Dear Publicists: There’s A Difference Between Story-Ready And Press-Ready

If you are pitching media, make sure you or your client is press-ready. This statement seems like common sense, right? But you'd be surprised how many people aren't. I'd like to use this article to break down what it means to be press-ready. It’s more than being able to share a magnificent story.

Okay, you crafted a decent pitch that piques a writer's interest. That's awesome! Congratulations on overcoming hurdle number one. You schedule the interview; you have something on the calendar. That's huge! Most people don't even get that far. You are feeling a certain way about yourself. Things are rolling along pretty well, and the interview goes as planned. You look in the mirror feeling accomplished. Your inner dialogue has never been so positive before. It's your year to shine, and it all starts with this article in a top-tier publication. You tell everyone how this will be a life-changing moment for you and your career.??

Then suddenly, an email comes through the inbox asking for high-res, professional photos. You frantically search all your digital photo albums. "Darn," you start thinking. "I knew I should have gotten new headshots taken. I wonder if a selfie would work?"?

The writer sends you the photo specs again, emphasizing the high-res photos needed. You try to schedule a photoshoot but all the photographers are booked for the next month. You ask your ten-year-old tech genius to take a photo on the iPhone, hoping that the quality just meets the requirements. It doesn't matter if it's great; it just has to be good enough at this point.?

You cringe while hitting the send button on the email of photos to the writer. The journalist replies with, "Ehh!" But it's a picture—way better than using stock image. At this point, you're still happy that the article is going to run. The day comes. The article is live. There's your story in print. The writer eloquently shares how you came up with your business idea and makes you out to be the hero while sharing the obstacles you've overcome. And there's a link to your product page. Things are great. It's time for you to bask in your glory.?

You send an email of thanks to the writer, which comes back with a reply asking for your social media handles for promotion and when you are going to start sharing across your platforms. "Oh, shoot," you think. "I'll have time next month to really share the coverage."

Then the unthinkable happens: the server you use for the e-commerce store on your website crashes. This is because it can't handle that much traffic. No fret, though. You get it back up and running. But then you hear from your assistant, "We've sold out of all the products. What do we do?"

The manufacturer says there is nothing they can do. Supplies won't be restocked for another three months. So, gradually, fewer and fewer people visit the website. By the time you get around to sharing the coverage, you can't. It's old news, and you have zero products to sell. During this time, the writer shares with other journalists the experience they had with you. Now, the pool of writers you can reach out to has narrowed down. It's harder to find the needed coverage once you've fully restocked your products. You sit wondering what you could have done differently.?

Moral of the story: being press-ready goes beyond being able to share your story or reaching a milestone in your business or career.

Being press-ready means:

• You have up-to-date photos of yourself and your products.
• You can handle an influx of orders—the website is updated.
• You have marketing material ready to go (and are prepared to tag the writer) and continually grow your followers.?

Don't miss out on an opportunity to be featured in publications because you're not press-ready. I've joined forces with other top-tier journalists to create a FB Group where we share tips and tricks to surviving the media landscape. On May 3rd, we're kicking off 3-months of Strategy Sessions. I'm hosting the first one on the press mindset—mentally preparing yourself for your press journey and understanding how the story you're telling yourself should align with the story you share with others.?

Here's how to join the strategy session:

• Join the Insights To The Media Room FB group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/insightstothemediaroom
• Block off May 3rd from 7-7:30pm ET on your calendar
• Join us on Facebook as we go live