Want Media Attention? Befriend that Journalist

5 Do's and Don'ts for PR pros on how to deal with reporters

As a journalist, I get dozens of cold calls and press releases on a weekly basis from PR managers and newbies alike, all hoping to get a story published about their launch or product. And to be honest I HATE it! Moreover the vast majority of these pestering calls go completely unanswered.

You want my attention? Here's how to get it:

?? DO USE EMAIL. There is nothing more annoying than getting a call in the middle of a meeting from someone you don't know asking you to cover an event you know nothing about. For us journos, calls are very intrusive. Instead, use your email to explain why you think your product/service/launch/event may be of interest to our viewers/readers. Because when you call me early morning or worse late at night, asking me to cover some minor event, am just gonna tell you that I don’t have time to discuss a meaningless coverage with a person I don’t know.

?? DO PRESENT A KILLER PITCH. Send me an interesting but brief invite or a captivating headline! Don’t be lazy by attaching a PR release. (P.S: Journos HATE press releases) Releases are so old school, and most often than not are so formal, too long and written in the most classic, boring style that even the PR pro who wrote it would doze off while reading it! Instead, try telling me a story. Or better yet, simplify your pitch by telling me about the most interesting part of your product. Make it short and catchy. Trust me it works.

?? DO GET TO KNOW MY AUDIENCE. If you know I cover social media stories, you should know who my target audience is and draft your pitch to attract my audience, not yours. That's the key to attracting a journalist's attention. Do not bother to send me invitations to financial, political or health events cause you know am not gonna waste my time there.

?? DO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP. Very often I have to explain to a PR rep that I simply cannot cover the event they're handling simply because it doesn't interest my audience. But the very few PR pros who succeeded in building a relationship with me know very well what stories would get me running to them with my camera rolling. This only comes when you bother in building a long term relationship with the journalist. Take them out for coffee, ask them about their audience, their interests..etc Don't just expect to run into them in the middle of an event and hand them a business card. That will not get you a media coverage.

Don't call a journalist late at night unless it's an absolute life or death situation!

?? DO NOT TREAT US LIKE WE WORK FOR YOU. The biggest mistake you can do as a PR pro is to treat a journalist like she's your employee. I have had so many PR managers aggressively and repeatedly ask me to interview their client that I simply had to stop them mid-sentence to say "hey I don't work for you. I do what is best for my story not your client". So try to control your stress and instead, ask me how I can benefit from your story or even better get creative about how you can find an angle linking your story to my audience. That's your job, and the rest I can take care of.