Ever wonder why some people get instant press and others languish? Despite all the reasons you hear (bad publicist, bad timing, dumb media, war, famine, smallpox outbreak..) it’s because their pitch is not nearly as interesting as they think.  If you think you don’t have to read this post because you KNOW this doesn’t apply to you…you probably need to read this post. So bear with me… here are the top five reasons why pitches get ignored:

1. Unless you’re Einstein, you have not thought of this first. YOU may think it’s unique but if you went to the bookstore (yes, the actual bookstore not Google or Amazon) you will likely find at least three books on your topic. If you do a product competitive search you will find tons of people with the exact same idea/product/service. It’s inevitable.
2. Your pitch is a sales pitch. Nobody wants to hear the features and benefits of your stuff. They want a news story. I don’t care if your widget is the fastest/best/easiest/prettiest/etc. It’s the story BEHIND the widget that may or may not be interesting.
3. Nobody has heard of you – even if  you’re a big shot. Sorry, but there are thousands of people trying to get on Ellen/Oprah/Today show…etc. Even if you’ve started a multi-million dollar company or rock out on your local TV station every Friday – national media has never heard of you. Keep your ego in check and realize you are probably one of many.
4. You think if you keep calling/emailing/texting/twittering/faxing they’ll finally say yes. A NO means NO. The more you ignore the NO the more you will be ignored yourself. And get a reputation as a whiner/bully/stalker/insane person.
5.  You can’t tell your story well. If the person doesn’t “get it” in one sentence you’re out of there. Go back and revise your story and tell this “elevator pitch” to a million people until you’re sure they get it right away.

If you’re frustrated with your PR efforts, take a minute and be honest with yourself. Do you think you’re more unique than you are? Have you done your competitive analysis? Are you trying to sell your product/service/book instead of finding the real hook behind it? Are you taking 15 minutes to get someone to understand what you’re talking about? Really assess where you’re at, go back and get creative. There’s a unique aspect to EVERY client I work with…and there is in your business too. You just have to take the time and exercise the humility to find it!

Food writers and bloggers are a persnickety lot. On the newspaper side, many food writers are being blended into the lifestyle sections. Or if they have survived, at times they can be prickly due to the circumstances.

On the blogger side, the fact that there really isn’t any need for impartiality in most cases lands you with a group that can have some very strong personal biases. (Of course this is true of many bloggers, not just foodies.) Even though chef TV shows are some of the most popular reality series on air, print cuisine magazines are still struggling both nationally and locally. Even Rachael Ray’s magazine lost circulation this year! That means editorial guidelines are tighter than ever and cross-promotions with advertising take precedence.

Add to that in most markets there is a very clear pecking order in terms of who to pitch first, and you’ve got a complicated pitching situation. That’s why so many PR agencies like Sauce Communications focus strictly on food and drink. It’s hard! (more…)

Recently I got one of my clients an interview on one of Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s stories on CNN. My client (check out the drumming circle in the video below) told me I had paid for myself for a year with this clip. (more…)

I started to write a post about pitching bloggers, but then I found an excellent piece by Darren Rowse at ProBlogger.net. Why reinvent the wheel? Although this was written in 2007, the advice is still 100% sound. I’ve included the first paragraph and a link to the rest of the article. Read the comments too – they’re a treasure trove of information as well!

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How to Pitch to Bloggers – 21 Tips

One of the challenges that many bloggers face once they become established and grow a profile in their niche is that they become the target of ‘pitches’ – or people emailing to ask them to do ’stuff’.

These ‘pitches’ can be on any number of fronts including:

• announcing new products/services in the hope of being linked to or reviewed
• link exchanges
• asking for permission to use content
• exploring potential partnerships
• suggesting links to posts on other blogs
• story ideas
• asking for guest posts
• asking questions
• request for an interview

The list goes on. Some bloggers get ‘pitched to’ hundreds of times each week (some get hundreds per day!) and so if you’re looking to approach a blogger with some kind of pitch it is worth thinking carefully about how you do it.

Read the full article at Problogger.net

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I  had coffee with a fairly new client today. We had a great talk that included his experiences with a previous PR firm. Although he spent thousands of dollars he didn’t get his expectations met. And so at the end of the contract he was discouraged and the PR firm had a dent in their reputation. Now it’s up to me to redeem his belief in our industry. You know what? I may not do that much differently from the old firm except that I refuse to ‘do the dance.’ Here’s what I mean.

PR is a squishy, unpredictable business. You can make a quick phone call one day and land a huge fish or you can spend three months sending elegant pitches, following up on time, and get nothing. Most business owners know that but you can’t help worrying when those placements aren’t coming in…after all it’s your money. Here’s where the problem starts. Many PR firms decide what they need to do at this point is make you feel good. They come in with some great charts, reports on the flurry of activity that’s going on, hints at big things that may happen….you know…it’s THE DANCE. You feel really good after the meeting but then a week later nothing’s changed and you worry again. And worse, you start to feel like a nag for asking all the time.

I’m telling you, trust your gut. This isn’t rocket science and it’s really easy to see if things aren’t going well. If your PR person is good, they’ll be knocking at your door looking for new angles or trying to expand the media list, or even trying new channels. If things aren’t working, they’ll tell you and ask for your help to find more interesting hooks.

If they’re not so good, or a traditional firm that’s just interested in adding up retainers each month they’ll do the dance. So when your meetings start to look something like this…

it’s probably time to look elsewhere.

We’ve had some juicy celebrity crisis’ lately that make writing this post lots of fun. When your company, product or personal brand encounters a crisis it’s important to decide what ‘voice’ you’re going to use.  Choosing the right approach is one of the reasons little-known (but uber-powerful) flacks like Marty Chalmers and Eliot Mintz make the heavy wood.  Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics of voices being used most recently – as well as a few thrown in from the past.

Above It – How can I write this post without addressing Tiger Woods’ current situation? As I write this, he has refused to meet with the police and has posted a note on his website thanking his well- wishers and telling everyone the rumors are all lies and he wants to keep this ‘private’. First of all, not cooperating with the police right away sends the message that the guy has something to hide. Second, he doesn’t tell us what happened. Apparently we aren’t privileged enough to hear the real story. How would we feel if Oprah showed up 50 pounds thinner and refused to tell us how she did it? This voice implies arrogance and an attitude that Tiger’s above it all. Not a good move for America’s favorite sports hero and NEVER a good move if the law is involved. (more…)