky Martin appeared at a music store, signing autographs for his new album. The music store didn’t have a chance of getting coverage on any other day, but with a popular celebrity appearing for one afternoon inside his store, the manager was able to convince local television stations and newspapers to do a story on the popularity of this singing sensation. Force yourself to think differently. Try to find a new way to make your story appear rare by adding a timely element.
WHY: Why should anyone care about your story? Why is this story happening? Why are people coming to your event or why are people buying your product or service? The “Why” question is the last W to ask yourself because it could be the deciding factor that determines whether your story is pursued or killed. It is probably the most important factor when deciding news. No producer or reporter will dare pitch a story that no one cares about, which is why you must identify in advance why people will care about your story idea and why they will have an emotional attachment. Once you identify why your story is important to the public, you have focused your pitch down to the core and uncovered why your story is news worthy.
HOW: Not every story has a “how” factor, but it is still important to ask yourself this question. How is your story, business, service or product changing lives? How are you helping people? How will your business or product save people money or better their lives? If you can’t answer this question off the top of your head, ask yourself “how” then look around your business and start focusing on the main components that sets your business a part from the competition.
By learning the five W’s and the one H you are essentially focusing the story down to its root. The more you narrow down the story, the easier it will be for you to identify the right targeted news outlet for your story. Perhaps you are pitching the wrong medium or reporter. If you pitch the story to the wrong news outlet, producer or reporter you are setting yourself up for failure when it comes to managing the message. You want to eliminate as many obstacles as possible that will get in the way of killing your story. By asking these questions in advance you will not only learn more about your story, but you might also uncover a better story that will help reinforce the message you want to project.
Commandment Two- Establish Credibility
Credibility matters when trying to convince a reporter or producer to tackle a story. A lawyer pitching a story on corporate fraud and a teacher pitching a story on education reform will have more credibility than a retired citizen who works part-time at the public library. It is assumed the lawyer and teacher have insider knowledge or expertise to lend credibility to the topic. Likewise, a jeweler who designs jewelry will be a natural expert when it comes to design, but is he able to identify consumer trends? If you are pitching a story on jewelry trends, you need to establish credibility in this area before you start pitching. Perhaps, you have an understanding of trends as a buyer or you are intuitive to customers’ needs by observing design patterns.
You can apply this same scenario to your own business by asking yourself a few questions.
What makes you qualified to speak on this topic?
How many years of experience have you spent in the industry?
What part of your daily routine is spent reinforcing your expertise?
What do you know as an insider that others would want to know?
You may possess a limited amount of expertise, but that shouldn’t stop you from continually trying to establish more credibility. Websites, op-ed articles, trade magazines can all lend credence to a person in search of credibility. So can writing a book, blog or article for your community newspaper. Remember, the media needs experts for nearly every story because it lends credibility to their report. Even the salacious stories require insider knowledge.
When New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned from office following his involvement with prostitutes, the media was in search of a call girl who could provide insight into the sex trade. Of course, no call girl or prostitute wanted to speak. This was the perfect opportunity for the author of Confessions of a Call Girl to promote her book. If you can find a way to establish your expertise before you start pitching the story, you will have a huge advantage over others when it comes to promoting your product or service in the media.
Commandment Three- Identify the Best News Outlet for your Story
One size does not fit all when it comes to pitching a story. You will have more success managing the message by targeting the proper medium and reporter. In many ways, newspapers are a microcosm for this analysis. It’s obvious you wouldn’t pitch the sports section a story involving women’s fashion just like you wouldn’t pitch the business section a profile on a high school football coach. But what if that high school coach had leadership rules that applied to business? Or what if the women’s fashion was geared towards female athletes? Concentrate your pitch on the desired audience, but make sure you look beyond the stereotype. A story on a high school football coach with leadership principles could run in many different sections of the local newspaper-sports, business, metro and even the leisure sections. The better you identify your target, the more success you will have getting coverage.
You should apply this same-targeted approach when choosing which news outlet to pitch. If your story idea involves a niche, focus your time and energy on pitching the news outlet that reaches those targeted viewers and readers. Many people make the mistake of pitching to the largest pie (the local television station or newspaper) rather than focusing on a news outlet that reaches their desired demographics. You can better shape the public’s opinion if you are reaching your specific customer. For example, let’s say you have a product that appeals to housewives. You may not be able to pitch Oprah, but you can pitch the local newscast that airs at noon. Housewives are the majority of viewers watching newscasts that air during the workday. If you are trying to get exposure for a new nightclub opening in your area, target the alternative weekly as opposed to the entertainment TV reporter. The more you understand your targeted audience, the easier it will be to identify the best news outlet to pitch.
Commandment Four- Writing an Effective Press Release
Newspaper and television reporters should not be approached the same way when it comes to writing email press releases. The two mediums face different time constraints with their stories, and that will dictate how long or short you should make your pitch.
Let’s begin with television where white is always good. The more white space on the email news release the better. No one wants to open an email and see eight, long, single-spaced paragraphs. Your initial pitch should never have more than four paragraphs. This is a stereotype but television moves so quickly that no desk assistant, reporter, producer or news manager will take the time to read a release that resembles a novel. They might make it to the second or third paragraph, but they are not going to read three pages of single-spaced sentences.
Here is a formula that seems to work with my peers and me. Try to think of a catchy headline to put at the top of the release, then follow-up your pitch with one paragraph explaining the story. The second paragraph should tell the reporter why viewers would be interested in your idea. This might seem like a challenging task for the rookie publicist, but by applying the five W’s you will be able to narrow down the focus of the story. The third paragraph should be devoted to explaining what you bring to the table or why you are the person to tell this story. If you have more statistics, articles or research for the reporter, tell him in the email you can provide it upon request.
Why not give the reporter all of the research at once or send it as an attachment? It can be intimidating for any reporter to open an email and see several attachments because he won’t know which one to open. When time is of the essence, no one wants to waste time opening useless attachments. However, if a reporter asks for a specific request, you will know which attachment to send.
Take a look at this actual press release that was sent to the media. We’ll assess what is good and bad about it on the following page.
Bosley and HairDX Team up with Breakthrough Genetic Testing for Male Baldness
New York, NY (March 25, 2008) – Bosley, the world’s most experienced hair restoration expert, today began offering a breakthrough genetic test for baldness from HairDX as part of its arsenal of hair loss solutions. The test can be accessed online at www.bosley.com, and is the first test available to consumers as a marker to help assess their risk for developing Androgenetic Alopecia (male pattern baldness).
After assessing their genetic predisposition to baldness, consumers may elect to schedule a private, no-obligation educational consultation with a Bosley counselor, and if desired a personal evaluation with a Bosley physician. The consultation session will provide important information on all medically viable solutions for hair loss, including hair transplantation FDA-approved medications, and laser light therapy.
HairDX reports about a genetic variant found in more than 95 percent of bald men. People with this genetic variant are at 60 percent risk of experiencing baldness by the age of 40 according to Professor Doron Lancet, PhD, head of the Crown Human Genome Center at the Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. HairDX also reports about a less common genetic variant of the same gene, that if present indicates a greater then 85 percent likelihood of not going bald before the age of 40.
Early testing will prompt consumers to seek available treatments before hair loss becomes advanced. The information provided by HairDX will be an invaluable tool for consumers in choosing an effective course of treatment.
The test costs $149 and is available only for male pattern baldness. The consumer orders the test kit, which is shipped to his home. He swabs his mouth inside the cheek and returns the swab to the HairDX lab. A confidential analysis of the genetic variations related to pattern baldness is delivered via a secure and private Web site.
The results of the breakthrough genetic testing are supported by peer-reviewed scientific studies associating variations in the x-chromosome to pattern baldness. The information provided to the consumer from the HairDX certified clinical laboratory will enable him to make a more informed decision about what approach to take, after discussing the results with a qualified physician.
In contrast to hundreds of products now on the market with dubious promises, HairDX offers a truly scientific approach to treating baldness.
About BOSLEY
BOSLEY completes its 34th year in surgical hair transplantation in 2008 with over 200,000 procedures performed since 1974 – the world’s most experienced hair restoration practice. BOSLEY advanced many of the artistic techniques used worldwide today to achieve natural results under the leadership of hair restoration pioneer L. Lee Bosley, M.D. There are eighty-eight locations throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. For additional information please visit www.bosley.com
About HairDX
HairDX was founded by leading researchers and specialists in genetic analysis and hair therapies. The company is dedicated to helping people make the right decisions about hair care, treatment and restoration by providing accurate and accessible personalized scientific information.
To schedule doctor/patient interviews or for further information about BOSLEY please contact:
This is actually a good story idea. The product affects a large number of men and women who are concerned with losing their hair. The story is timely with the new test results and it provides a new way for people concerned with hair loss to attack the problem. However this release is too long and has little focus. Did you take the time to read the release word-for-word or did you skim it? Most reporters and producers would likely just skim it, which will increase the chances of the idea being rejected. The publicist could have easily eliminated paragraphs 2, 3 and 7, without harming the pitch. The company bios of Bosley and HairDX also could have been eliminated since the reporter could have gotten that information on the companies’ websites. This would have saved valuable space by focusing just on the story idea.
This publicist also didn’t need to include the New York, NY dateline. There is no need to make this release look official by adding an arbitrary dateline. Every reporter knows that datelines have no credibility with a release since anyone can make one up. Finally, the publicist should have thought of a catchier headline. My suggestions would have been:
Breakthrough Genetic Test for Male Baldness
New Tool to Fight Baldness
Is the End of Baldness Near?
Thicker Hair Now
Many publicists make the mistake of trying to cram everything into one press release. The purpose of a release is to get the reporter or producer interested in the story. You are only trying to make them aware of the idea, and pique their interest. Don’t worry if the release doesn’t answer all of the questions. If it is a good story, the reporter will give you a chance to answer those questions later.
Your approach should change when pitching newspapers but you should still start with the same principles cited for pitching television: begin with a catchy headline, apply the five W’s to narrow the focus of the story, and explain why you are the person to tell the story. Your email release should be more in-depth, depending on the topic and news outlet you are pitching, but it should not exceed one page. You can add credibility to your idea by attaching recent journals or studies that support your idea, along with a paragraph that explains what knowledge the attachments will provide.
Commandment Five- Pitching over the Phone
Common etiquette dictates that callers should follow a certain protocol when reaching out to a reporter over the phone, but viewers and readers rarely follow this. How would you feel if you answered your phone at home, and someone started telling you a problem without saying hello, or asking if it was a good time to talk? Now you know how reporters, producers and assignment desk managers feel when they pick up their phone at work and hear strangers immediately ramble into a problem.
If you are following up with an email release or trying to pitch a story over the phone, ask the reporter if you are reaching him at a good time before you jump into the pitch. If he says he is under deadline, ask him when is the best time to call him, thank him, and then say good-bye. I personally don’t like receiving pitches over the phone because I have found that a person’s thought process is more scattered when he is verbally pitching a story. When it is on paper, the pitch seems more to the point and I can jump ahead to see if there is a story buried between the lines. That being said, some reporters still do prefer phone pitches because it gives them a chance to press the person with more questions. Whichever the preference, you will be hard-pressed to find a reporter who likes receiving story pitches over voicemail. Callers tend to drag on and on without any focus. If you get a voicemail, you are probably better off just hanging up. Wait until you get the person over the phone to make your pitch. And try to be empathetic. I’ll admit reporters and producers can sometimes be rude. Many of them are kind people outside of work but they get frustrated like many other people with their jobs. If you reach a reporter on a bad day, and he is rude over the phone, just remember everyone is occasionally entitled to a bad day. And please don’t hold their rudeness against all journalists, just like most of us don’t hold a grudge against all rude viewers and readers.
Commandment Six- Personalize Your Pitch
Reporters and producers know when they are receiving a massive email blast. The pitch is not personalized, it doesn’t cite the producer or reporter’s name and it is written for a broad audience. These emails are rarely read past the first sentence because most of the time these ideas are worthless. Many people think they are making progress by getting their emails out to the largest number of journalists, but they’re not. It’s not productive if no one reads the release or if the email is sent to the wrong journalist.
Take the time to personalize the approach to the reporter, telling him in that first sentence why you think he is the right person for this story. Add the person’s first and last name at the top of the email, so he will believe the release is sent directly to him. And never, ever send an email release that lists the email addresses of everyone receiving the pitch. Some publicists have told me they believe this inspires competition, believing the reporter will move faster if he knows the story is available to other journalists. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In most cases, the reporter or producer will assume he is dealing with an inexperienced publicist, which means the odds are slim that the story pitch will be unique and valuable. He will also assume that the story has less value since every other reporter has it. If you have a solid idea, personalize the pitch and it will be better received.
Commandment Seven- Understand the Different Deadlines
Television and newspaper reporters face different deadlines, which means you must approach them at different hours of the day. You never want to reach or pitch a reporter when he is under deadline because his attention won’t be focused on you. Generally speaking, every television reporter that files a daily story is under deadline three hours before the newscast. Some specialty reporters, like consumer, health or investigative correspondents, don’t file reports every day so they could be approached during the newscast, but you must be certain they are not under deadline. Most publicists know the unwritten rule is to never pitch a story during a newscast, but for many specialty reporters and producers this can be the best time to reach them. As a specialty producer in the consumer and health units, I rarely received calls during our newscast even though it was probably the best time to reach me. I wasn’t under deadline, I was unwinding for the day, and I was receptive to hearing new pitches at that time.
Many newspaper reporters with a daily beat must file their stories between 6pm and 7pm, so you should avoid calling them after 3pm. Reporters who file weekly stories in the Arts and Leisure, Sunday Business or similar sections typically face a Thursday deadline. You should avoid calling these reporters on the day of their deadlines. If you are uncertain of a reporter’s deadline, do a Google search with his byline name to see how often his stories appear in the newspaper. If his stories run every week you can safely assume he works under a weekly deadline. When in doubt over a deadline, just ask.
In many cases a reporter’s daily deadline can work in your favor, giving you a better opportunity to shape the media’s coverage. If there is an issue brewing in the morning news that impacts your business and you have uncovered a sidebar element, you should pitch it to the reporter by 8am. Every newsroom has a morning meeting where reporters pitch stories for the day. These meetings typically start at 9am although in some cities they can start as early as 8:30am. If you are pitching a daily story that is tied to a daily news topic, make sure the reporter has the story idea for that morning meeting. The morning meeting is one of the rare times when reporters can get instant approval for a story idea since all of the news managers are hearing the pitch at the same time.
Commandment Eight- The Rules of Gift Giving
No journalist should ever accept a gift from a person seeking coverage, yet that doesn’t stop businesses from sending packages and passes to their events. I am of the belief that you should never send an unsolicited gift to a reporter or producer because it is a waste of your time and money. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pitch the product to the news organization. Just don’t send the product in advance until you are certain of the story’s coverage. Most newsrooms have a table full of toys, makeup, books and other products that were sent to a reporter or producer seeking coverage. The Today Show on NBC receives so many of these products that they hold a sale for charity at the end of the year. In the rare case, a product might receive coverage, but this could have been accomplished by sending over a release that offered up a sample product for a story. At the very least, the release would have prescreened the number of news organizations that weren’t interested in the story, saving you or your organization money.
In many cases, the news outlet will need the product to test for a story or to shoot visuals for television. If a producer or reporter asks for a free product by all means give it to him. The odds are high that a story will air on your product or service if the reporter personally asks for a sample or invitation to an event. Most reporters don’t want to risk a career over a free gift.
Commandment Nine- Infiltrate the Media by Attending their Events
Everyone wants to help a friend and members of the media are no different. You will get calls returned faster and story ideas will be forwarded to the right person if you are on a first-name basis with a reporter or producer. Odds are you probably didn’t go to school with any journalist, but that doesn’t mean you can’t curry favor with them.
Many minority organizations hold journalism conferences in the summer months. Groups like the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, National Association of Asian Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists hold 3-day seminars in cities across the country. The conferences allow members to socialize, network and attend daytime workshops with journalists of the same ethnicity. The nighttime events are filled with schmoozing and booze, making any outsider feel like a true media insider. These events are open to everyone regardless of your background or ethnicity. You don’t need to show a press card to attend the conference. As long as you pay the yearly dues and conference fee you can attend, mingle and socialize with the journalists on their terms. Ironically, few publicists ever attend these events even though it is a great place to establish contacts.
Many cities also have their local media mixers. When I worked in Arizona, I belonged to an organization called the Arizona Latino Media Association, also known as ALMA. The group frequently held social events at bars and restaurants where Hispanic journalists and public relations executives mingled. The website www.mediabistro.com frequently cites mixers that are taking place across the country. Journalism schools, colleges and universities might also be able to tell you about social events involving the media in your area.
Once you get a name and a contact it might help your future pitch. Just try not to be too blatant with your agenda. If you go to a minority media mixer, make sure you are willing to learn and contribute to the organization and its causes. And please don’t pitch reporters at the conference when they are trying to forget about work. Instead, use the time at the conference to establish commonalities and bonds.
Commandment Ten- Time to Regroup
If you aren’t getting responses from your pitches, you might want to reconsider your entire approach. Perhaps your story idea isn’t focused or you are pitching to the wrong reporters. Maybe you haven’t properly identified why your story is newsworthy. Take the time to re-evaluate your press release to see if you are communicating the essence of your story. Remember, public relations is not advertising. No newspaper or television station wants to do an advertisement or commercial for a product or service. Make sure you have communicated in your pitch how your story will benefit the public. Remember, there is a home for every story. It’s just a matter of finding the proper niche and tailoring the pitch directly for that niche.
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