How to Prepare for a Media Interview
So your PR efforts have paid off and a journalist has arranged to interview you. Congratulations!
Your work is far from finished, however. Now you have to prepare.
One of the often overlooked elements of preparing for a media interview is to get more information from the reporter.
Here are 10 questions you should ask before your media interview:
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How to Use Holidays to Get Publicity
Year after year, the same holidays come up that the media are obligated to cover.
New Year’s, Valentines, Mother’s Day, Back to School and Christmas are just a few examples we are all familiar with that reporters and bloggers are looking for stories.
By tying your story, service or product into these times, you may have a better chance of getting some coverage. Don’t forget about deadlines though, many magazines really are working on their Christmas issue in July!
And don’t limit yourself to the major holidays. As an example, besides Father’s Day, coming up in June are observances such as:
- National Safety Month
- National Rose Month
- National Dairy Month
- National Business Etiquette Week (June 7 – 13)
- Men’s Health Week (June 14 – 20)
Becoming An Expert From The Inside Out
One of the key things that will help you get publicity is your expertise.
And I’m sure, it’s also what holds you back.
Why? Because most people don’t consider themselves as experts. You’ve probably said to yourself “other people are experts, but not ME!”
The truth is, if you’re running a business, you’re a knowledgeable expert. You know more about your business than most people and you have a lot of valuable and useful information you can share.
But no one is ever going to come up to you and dub you an expert. Read more
2 Approaches In Reaching Out to Media
A question I often get asked about approaching the media is, “do I send the same pitch to everyone?”
The answer is, it depends. I think there are two different ways to approach the media to get publicity:
1. One Size Fits All – in this approach you write one document or media pitch, and send it out to everyone on your media list whether you have hundreds or even thousands on your list.
An example of when to use this approach is if you have a story tied to a particular timing, like “Earth Day”, or want to be a journalist source on a breaking news story (an estate planning expert commenting about Michael Jackson’s death and what it means to his family). Read more
3 Tips For Using A Media List Effectively
A while back I wrote about How to Build Your Own Media List. Whether you build your own or buy a list, here are three tips that will help you maximize your chances of getting PR and avoiding media pet peeves.
1. DO A BIT OF RESEARCH – even if a paid media list is customized to your product or service, it’s usually based on keywords only – the more generic your key words, the more possible contacts you will pull. Which is why an unqualified media list can have hundreds or a thousand names that you pay for, with only a handful of reporters actually appropriate to you. If a magazine or media outlet sounds interesting, check out their website to see if there is an appropriate section or column where your company could be covered.
As you scan the print or online publication, think about:
• Are they interested in product reviews, book reviews, fashion or trends?
• Is there a giveaway/contest, guest articles, a CEO profile, inclusion in their gift guide that you can contribute to?
• Are they a Print publication or Online website? Often there is a way to get included in their newsletter for subscribers. Read more
How To Use an Editorial Calendar to Get PR
If you’re new to the term, an editorial calendar is a listing of the major themes or features planned for upcoming issues of a magazine. An editorial calendar is often in the Media Kit created by magazines (and sometimes newspapers) to attract advertisers. In theory, an editorial calendar tells you in January, what the magazine will write about all the way till December.
How to Use Photos to Get PR (and save time and money)
Sometimes a good photo can illustrate a story more than words. I guess that’s why they say “a photo is worth a thousand words.”
When we had our men’s socks company (which due to a ton of media coverage, attracted a buyer less than a year after we started it), one of the things we struggled with was, “how on earth do we show photos of boring men’s socks?”
10 Questions To Help You Write a Media Pitch
I have friends whose big dream is to sequester themselves and write a book. Although I like to write, it’s not something I dream of doing day in and day out. I don’t like sitting in front of a blank page, but I do know that once I get an idea and get started, things usually flow.
Most entrepreneurs I know are not writers. You started your business because your passion and natural gifts are in a particular space.
Most entrepreneurs I know didn’t realize how much marketing they would need to do in order to succeed. And that effective writing- from websites to sales materials, direct mail to blog posts- will be a crucial part of you getting heard above the noise. Read more
How to Write a 3-Paragraph Media Pitch
If you can write an email, you can write a media pitch and get publicity for your small business.
When we talk about pitching the media, a pitch is simply a way to introduce a reporter or editor to you, your company, products or services.
It can be really easy, using the few sentences you already use everyday to describe your business, such as:
“We sell men’s socks by subscription, so it comes to your door like a magazine. You’ll never have to worry about the mundane task of shopping for socks again.”
How to Love Marketing
I very rarely come across entrepreneurs that love marketing. Most often, it’s a chore on your to-do list, or a nagging thought that accompanies you everywhere, everyday – you know you need to do it to gain clients or sell your product, but maybe it can be put off for just a little while longer.
What often stops small business owners from marketing, is the word marketing itself. For many of us, deep down the word “marketing” equates to “selling”. We don’t want to be perceived as pushy, in-your-face, annoying or needy. It feels stressful so we don’t do it. And when we do nothing, we get nothing.
One way to be more successful is to think of another word for marketing that reframes your current negative beliefs. When you market your business, what are some positive benefits you are hoping to achieve?
And a lot more press