Learn how to be a good nag when it comes to media
I ran this post early last year and thought I’d update it with a few more ways to be a ‘good nag’.
The biggest pet peeve I hear from the media is when people ask them “hey did you get my email?” Granted that is a pretty stupid question – but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve called a journalist because I KNOW he or she would want the story only to hear “yeah, send it again it must have gone in my spam file” Or – “Oh I was on vacation and had too many messages so I just deleted them all.” So how do we make sure the journalist or producer got what we sent without appearing like a needy, nagging spouse?
Here are some things I’ve done that work really well for me. In fact, there are cases where I’ve made as many as 7 or 8 contacts to a journalist before hearing back…without making them mad. See if any of these work for you:
- Email them again, refer to your pitch and simply ask if they want the story. . Just send them an email forward of your first email and ask – “Hey are you going to do something with my pitch or not I’ve got other places to go with it” Don’t be afraid to get a no AND DON”T ARGUE WITH THEM ABOUT IT if you do. Just move on and be grateful they let you know. I get a lot of folks that respond to check back a little later. Media will often put your email in a “maybe” folder for months, but if you’ve got something happening you need to know now whether they’re going to use it.
- Figure out some new information to send them. Say something like “I told you about my company a while back in an email dated XX (always give them the date, it helps) However we’ve just hired Bill Gates as our CIO and thought you’d like to know” Chances are if you sent them a concise, interesting pitch they will perk up their ears. Or they figure out you aren’t going to stop politely contacting them, and they throw you a bone by giving you a better person to pitch.
- Call and catch them live. I know they hate it, but if you’re brief and give them the “I just need to know if you are planning to do anything with this, even if it’s on the maybe pile” talk, they’ll usually tell you. Hey, we have clients to report back to and they know that. Just be quick about it, and only call if you really need to know.
- Change your pitch so that the story idea is NEW. And remember it really has to be new. Again, forward your old email and say something like “I was thinking about your publication, and wondering if maybe a better angle would be XXXX.” Or even “I saw this event in the news, and thought you might want some expert commentary from moi, ms. smarty pants”
- Tweet them. For some reason, journalists and producers have been easier for me to engage on non-booked stories on Twitter. In fact, I feel as though I’ve got a stronger relationship with many of them from just sending them a tweet once in a while or RT’ing their stories. So when I’ve tweeted them about a recent pitch, they usually respond.
Tags: how to follow up on your pitches, Public Relations, small business marketing
August 26th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
You know, i never thought to tweet them. I have always not liked twitter, i guess i will try and get past it.
August 26th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Great Post
August 26th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Hi, if I understand it. I feel when I get someone like a stranger: if I want to be friends?, Then no. abogados penalistas
August 26th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Love It! Great Great tips and techniques when it comes to emailing journalists. I have had a couple articles published in local newspapers but trying to submit online can be grueling. I’m going to keep in mind your strategy in the future
August 27th, 2010 at 4:24 am
I’ve noticed it’s easier to get hold of journalists on Twitter too. Strange that. Maybe it just catches them off guard slightly?
August 27th, 2010 at 5:34 am
Maybe. I think that for some reason journalists feel like its okay to engage on a more casual level in Twitter. I’m going to ask!
August 28th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Looks like I’ll have to get a twitter account until it too becomes the next filtered thing.
August 29th, 2010 at 7:10 am
We all hate to be thought of as a nag, but in reality it does get results. Maybe we should learn to swallow our pride a little.
August 30th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Contacting someone like that through Twitter never crossed my mind before. That’s a great tip. I agree that it’s a more casual format than a phone call or even email.