You don't need to perform tricks to impress journalists. Here's what to do instead.....

Over the past few years, I’ve diversified the services that we offer. I realised that not every business has a budget for PR activities, but recognised the need for small brands to tap into the power and potency of PR.

In 2020 the business expanded from me on my own, to me plus a dedicated team of PR professionals and a business manager. As the team and service offerings improved and increased, the investment needed to do the same.

This meant alienating a huge percentage of my audience, which didn’t sit well with me.

Two years ago, everyone told me to create an online course or a monthly membership, but I didn't want to. Everyone else was doing that and my inner rebel hated the idea of blending in and following the same path as others.

I wanted to do something different. I wanted to create something that was helpful. memorable and actually gave you everything you needed, not just one or two steps from my proven PR process.

As a side note, I didn’t want to give business owners the ability to respond to journalist requests, purely to make back money on the platforms I invest in. I may have bills to pay but I also have integrity!

I also didn’t want to be responsible for feeding an ugly beast that journalists detest.

You see, pitching to a journalist is not the same as sending an email to a colleague, a supplier or someone on your email list.

Pitching to a journalist is not the same as responding to a request that they’ve shared on Twitter or inside a private Facebook group.

There’s a knack to pitching that you haven’t (yet) been taught. A knack that will not only help you to stand out, get noticed and get featured, but will help you to become memorable for all the right reasons. That will help you to build relationships with journalists and, over time, become a trusted media source.

Unless you’ve been a journalist, trained as a journalist, or worked in PR, you’ll have no clue how to pitch to a journalist in a way that will set you up for success.

I digress…….

As you can tell, I’m not here to make a quick buck out of giving you access to certain elements of the PR process in the hope that it helps you along the way. I’m here to give you access to the whole damn thing. Because when you win, I win.

I’ve spent the past 21 years honing my craft, getting things wrong and learning along the way. This means that I’ve accrued 21 years of experience that I can now share with you, so that you avoid making 21 years’ worth of mistakes.

The thing to remember with PR is this:

You’ll never be 100% perfect all of the time.

In fact, you’ll rarely be 100% perfect at all, because each journalist you pitch to will have their own preferences. Each journalist you pitch to will have a different personality, will respond to things differently depending on their life experiences, and will have a different set of criteria that you need to meet, before they’ll say yes to you and your ideas.

After 18 years of actively pitching to the press, I still get it wrong (although I rarely pitch to journalists these days, hence why I delegate to my team as they’re better at it than me). The difference is, I’ll get it wrong fewer times than you, if you have no idea how to pitch to a journalist.

Which leads me back to the point of this article....

When it comes to pitching to the press, there are so many myths floating around that I could easily spend all day busting BS myths and proving them wrong. But I don’t want to do that. In fact, if you want to find out what the top 5 myths are, you can read about them in my Amazon Bestselling book; How To Get PR, which you can order here.

Right here and now, you may believe that:

• you need to be famous or be a celebrity to get featured in the press
• you need to spill the beans about your traumatic or dramatic past, a’la Prince Harry, or become so vulnerable that you open up unhealed wounds
• you’re not interesting or important enough to be featured
• you’ve not been in business long enough to be considered credible, or an expert in your industry.

You may also feel as though you don’t make enough money, and therefore you won’t be featured because you’re not ‘big’ enough.

Contrary to your current beliefs, you do NOT need to perform tricks or do anything spectacular or out of the ordinary to be featured in the press.

You don’t need to have been in business for over six years or earn over six-figures to be quoted as an expert.

But what you do need, is to understand the fundamentals of PR and how to give journalists what they want.

This is exactly why I’m hosting a free masterclass on Thursday 12th January at 10am, to give you an insight into what journalists want. To educate you on the difference between proactive and reactive PR, and to share four key trends that you can tap into in 2023, using my Four Pillars of PR Framework.?

Context is hugely important to me. I can’t tell you to bake me a cake without providing you with the ingredients and a recipe to follow.

It’s the same with PR. I’d be doing a disservice to you by giving you access to journalist requests but not telling you what to include in your response, or how to write it.

You may not care about these things. But I do.

So, if you’re an independent business owner, a small business owner or a start-up and would LOVE to get yourself and your ideas featured in the press but have no idea how or where to start, start here.

Start by attending this masterclass.

What Journalists Wants - Four Key Trends for 2023 will be live-streamed directly into my free Facebook Group, How To Get PR, which means that you’ll need to join the group to get access to the masterclass.

There won’t be a replay as this is for those who are ready to take action and start tapping into the power and potency of PR.

If you’re already working with an agency or an in-house PR team, this masterclass isn’t for you, although you may want to message me about our PR Concierge offering; New Year, New Agency and all that!

To get in on the action you'll need to join my Facebook Group. So, you can either search for How To Get PR in the FB search bar, or click this link.

If you’re serious about growing your business this year and you know that it’s time to amplify your social media presence and take your message out to a wider audience, then I’d love to get you started on that journey.

Will I see you there?

* Picture is of our eldest dog, Frank, who inspired me to create content that busts the myth that you need to perform tricks to stand out and get what you want. Don't be like Frank.