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Posted by Maria Perez on November 12th, 2009
At a time when people’s attention spans are limited to 140 characters or less, it’s more important than ever to be concise when crafting a compelling message that will draw the attention of the media you seek. How can you make your message stand out from the crowd? How will your expert’s pitch make it through all of the noise and be the one that makes it into print?
These questions — and more — were addressed by a panel of journalists and bloggers at a recent webinar, “Responding to Media Queries: How to Stand out from the Crowd,” hosted by ProfNet on Nov. 11 and moderated by Ted Skinner, vice president of public relations products, PR Newswire.
Panelists:
• Dale Buss, a contributor to various publications, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, BusinessWeek, Forbes.com, Edmunds.com, Advertising Age, Chief Executive Magazine, Industry Today, Newsmax
• Stephane Fitch, Chicago bureau chief, Forbes
• Samantha Rose Hunt, technology editor for TG Daily and founder of the SocialLite.org blog network
To listen to an archive of the webinar, go to http://budurl.com/pnwebinar
Following are highlights:
Dale Buss
Buss has been using ProfNet for about as long as it’s been around, and calls ProfNet “the single most effective reporting tool available.”
Buss said there seem to be fewer and fewer people who really understand the news business. Those who do, tend to be the ones he relies on most. He stressed the importance of responding to queries quickly, and said timeliness can often be a determining factor in which experts he chooses.
Among Buss’ pet peeves:
• PR people who ask him what he’s working on (unless he reaches out to them). His needs change every day.
• PR people who write, “Here’s who I represent,” and expect him to figure out how they’ll be useful to him. It’s up to the PR people to keep track of his needs.
• People who reply to a request and promise interviews with clients, especially CEOs, before they know whether they can actually deliver on the promise. Find out availability before replying.
• People who respond to queries with clients who only vaguely, if at all, match the expertise he requested. Only reply if you really match the expertise he’s asking for. Don’t offer “Y” if he’s asking for “X.”
• People who offer e-mail-only interviews. He hates them and tries to avoid them at all costs. Actual interviews result in much better stories.
Stephane Fitch
“The best way to work with me,” said Fitch, “is probably to use ProfNet. I’ve been using it on just about every story for 11 years.”
More and more companies are issuing much of their news on their sites, but Fitch said he wished more would also use one of the big newswires, which he trusts and which are reliable for asking for information the media need.
Some of Fitch’s dos and don’ts:
• Don’t reply to query with, “What’s the story all about?” He doesn’t know before he writes it.
• Don’t offer an e-mail-only interview. Fitch prefers to talk to the expert via phone or in person.
• Don’t send a “form letter” offering a story. Custom-pitch him, explaining why you think the story is right for him and Forbes. Fitch said he throws away about 95 percent of the pitches he gets, because they’re obviously not targeted specifically to him.
• Don’t worry about “sound bites,” which can be useless. Just tell your story; he’ll find the sound bites.
• Do know the company you’re pitching. Some PR people don’t know enough about the companies they rep, he said. Know the details.
• Do contact him to set up a coffee/lunch meeting. If you or your CEO is passing through Chicago, let him know. He values connecting with people/companies, and has never turned down an in-person meeting with a PR person who wants to find out more about what Forbes does.
Samantha Rose Hunt
Bloggers are a huge market — if you’re targeting correctly.
“Pitching to bloggers is different from pitching to journalists,” said Hunt. “Bloggers need to be pitched on a personal level. They’re the reality-TV version of the Internet.”
According to Hunt, bloggers live their lives on a more personal level than journalists. Pitches can’t be generic; they must be personalized. She recommends consulting with a company that deals closely with blogs/bloggers.
Bloggers prefer to interact with people they know, so it’s important to make a personal connection. Hunt suggests commenting on the blog and introducing yourself.
When pitching, be brief and to the point. Let the blogger know how it’ll benefit their audience, what they’ll get out of it.
Be persistent, but avoid overkill. Most bloggers have an editorial calendar. If they’re interested, they’ll let you know.
Lastly, don’t share confidential info. “If you say it, they will write it,” said Hunt. Only share what you don’t mind being blogged.
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