Did you ever wonder what it really takes to get the attention of a journalist? Many business pros spend a lot of time pitching story ideas, reaching out to reporters, and flooding their inboxes with press releases. And sometimes this works. But a lot of times, it doesn’t.

Everyone wants to generate positive media coverage for their business. But the truth is, many people don’t know how to be a media resource. Or, even worse, they simply rub journalists the wrong way.

My PR Hat

In my former life, I donned my PR hat when I worked full-time for a trade association. Ditto for my time at Six Flags Theme Parks. Among other tasks, I handled media relations, from writing press releases and crafting media advisories to creating press kits and fielding media requests. I spent a lot of time pitching reporters with story ideas to try to garner some publicity for my employers. When I didn’t hear back from them, I’d follow up with a phone call because, well, email didn’t quite exist yet. (Yep, I’m that old seasoned.)

My Journalist Hat

Fast forward to today, when I spend most of my time on the other side of the press release. As a journalist, I receive story assignments from editors. And to write a fair, balanced article, I interview expert sources. This could include subject matter experts, aka SME, (such as a sleep expert at a famed university), thought leaders (like the CEO who’s got her pulse on the “food-as-medicine” concept), and industry leaders (such as a pro who was ahead of the curve using videos in his content marketing).

After interviewing hundreds of people in my 30 years as a freelance writer, I’ve got some insider tips that can help you be the kind of sources journalists actively seek—and avoid being “that difficult source” that reporters avoid.

Insider Media Tips

Whether you’re a business owner, marketing director, PR manager, or SME, you can tap into my insider secrets for getting on the media’s good side.

• DO send relevant pitches. I can’t tell you how many pitches I receive about topics I never write about. If you do even a little bit of research on my website’s home page, you’ll see that I primarily cover health/wellness and lifestyle (food/travel/family/pets). And yet I regularly receive pitches on topics such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and other off-target topics.
• DON’T ask to review the article before a writer submits it to her editor. (If it’s something technical/legal, a journalist might want you to review key parts to ensure accuracy. But other than that, no, just no.)
• DO provide original quotes only. Even if you’ve talked about a topic several times already, find a fresh way to say the same thing. A writer (or editor) does not want to find out that you’ve recycled the exact same quote from your company blog. Put those carefully-scripted PR talking points aside and find a way to say the same thing in a different way.
• DON’T tell the writer what angle you think she should take if she reaches out to you for an interview. She’s most likely working on a specific assignment from an editor, who has already outlined what the article should be about. It might be based off the press release you sent, but even then, it’s not your call how the story should be shaped. Unless it’s a profile (in which you also have no say in the angle), you are probably just a small part of the article. Be a media resource, not a horn-blower.
• DO respect a writer’s time. If you set up an interview, please don’t keep rescheduling it. A writer is probably juggling multiple interviews with multiple sources for multiple assignments.
• DON’T make it the writer’s job to get you a copy of the magazine or to send you a link. (Personally, I like to send an article link or PDF to my sources as a way to thank them for sharing their expertise. But it’s not my responsibility to do so.) If she does, thank her—it’s a thoughtful gesture. Just don’t expect (or worse, demand) it.
• DO be able to provide high-resolution visuals (such as professional photos or video clips) to run with the article or news segment.
• DON’T call journalists to pitch a story. Email the details or send a link to a digital press kit. Journalists face daily deadlines. The last thing we want to deal with while writing an article is to listen to another story pitch.
• DO feel free to follow-up with journalists, but don’t be a pest about it. Daily or weekly emails will put you on the “do not open” list, for sure.

DOSING : This product may http://amerikabulteni.com/2012/05/05/barack-obamanin-medyadan-anladigi-ne/ buy cheap cialis be taken with or without food. The effects of the drug can be viagra online consultation seen within 15 to 30 minutes. Take it anywhere in the range of 15 to 30 prior minutes having intercourse.Don’t expend more than getting viagra one in a day’s period can cause complex health issues.Precautions are the essential factors and during the consumption pattern, the user is required to make timely note of when the product is fake. Prolonged ligament and joint capsule stress caused by an unstable (crooked) sacroiliac joint can sympathetically spasm the piriformis muscle, http://amerikabulteni.com/2011/07/23/san-diego-ovasi-super-kahraman-yuvasi/ generic cialis canadian causing contracture, fibrosis and sciatic impingement, even though a torsional SI joint fixation may have been the culprit responsible for initiating the sciatic assault.
I hope these media insights from a journalist’s perspective help you position yourself as an invaluable media resource. Now, about that press release—if you need help writing one, you know where to find me.