A relatively new staffer at a PR agency asked me recently to consult with her and review the pitch letter she wrote. Here’s what I told her. Reporters and TV producers tell me they don’t have time to read long pitch letters. They are swamped! One producer said she gets more than 1,000 pitches a day! That’s right. Each day! So what can you do to stand out from the … [Read more...]
Pitching Reporters: What Not To Do
Reporters need ideas from you to write their stories. But there is a right way and a wrong way to pitch your story. Here are a few tips on what not to do. Don’t even think of breaking these rules if you want to get published. Don’t assume they have all the time in the world to talk to you. They don’t. They are always busy. Don’t assume they want to hear new pitches. … [Read more...]
Authors: Don’t Pitch Your Books as Story Ideas
When I speak to groups of professional speakers, authors and small publishers throughout the U.S. and Canada, they look at me dumbfounded after I tell them the Number One thing they must do if they want more media attention for their books and programs. They must stop pitching the books and programs as story ideas. Immediately. With an estimated 175,000 news book titles … [Read more...]
Publicity and Technology
I spoke at the ASJA Conference in New York City last Friday. Here are selected remarks from my speech. Technology changes everything. Technology even changes the way we communicate with reporters to get publicity. Technology had its upside and downside. We could easily send press releases and pitch letters to hundreds or thousands of reporters for free because email is … [Read more...]
3 Questions on Media and PR with 3 Fabulous Answers
Q: Okay, so what is the #1 secret for getting PR? A: Be Timely, and have a great Hook! Here are two examples of how I got booked by being timely: I was able to successfully use the #1 secret to getting PR by being timely– and got 2 immediate bookings. First I was quoted in MomLogic.com (which is an offshoot of AOL Living) with this pitch during the primaries: Joe … [Read more...]