For entrepreneurs, small business owners and experts, the daily query boards like HARO and ProfNet can be incredible resources for gaining media placements. From major news broadcast shows to popular niche bloggers, these sites host queries from journalists and producers looking for specific sources for current stories.  Despite how great these resources are,  reporters tell me most  folks  blow their chances completely by the time they write the first sentence in response to a query. Here are some ways to up your chances for getting the media to email you regarding a query, and hopefully get mentioned in a major story! (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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I’ve been chewed out one too many times by a fierce, brilliant magazine editor, and yet a great feature in a national print monthly is still a plum placement. I asked an old editor of mine (in my brief freelance writing career) to spill the beans on what these folks REALLY want. And how to avoid totally pissing them off.

Sheri Wallace is the former  Editor-in-Chief of ePregnancy magazine and Associate Publisher of REAL Magazine, with respective bi-monthly national newsstand circulations of 400,000 and 250,000. She doesn’t mince words so read on… (more…)

Last June I wrote about pitching radio in 10 steps. Since then, advertising is up and free spots are DOWN, making it a bit harder to gain those coveted drivetime spots. Be sure to check out 10 Tips for Pitching Radio – these basic points still apply, as do my tips for Being a Great Radio Guest. I’ve also included a sample pitch at the bottom of this post…this pitch got over 50 interviews for my client!

Here are a few more ways to see if you can get noticed and booked on a radio station. (more…)

After the success of my last blog post on pitching freelance writers I decided to start a weekly feature called “How to Pitch”. I’d like to encourage readers to comment with their own tips and ideas. Also, please let me know if there is a specific show you’d like to pitch. I’ll try to interview one of the producers to get the inside scoop! ( If you’re curious about being a good TV guest, here’s a post on that I did a while ago.)

First let’s start with basic stuff. Although social media is the craze (and it’s cheap) it’s still building fans one to one. Although TV numbers continue to decline the medium provides  a huge opportunity to deliver your message one to many.  But for most people regular press releases and pitches probably won’t get you in the door unless there is a show already planned -  that your message or back story fits perfectly. That can happen, but then you’re depending on luck.

It’s better to create your own pitch, which means thinking like a producer and coming up with a compelling segment all your own. (At the end of this post I’ve included an actual pitch that got my client on Montel, just to show you a successful sample.)  Here are the steps for creating your own pitch – whether it’s local or national, this is really how it works on most talk shows. Authors, it works the same for you. Unless you’re already well-known, you need to come up with a unique idea to help sell your book. (more…)

Here’s the first of a series where I tackle journalists on the street and make them tell me what they want. Want to know how to pitch a freelancer?  Elizabeth Millard writes about business and technology for a range of publications.  I stopped her on a busy street last week and amid planes, trains and automobiles (ok maybe not trains but it sounds like it)  asked her some questions about how she likes to be pitched, what stories she likes and  her BIGGEST pet peeves. Elizabeth is based in the Twin Cities, but her advice will hit home in any market, local or national. I encourage you to watch the video for all of Elizabeth’s tips - including the phrase that makes her delete your email from her address book forever.

But for those of you too busy to watch, here are the main highlights:

• A pitch gets her attention if the writing is really good in the pitch, even more so if it makes her laugh
• Don’t use marketing speak in your pitches ever
• If a freelancer tells you “no” don’t be relentless in trying to change his or her  mind
• Only pitch product stories to writers who specifically write about product news
• Do favors for freelancers – help them find sources even if its not for one of your clients or for your business. They’ll pay you back in the long run!

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…)

We’ve got a gossip columnist here in Minneapolis who  trashed me (in print AND on air no less) after which one of my clients called me and quoted George Plimpton – bad press is like bad breath, it’s better than no breath at all.

But is that really true? Since we were talking about bad publicists last week I thought I’d add my two cents on this topic. Most of us think of bad press as press where we are mentioned in a bad light. It’s really more than that and for PR 2.0 bad press can linger a long, long time. As I mentioned earlier, placements that make no sense are worthless for a brand. To me that’s bad press – my client paid for my time to make that placement so it’s money thrown down the drain. Remember every single mention can live forever online – in my book you have to avoid bad press like the plague.

So what exactly do I consider bad press? Here’s my list but feel free to add more. (more…)

I read Schuyler Brown’s blog on the Huffington Post last week feeling a weird combination of amusement, distaste and even awe. First of all, kudos Ms. Brown for writing “As we speak, or blog, or Twitter, the Information Age is spawning its evil progeny, The Golden Age of PR.” Not because I agree with it, but because I haven’t heard  nonsensical statement like that since I was a ignorant bar manager at wine tastings. When we couldn’t figure out what snotty thing to say, we’d say “My, that was oblique without being obtrusive.” Although it didn’t really mean anything it always came across very well, especially when said with an expert twirl of the wine and an arched brow.

Let me get to my point before I get lost in alcoholic nostalgia. In her blog, Ms. Brown has captured the bias of many people out there regarding PR. A lot of people think we’re just a bunch of liars who will do anything to get a placement. Or, clever spin doctors that we are, we distort the truth to pull the wool over the poor unsuspecting consumer who never knew what hit him. Now, I’m not going to say there zero truth to this or that there aren’t some dishonest, conniving PR folks out there (as there are in banking, telecomm advertising, politics, management…..) As a publicist, it IS my job to present my clients in the best light possible to ALL their “publics” – whether it’s the media, the customer, the government, whomever.  What strikes me as ridiculous is that most of the people who bash PR (like Ms. Brown) don’t seem to have any understanding of what it is exactly that we do.  I’m not going to go into a lengthy description of what we do – if you’re interested the Princeton Review has a pretty good job description. I’d point out in particular their comment that publicists “.. must always be available for comment (even when that comment is “no comment”) and remain friends with the media, no matter how demanding the desires of both clients and the reporters on whom they depend.” That’s  why instead of dreaming up Machiavellian ways to distort the truth for our own evil purposes, we’re most likely working the phone on a Friday night to get a client to a last-minute requested interview.

According to Ms. Brown, brands are abandoning advertising, which is “pretty transparent”, in favor of ” spin and PR.”  I think the people fighting the cereal companies who make those nice little websites for your kids to play with – that also contain hundreds of brand impressions for their sugary breakfast foods – would probably disagree about the transparency of advertising. If you don’t know what an advertorial is, well it’s a very common practice where advertising is thinly disguised as an editorial story in a magazine. It’s a fact that advertising can bevery misleading – just ask all the people writing about the ethics of subliminal messaging in advertising. (Or you can watch this fun YouTube video for some examples too – note the extremely tragic music)

But arguing  the ethics of  advertising aside -  regardless of what the general public thinks,  public relations is usually pretty honest because basically, it’s pretty hard to pull the wool over the eyes of a CNN producer or an NPR correspondent. And guess what – you get caught in just one lie and those people will shut you out forever. Sure, do we write releases to show our clients to their best advantage – of course! Do we try to reduce the damage from a crisis and somehow turn it into a positive? Absolutely! Does Madonna’s rep lie to the media – probably, mainly because she can get away with it. The other 99.9% of us don’t have that luxury.

Taking a nice long break from work (including lots of driving time through Nebraska) gave me a fresh perspective and I realized I needed to spend some time talking about sales. Marketing and PR often look down their noses at this “redheaded stepchild” in the promotion family but face it – if you can’t close a deal all the beautiful collateral and wonderful media plugs in the world aren’t going to help you. Even if your product is consumer-based, you still have to be able to sell – whether it’s getting the next book advance, attracting valuable new partners or even selling your company! I carried a bag for years and it’s given me a set of skills that have been invaluable in every job I’ve ever done, from the boardroom to the green room.

A tough economy means you better be a good salesperson or you’re screwed.  In spite of new media good sales manners haven’t changed. I got a book in the mail recently, Making it Happen in Sales by Henry Thomas.  After getting past the mundane title I found some great basic stuff that everyone should remember anytime they’re dealing with clients. I reviewed this list before  my next three meetings with potential clients  and closed every deal. Sales may not be the most glamorous task but it’s the one that gets the job done – so listen up people!

• Listen to your client  75% of the time AT LEAST. In  Making it Happen in Sales Henry says “Based on my years of selling, I believe their (his prospects) silent voices sound something like this ‘Don’t try to sell me. Listen to me, value me, understand me, and let me know that you want to help me.’” Ask a lot of questions, listen to your client and understand their sense of urgency. BE QUIET when they respond.
• Observe their body language. Literally mirror what they’re doing. If they cross their legs, cross yours. Lean in and see if they lean in. The more “in sync” you are physically the more they are relating to your message. It’s not a trick, it’s a way to gauge if your client is really interested. (And believe me, too many people are so involved with what they have to offer  they miss this completely)
• FOCUS. Don’t you dare look at your phone if it buzzes. That tells the client “hey there might be something more important than you out there”. Stay in the moment and turn off all the gadgets. Sometimes I’m waiting for a reporter to call about a story and it might be urgent…if that’s the case I let my client know before we start.
• Don’t judge – it’s too easy to criticize a client’s website or marketing campaign in order to show them all the holes you can fill. It’s also too easy to tell the client all the things they need help with (hear that life coaches???) so that you can show how valuable you can be. It’s so disheartening to have someone do that…instead compliment them on all the things they’ve done well and wait until the END to present what you can do on top of that!
• THEN communicate. Mr. Thomas and I agree that only once you understand the situation should you start to sell. Make notes as you go and tailor your short pitch exactly to their situation.

Of course, I lose deals sometimes when clients expect me to come in with all the razzle dazzle marketing hoo ha. But then I get the call three months later when the hoo ha has revealed itself as boo ya and my competition has exhibited they have NOTHING of substance to offer. Once again I meet with the client, I listen, I tell them what I can do and I get the gig long term. Happens to me constantly.

For an excellent primer/reminder on sales, order Henry’s book – it’s a quick read and will give you some great pointers.  I’m going to continue to blog about sales for a while now. I’m on the hunt for good sales blogs and sites so if you know of any shoot me a comment and I’ll include in the next post. For a list of books about sales here’s a link to Amazon’s recommendations