Journalists are just NOT interested in your business!

Here’s the cold hard truth - journalists are not interested in your business. Deadline-driven journalists do not have time to listen to information about your company. 

You may think your sales figures, your new product or your latest acquisition are interesting enough on their own. 

But journalists don’t.

What makes a journalist pay attention to you?

They want a story. In fact, journalists need a story.

If you want to avoid getting ignored by journalists then you need to give them a ready-made news story. You need to do their work for them. 

Here’s how to stop being ignored:

1.   Present them with a clearly written and compelling story
2.   Help them do their job

I guarantee it.

And here’s the main thing you need to know about how to present your story. 

You don't have to SELL your story, you just have to TELL your story.

Journalists don’t work in the advertising department, they work in editorial.  Although in the current climate as brand PR's you might just get put through to sales before you reach the editorial team.

Stories get published on merit, not because you pay a fee for them (that's called 'advertising'). 

If a journalist thinks you are simply flogging a product they will dismiss you.

 And if a journalist feels like you are just spamming him/her then that’s a huge black mark against your name (you are ghosted  ).

It's a delicate balance to get right. 

Of course, on the other hand, if you never approach them then they won’t have heard of you. But if you overwhelm them with emails, and remember they are getting 200 a day (or more!), then it’s game over.

So when you’re ready to approach a journalist with your story you have to make sure it stands out and doesn’t get lost within their crowded inbox.

Click here to see EXACTLY how you do it with a proven press release template. 

And if you're in a hurry here are the top 5 ways to stop your email being ignored:

 Number 1 - Use your subject header to grab their attention. You need to make the journalist sit up and take notice. Make sure you include the main news hook of your story so they know this is an email worth opening.

 Number 2 - Provide them with value, help them do their job and make sure your email directly conveys the news value of your story.

 Number 3 - Use the word ‘story’ in your email, show the journalist that you know the currency they trade-in. Don't just tell them that you have a story, Show that it is! Use objective descriptive techniques that invite subjectivity from the reader. If a press release looks like an advertisement, it will be ignored.

 Number 4 - Don’t provide them with lists of information. You need a well-crafted story in the form of a press release. Something that they can clearly cut and paste if they are rushed off their feet.

 Number 5 - Situate your story within the wider news agenda so the journalist will see that your story is relevant to their audience.

 Remember, a story is something that is ‘new’ or a ‘first’ or has an 'angle' in some way - that’s the magic ingredient that makes the news.

Lisajane

P.S. A journalist only ignores you if they think you are wasting their time. 

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