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How To Become A Media “Authority Figure” And Be Quoted In The News
While packaging is part of the promotion game, another part depends on the status of the packager.
“Authority figures,” people who can be identified in some way, are important in journalism because covering, quoting or citing them gives depth and credibility to stories. The “person on the street” and the “family from Peoria,” represent the common [...]
7 Ways To Build A Successful News Story
It’s always news when the circus comes to town or a new teenage spelling champ is proclaimed, even though everyone has heard these stories before. Such events are newsworthy only because promoters have taken standardized stories and added a little spice, a new twist and some updating to make them current. Here are seven quick [...]
10Sep2009 | admin | 0 comments | Continued10 Ways To Kill A News Story
With so many media outlets looking for good stories, you’d think most promoters would have little trouble getting ideas circulated. Yet many valid story concepts are never covered for the oddest of reasons: The promoter prevents coverage!
This sounds like an utter contradiction of purpose and intent, but it happens more frequently than anyone might believe. [...]
Media Marketing Rules — How To Win At PR
Every profession and industry has a particular way of doing business, a series of standards and approaches that distinguish “insiders” from the rest of the world. If you’re in the field, you know where the boundaries are, what constitutes professionally-appropriate behavior, and where corners can be cut.
In the relationship between journalists and promoters there are [...]
The Unwritten PR Rules, Part 3: Promotional “Cautions”
It can be tricky interacting with journalists. One one hand they greatly value smart PR folks, on the other not every promoter knows how they game is played. Here are some “cautions” to consider.
Don’t expect journalists to be your promoters. The role of a reporter is to report. Except for advocacy forums such as editorials [...]
The Unwritten PR Rules, Part 2: Promotional “Don’ts”
What is it that irritates reporters? The list below is at least a good place to start.
Avoid blanket emails. Sending releases to six reporters at the same outlet and at the same time in the hopes of coverage by each can be a disaster. In the worst possible case, each reporter will develop a story, [...]
The Unwritten PR Rules, Part 1: Promotional “Do’s”
How can you succeed with the media? Here are the basic do’s, steps you ought to take with every report and news outlet.
Customize Materials
To the extent possible, tailor your efforts to individual reporters and media outlets. All media outlets, even those competing in the same field or for the same audience, have distinct needs and [...]
A Common Sense Guide To Practical PR
While the advantages of media attention are attractive — at least on occasion — contacting reporters may seem strange and foreign. In a society where “tooting one’s horn” is seen in a negative context, emailing or calling total stranger to promote oneself or one’s story may seem pushy, egocentric and tasteless.
There is also the problem [...]
Journalism 101: Media Versus Medium
What do we call the Internet, newspapers, TV and radio? They are the “media” when grouped collectively, as in “media reports say the war is going well.”
In formal language, a single newspaper might be called a “medium” but the term is convoluted and most people will not use it. No one says “I read the [...]
How Big Companies Get Media Coverage
There aren’t many days when the news is not dominated by massive organizations. When a large corporation opens a new factory, the Red Cross seeks blood, a union strikes or the local government raises taxes, many people are affected and by definition such events are news.
That giant organizations are well covered by the media is [...]
Awesome post. It's so hard to differentiate yourself and your services unless you want to sound like Billy Mays (RIP) ...