Editor's Note: The following is a guest Marketing Mulligans post by Mickie Kennedy, founder and president of eReleases, a cost-effective electronic press release distribution service, and a widely-regarded and well-respected PR professional who maintains the company's popular PR Fuel blog. In the PR field, we talk a great deal about proven media relations tactics that work, and in particular, the best ways to connect with reporters who are likely to write about your company and its offerings. But what about the other way around? Instead of chasing journalists down, what does it take to make yourself fully accessible to these influencers when they're approaching you for stories? Read on to find out...
__________________________________________________
1. Research
Do you know who you’re calling? Not just their name or position; who are they? What have they written about in the past? Have they done any opinion columns? What were they about? Were they perhaps passionate against the very business you’re in?
Take the publication itself into consideration as well. How long have they been in business? Have they covered your story idea before? If so, is it possible to approach it from a new angle? Who is the editor in chief? How long was he or she a reporter before making it that far up the ranks? Are they who you should call instead?
2. Conversation
Before you ever send your first press release, strike up a conversation with the reporters in your area. Call or email (preferred) them and ask what news stories they’re looking for. Do NOT pitch them anything at this time unless they specifically ask. Hopefully, they’ll have a solid idea on stories that are hot at the moment, so you can be sure to submit anything that fits in that model.
This includes information that’s not related to your company! You really want to make yourself valuable to a reporter, make sure you scratch their backs a little. Reporters are often stressed out individuals, so when somebody comes along and helps them cut back to only half a pack that particular day, they will remember it.
3. Return Phone Calls
Eventually, when a good conversation and relationship is established, your reporter contacts may in fact start blowing up your phone instead of vice versa. Remember your manners and make sure to follow up with them, no matter if you have information or not!
Keep in mind the crazy deadlines your new friends are working around. When waiting an hour makes the difference between a story making the paper and total disaster, waiting a day to call them back is just ridiculous. After a few times of them attempting to reach you for a story or source quote and you taking your sweet time responding, the phone calls will stop, and soon you’ll find yourself among the unread masses again, wondering what happened.
4. Be Polite
One last thing – remember those aforementioned deadlines when and if you decide to ever do a follow up call or email. Even though you and the reporter now have great repartee when you talk on the phone doesn’t mean they want you ringing them up every time you get home from work.
A little common courtesy will go a long way; instead of immediately jumping into a conversation when they answer, simply ask, “Is this a good time?” More than likely they’ll be happy to hear from you anyway, but in case they’re currently chasing after the mayor for an interview, it gives them an easy way to tell you they’ll call you back without a lot of stammering.
Copyright © 1998-2011 eReleases® (MEK Enterprises LLC) All Rights Reserved.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment