Here’s one of the fastest ways on Earth to let a journalist know that his time isn’t as valuable as yours. Tell your assistant to call the journalist and say something like this: “Hello, Sam. This is Helen LeBeau. I’m Peter Bigshot’s assistant, and he’d like to speak with you. Please hold.” When I worked… Read More
Pitching
5 important tips for pitching journalists by phone
If 8 out of 10 journalists prefer to receive pitches via email and not from phone calls, does that mean you should only pitch by email? No, says Jeremy Porter, who wrote a series of Smile & Dial tips for the Journalistics blog recently. They’re an excellent primer for anyone who’s brave enough to call. When I worked in 20… Read More
11 best ways to use weekly newspapers for publicity
More than one-third of people who read a weekly newspaper keep it around for a week or more (they tend to keep daily newspapers for four days). On average a weekly newspaper reader will keep a paper for just over four days, and the majority (62.6%) of papers are read by more than one… Read More
Learn Rachael Ray, Regis & Kelly pitching tips today
If you missed the webinar that Steve Harrison hosted a few weeks ago on how to get onto big TV talk shows like “Rachael Ray,” “Live with Regis & Kelly,” and the “The Wendy Williams Show,” you have another chance to listen. Steve is repeating it at 2 and 7 p.m. Eastern Time today, Thursday, Sept. 8.… Read More
3 ways to customize a pitch to journalists & get a “yes!”
The next time you pitch a journalist, will he read your pitch and know that you know who he is, what he covers, and why his audience should care about your story? He will if you customize it. That means sending a pitch that you can’t send to any other journalist because it’s unique to… Read More
Never EVER use this word when pitching—or eat soap
When I worked as a reporter and someone would pitch me, I recoiled when I heard one word in their pitch: “I own a candy store in the Tuttle Street Mall, and I’m trying to get a little publicity for it.” Here’s an even more egregious sin: “I own a candy store in the Tuttle… Read More
Pitch Patch.com for new series on the American Dream
Patch.com, the uber-local news site that operates in more than 800 communities throughout the U.S., wants to hear your story ideas for a new series called “Dispatches: The Changing American Dream.” Stories will run occasionally and will focus on how residents and businesses are dealing with issues such as lack of jobs, foreclosures and debt. “We don’t think… Read More
Pitching journalists? How to avoid ‘spraying & praying’
Raise your hand if you’ve done this: You’ve sent an identical pitch to several journalists. In PR circles, that’s called the “spray and pray” technique. You might even spray it to dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of journalists. And then you pray that somebody will bite. They almost never do. Here’s why: Because it isn’t personalized, journalists can… Read More
Rachael Ray, Regis & Kelly execs to share pitching tips
If you’re trying to get onto one of the big TV talk shows, the best place to start is usually at the show’s website. But knowing where to look, and making sure your pitch stands out from all the rest, can be near impossible. That’s why Publicity Hounds who want to be on shows like… Read More
Muck Rack lists 140+ journalists on Google+
It’s far too early to conclude whether Google+ is a valuable social media platform, or simply the newest shiny thing, even though self-proclaimed Google+ “experts” are multiplying like rabbits. It’s worth nothing, however, that Muck Rack, the site that tracks major journalists and what they’re writing about on Twitter, has listed more than 140 journalists… Read More