Today, I have a guest blogger, Patrick Garmoe. Patrick was a former staff reporter for Duluth News Tribune, suburban city staff reporter at Daily Herald, regional reporter at Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, and editor-in-chief of The Creightonian.
This is the first of what I hope to be a number of guest posts from journalists or former journalists, to give you the other perspective of how media works and how it feels to be on the other side of the PR process. I’m certain this knowledge will help you, the business owner, to get publicity more effectively and build mutually beneficial relationships with journalists and editors.
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About this time a year ago, I swapped banging on doors as a reporter for a Minnesota newspaper, to pounding the pavement for a new job.
One thing I didn’t miss about journalism were pesky public relations types, or local business owners trying to bend my ear in a largely fruitless attempt to lure me into writing about their latest service or gadget.
Looking back on it, I have more empathy for those hunting for headlines. As great as social media is, those megaphones traditional newspapers and television stations provide can still pump out the kind of exposure that could take months or years to garner, no matter how many Twitter followers you’ve got.
So here are some insider tips on successfully pitching reporters, that all reporters assume you intuitively know. I explain further down exactly, how to word your pitch.
If You Must Cold Call, Do It Before the Late Afternoon.
Reporters operate on a unique schedule. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or 2 p.m to 10 p.m., and often the hours fluctuate. Ideally you’ll first reach out to the reporter through Twitter or LinkedIn, or a Facebook page. Exhaust these avenues first, before resorting to e-mail, and finally, a phone call.
Don’t call after 3 p.m. As deadlines near, reporters focus on nothing but producing that day’s story.
If you must cold e-mail or call, make it brief. Send or prepare a paragraph with an awesome opening sentence, providing:
- Your name and title
- The item, service or issue you want to highlight, and why your business is fundamentally unique, compared with what’s currently available
- Why the publication’s or television station’s audience ought to care about it right now
If there’s any chance at all the reporter might be skeptical of whether your product is legit (think weight loss supplement), be sure to answer that skepticism immediately.
Example:
“Hello, my name is Patrick Garmoe, and I’ve brought to market a skin cream from a recipe my grandmother in Poland used to heal a variety of rashes. People who use it see results without the side effects that plague other kinds of skin creams. It recently was put on four store shelves locally in Duluth Minnesota. I know a dermatologist at a local hospital who advises her patients to buy this over-the-counter cream instead of many more expensive prescription creams, and would be happy to speak with you to verify my account.”
Nearly every local reporter would definitely put that in a “to do” pile, without a doubt.
Why? Let’s dissect it:
- Good opening sentence.
In journalism parlance, it’s called “the lead.” A journalist works hard to make the first sentence interesting. They know that if they don’t grab the reader immediately, they won’t.
It’s nice if the sentence sounds like poetry, but more importantly, it needs to have substance. If it sounds like a sales pitch, it’s getting trashed
“Hello, my name is Patrick Garmoe, and I’ve brought to market a skin cream from a recipe my grandmother in Poland used to heal a variety of rashes.”
- At this point, the reporter has heard what he or she views as a potential heart-warming angle for a story about a local entrepreneur who brought to market an ancient family recipe.
“People who use it are healed of skin problems, without the side effects of other kinds of skin creams.”
- This makes the reporter see why it’s worth writing about, versus the 10 other new skin creams on the market.
“It recently was put on four store shelves locally in Duluth, Minnesota.”
- This sentence contains two big hooks for the reporter.
The entrepreneur already explained why the skin cream isn’t just like other skin creams. But the story is also unique, because the entrepreneur not only lives in the area the newspaper circulates in, but the product is being sold locally, and it was recently added to some local stores.
If the entrepreneur was pitching this product to a paper or television station in New York, while living in Arizona, it would be a non-starter. Your best potential audience in traditional media is always news outlets in close proximity to you. If the product wasn’t sold locally, it still might be a story because the entrepreneur lived in the area, but having the dual benefits just makes the story more likely to be covered.
By now, most people would say, “miracle cure” yeah right! And so is the reporter.
- So the entrepreneur addresses this skepticism immediately.
“I know a dermatologist at a local hospital who advises her patients to buy this over-the-counter cream…”
Again, there’s a local connection to the story. But more importantly, there’s an expert who can vouch for the quality of the product. It’s not just the entrepreneur. She had a testimonial from a doctor, which is critical for credibility.
- But here’s the important follow up, regarding precisely how the expert can help stomp out a reporter’s skepticism.
“… and would be happy to speak with you to verify my account.”
This is the clincher. Not only is a doctor available who the reporter can speak with, but the reporter was told the doctor is ready and willing to speak.
Make Running the Story You’re Pitching As Easy As Possible for the Reporter
Ideally, the pitch would say “we have three happy customers in Duluth ready to speak with you as well,” so the reporter doesn’t have to waste time finding someone who’s purchased the product.
This makes me as a reporter practically giddy. Had this entrepreneur not mentioned the doctor, or not mentioned that she’d be willing to be interviewed, I as a reporter would wonder if the product was a scam, or would be calculating the amount of time it would take to find another doctor. If the entrepreneur couldn’t produce a credible source like the doctor, there’s a 75 percent chance the reporter would drop the story, purely because he or she would have no practical way to explain to viewers or readers why this product probably isn’t a scam.
Would it be possible to independently test it in a lab perhaps? Sure. But when you’re dealing with reporters, keep in mind that it’s a sales process. The more hoops the reporter must jump through in order to make your story printable and defensible, the more unlikely it is not to get printed or on the air.
Can I Help?
What walls have you hit when it’s come to pitching reporters? Explain it in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to provide some advice on your specific situations.
About the Author:
Patrick Garmoe is a digital marketing specialist and blogger at PureDriven, which helps clients drive relevant traffic to their websites. He loves helping businesses spread good ideas through social media and search engine optimization. He’s waiting to talk with you on Twitter at @Garmoe.
Venus Flytrap Image by botheredbybees
Elena is founder of a technology PR agency that works with startups to billion-dollar companies. She is passionate about helping marketers and small business owners with practical publicity strategies.
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Excellent and valuable insight, Patrick! Thank you. I’ve marked this as a favorite. A question about pitching timeframes. How far in advance do you recomend sending a news release or otherwise pitching a story? Is there an ideal lead time, for example, to pitch a Nov 16 story about an event for nonprofits?
.-= Trent´s last blog ..Three Ingredients for Transforming Individuals- Organizations and Communities =-.
Hello Trent, thanks for the complement.
I recommend a couple weeks for an initial pitch, if time allows. Reporters hate getting notified the day before about an event, when it’s obvious planning began months ago. Consider this more of a “save the date”pitch. So I’d probably send an initial press release then. Then follow up a week before the event, to see if they had any questions etc. (So by now you’ve reminded them twice) and then finally contact them a couple days before. By now they’ve either decided not to come, or they’ve put it on their calendar, or your call or e-mail will force them to decide.
That help?
Thank you Patrick! Excellent advice.
Excellent breakdown and very helpful! I run an e-commerce shop and don’t have a tangible product to push. What ways have you seen/tips do you have for grabbing the attention of reporters for e-commerce?
I am a mom, have all of our products tested by moms to ensure quality, and offer family-owned service. But, I don’t see stories like these in the news and am lost for what/how to pitch.
Hello Patrick,
I have a question. I hear that grabbing the attention of the reporter is key to being written about. However, I also hear that having close relationships with reporters is key also. I’ve just started my own PR business. I haven’t even finished my website but I already have clients. How do I go about building those valuable relationships that seem to be the key to getting reporters to even read my stories? Great post. Thank you.
Kalem Jones
OutbreakPRandEvents
Thanks for the comment Jennifer,
A couple thoughts:
“I am a mom, have all of our products tested by moms to ensure quality, and offer family-owned service.”
I’d sell this concept of “tested by moms, for moms.” A lifestyles section writer will likely love that angle. Talk about your fleet of moms who test things, and make a couple available to speak with the media. Also, try and schedule an event the reporter can come to and photograph, where maybe five moms are all meeting to try something new you’re trying to sell. Create an “event” out of your store, a reason for a reporter to show up, in other words.
I also think your store is unique enough, that talking about how you run a store out of your home that caters to moms by itself might be a story. And I assume you have young children yourself, so that’s always an interesting angle, trying to run a business at home with kids.
You might want to hold a special event to attract expecting moms on a Saturday where you do something special for them, and then announce it to the media. These sorts of events work well on Saturdays. You’re not necessarily going to get a huge paper to come, but weeklies and small dailies/TV stations would likely show up.
Pay attention to the news, and when something related to pregnancy and young motherhood hits, call up a reporter and give them a tangible reason to do a story on some aspect of your business, related to the national event. For example, a baby dies in an unfortunate crib mishap. You call up and offer to talk about the sorts of products you sell that prevent those kinds of injuries from taking place. It’s called “localizing” a story. You’re an expert with the demographic you cater to, so play up that angle. You can advise others.
I know there’s a movie called “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” coming out, based on the popular book. When you begin to see news about the movie coming out, make sure you contact reporters to talk about doing a piece on what you thought of the book, whether you’re going to see the movie, and what would-be parents really do need to expect in those initial months and years.
Also, watch the calendar. With every major holiday, you can tie something you sell to the event. Around Christmas, reach out to a reporter, offering 10 items that every person buying for someone who is pregnant or has a small child might enjoy. It’s actually a better story if you highlight not just your products, but those of others. That way you don’t make it all about you. And reporters like that.
Also, I recommend targeting print/online media sources. In my experience many more people will follow up with you, if the story doesn’t just fly across their screens in a minute or two.
So those are some ideas. Feel free to post another comment if I’m unclear.
Cheers,
Patrick
.-= Patrick Garmoe´s last blog ..3 Free- Devastatingly Effective Ways To Market A Business =-.
Hello Kalem,
Congrats on having clients even before your website is up. Clients are always the hard part.
Here’s what I’d advise. Definitely, above all, establishing relationships is the best way to go, when trying to get publicity.
I recommend Twitter. Many local media types are on Twitter. And if they aren’t, connect via Facebook. Follow them see what they say, and respond back. If they say they need volunteers for election night help, be there. Do whatever you can to be helpful to them. We struck up a friendship with a local anchor via Twitter, and now we’re regulars on a tech segment.
If you see a story they did you thought was really good, drop them an e-mail. Just be visible in their lives when you have nothing to gain. Pass along good story tips that make them look good (but you don’t have anything to necessarily gain by giving them the tip). Over the long haul, this pays off. And don’t pitch them stuff that isn’t a real story. If the idea only serves your client, but doesn’t really benefit the community, then a reporter isn’t going to appreciate it. But a good tip will make you a media friend fast.
Also, don’t ignore local bloggers. Increasingly they’re becoming bigger and bigger players in the media game.
I’d also encourage you to watch this webinar on Real Time Search from PR Vet David Meerman Scott. He talks about ways to in real time sell you way into a live news cycle. He’s talking more to businesses, but it’s doubly true for people who make a living getting clients PR.
http://www.hubspot.com/webinars/join-the-real-time-marketing-pr-webinar
.-= Patrick Garmoe´s last blog ..3 Free- Devastatingly Effective Ways To Market A Business =-.
Thanks Nikki for the comment!
.-= Patrick Garmoe´s last blog ..3 Free- Devastatingly Effective Ways To Market A Business =-.
Thank you so much Patrick. I’m gonna get started right away.
Kalem G Jones
OutbreakPRandEvents
Kalem@OutbreakPRandEvents.com
Thanks for the response, Patrick! It does help…a lot. Much appreciated.
.-= Trent´s last blog ..Three Ingredients for Transforming Individuals- Organizations and Communities =-.
Great post Patrick. Good detail in getting attention the right way. I know have to work out a story to pitch to someone. Any ideas for that?
.-= Sarah Arrow´s last blog ..A Wave of our WordPress Wand for November =-.
Hi Sarah, thanks for stopping by. I’d love it if you could make it easier for Patrick by telling us what you do and for whom.
Elena
Hey Patrick, very well said. I do not know you personally, but I see that you have a lot of grey matters! I’m looking forward to more stuff like this! Good job!
.-= Min Li´s last blog ..Satellite Direct Review =-.
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