It’s that time of year when people “take a break” for the holiday season. But should you pitch the media this time of year? Or not pitch? I love Shakespeare. In fact, many of you might not even know it, I have a B.F.A. from DePaul University in theater. Let’s just say, those who know me [...]
Eye on media’s needs — If you make your media contact shine bright, then you will shine bright too. This applies for print as well as broadcast interviews. Discuss in advance the focus your interviewer is planning to take so you can be prepared to the max. Listen carefully to your interviewer’s questions and give [...]
Easy! You have to consider WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW. For example: WHO: Who needs to say the message? WHAT: What exactly is the message? WHERE: Where do you need to say the message? WHEN: When do you need to say it? WHY: Why do you need to say this message? HOW: How [...]
It’s three simple things: 1) Look for ways to make their job easier. 2) Provide value, value, value. 3) Build long, not short-term relationships. The number one thing though is to be responsive (return their call, tweet, email immediately). Top tier media like Oprah, Fox and Friends or Good Morning America work on very short [...]
The New York Times reported on my client, Landmark Education, over the Thanksgiving weekend. So did Bloomberg Businessweek. Shh, I have an amazing December story idea I’m sharing with my personal media contacts right now. I’ll report back here in December on how I turned the “ultimate gift” of media coverage into the “ultimate gift” at [...]
You have to first think of your brand as something more than your image, logo and company colors. It’s your reputation. It’s also what people can remember about you when you’re not around. Can they remember what your brand does? Your expertise? Your company’s services? A memorable, successful brand is basically your message remembered by [...]
Newspapers: For non-breaking news, such as an event you are publicizing, give reporters and assignment editors two to four weeks notice. Don’t expect to call up a newspaper the day of the event and get them to cover it unless you are Tiger Woods calling a press conference! Nothing is more irritating to hard-working journalists [...]
The key is to promote yourself without being overly promotional. Part of giving a great interview is being able to promote yourself, your expertise, book or product in a way that doesn’t appear to be self-promoting. This is all about giving the media what they want, answering their questions and avoiding blatant self-promotion. Avoid phrases [...]
Yes, you’ll need different bios for different media needs. These should include your byline bio, a broadcast bio and a full bio. The byline is the concise bio with the key information on you, your accomplishments, websites and contact info suitable for bylined articles you submit to media venues. The broadcast bio is written in [...]
To best serve the media and increase your chances of getting covered, think about the different needs of various media. For instance, TV is looking for good visuals and a story that can be told succinctly in sound bites. For radio, you will need to practice answering questions with short punchy answers and avoid long-winded, [...]