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.

*************************************

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.

Read More→