PR Tip: Think Like a Reporter/Journalist

Reporters get TONS of pitches from PR folks every day.  There's no way they can do a story for every pitch that comes their way.  It's impossible and unrealistic.  

If you're contacting the media about your company, product, event or client, be sure to put yourself in their shoes.  A reporter's day is pretty hectic.  The worst thing you can do is get on their bad side.  And by bad side, I mean...not knowing some simple, basic things. Try to to make it easy for them.  Here are a few helpful tips:  

Do Your Homework - Make sure you understand the reporter and the reporter's audience.  Do some research.  Ask yourself--Will my story appeal to the reporter's readers/viewers?  Is my pitch something this reporter will likely cover? (Be honest with yourself!) Tailor your pitch to fit the reporter and his/her audience.

Deadlines - If you don't know what a reporter's deadline is, ask.  Nothing frustrates a reporter more than receiving a call from someone when they're working on deadline to finish a story. Typically with TV news, you don't want to call/contact them any time before a newscast. 

Yesterday's News (Be Timely) - News has a cycle. The term "yesterday's news" is real. Make sure that whatever it is you're pitching is timely and relevant.  Old news is not news and reporters will not be interested.  Things are moving fast in the newsroom!  Keep up!

Stick To 5W's - Reporters have a big appetite for information, but they also want you to keep it brief and stick to the facts.  Remember, you want to make it easy for them. Give them the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE & WHY of your pitch.

  

PR Tip: Newsjacking - It's Legal & It Works

If I had a $1 for every friend or associate who asked me for PR help with their business, project or personal brand, I'd be able to buy all the cupcakes in the world!  As much as I love cupcakes and helping people, realistically it's impossible to help everyone, so I don't.  I can and do give PR tips all the time though. 

So here's one of my favorites: Newsjacking.  Yes, it's legal.  No, it's not unethical.  PR folks do it all the time.  

News is constantly happening.  Every hour. Every minute.  Newsjacking is simply injecting your ideas (i.e. your business, your product, your service, etc.) into a hot, current news story. The key to newsjacking is timing, so make sure you're following your local and national news outlets daily. In other words, stay ready!

Once that breaking news happens, create something (blog post, video, tweet, article, etc.) relevant and appropriate (that's key too!) that will grab the media's attention.  Newsjacking is responding to a news story, and adding value to it that will be beneficial for the audience/readers.      
Here's an example: 

The Super Bowl is a big deal, right?  You already know the media is going to be talking about the teams, the plays and the halftime show. (Remember, stay ready.)  So, remember last year when Beyonce shut it down with her halftime performance?  Like, she literally SHUT IT DOWN!  The power went out and the game was delayed for about 20 minutes.  Well, here's what the Oreo cookie folks tweeted minutes after that happened: 

Perfect!  They newsjacked the Super Bowl outage.  The tweet went viral because it was savvy, fun and relevant.  

Last thing - Be careful and use good judgement with newsjacking.  You don't want to newsjack a negative, somber story and/or make light of it.  You do that and you'll be looking at a PR disaster. If you don't believe me, google "Kenneth Cole Cairo tweet."  #Yikes

Hi, I'm An Egg With No Bio (Twitter Woes)

I love Twitter.  I can't live without it.  Not for the obvious reasons you think, either.  See...I'm a bonafide, unapologetic, Grade A news junkie.  With Twitter, I can connect with reputable newsmakers anytime and anywhere I want.  Whew. Yes. That's incredibly dope to me.  #nerd

I love the cadence and speed of it too.  It moves fast.  Like, Danica Patrick fast!  Fact: Twitter broke the news about Michael Jackson's death, the Hudson River plane crash and Osama bin Laden's raid & death. THAT's how fast it works.  If you don't "get" it.  I advise you to get into it.  If you're in PR and you're not on Twitter....drop the "P" and the "R" from your job description, pack your stuff, do not pass Go and kindly....leave.  Yep, I went there. *files nails* 

Anyway, I digress....  So yeah, I love Twitter. 

Here's the problem.  *sigh*  You know the small area at the top of a person's/company's Twitter profile?  The area that should have a picture/image/logo and a description listed?  Yeah, that one.  I really want people to stop leaving that section blank. STOP.   

First of all, it's 2012.  We gotta move past the default "Twitter egg with no bio" purgatory place.  I mean, who wants to connect with an egg?!  Come. On!  Having an egg as a profile picture (with no bio) is equal to someone showing up to a Democratic dinner party wearing a Mitt Romney costume.  Awwwwkward.

And Eggheads...listen.  I won't follow you.  I won't talk to you.  I won't acknowledge you.  No. No. No.  Not gonna happen!  Not until you take a sec, upload a picture and create your bio.  My tip: Don't stress about it...keep it simple. Think about your interests, prioritize (business vs. personal) and remember key words (Twitter is a search engine.)  Click here to see mine.  If you need more help, hit me up.  Remember, I'm here for you. :)

Exhibit A

Arizona Shooting: Is Free Speech Free?

The  Arizona Shooting.  I’ve been watching in disbelief as the reports continue to roll in.  A congresswoman shot in the head, 13 wounded and six confirmed deaths, including a 9 year-old and a federal judge? What makes this even more disturbing is that this tragedy stemmed from recent heated political rhetoric around issues such as health care legislation and immigration.

Anyone who knows me knows - I’m always down for a good political debate. And I love discussing the issues with people who don’t agree with me.  It’s both enlightening and reaffirming. I admit, sometimes it gets heated because I’m passionate about what I believe. Who isn’t? 

I’m also passionate about writing. Super passionate about the First Amendment. This law is in place to protect and promote freedom of information, expression, and petition. The First Amendment = the blueprint for personal freedom.  It's freedom of speech!  Period.  My motto is this: “I may not agree with what you’re saying, but I’ll always support your right to say it.”

Sadly, people died in Arizona because one person didn’t agree with another person’s position on important issues. It makes me ask, is free speech really free?  Not for the Arizona victims.  They’ve paid the ultimate price for something most of us take for granted. Was it worth it? 

9 year-old victim Christina Taylor Green and her mom