The gatekeeper is the biggest challenge of any PR professional as I have learned over my tenure as a student and as a young professional. Media relation specialist Bill Arnovich (1) says: “When pitching the media, it’s important that you know something about who you are calling. If it’s a magazine read, not simply page through, a couple different issues and if it’s a radio show, listen to it.” At SMU we have had the fortunate experience of taking classes where we represented clients and were in charge of developing a media kit to help raise awareness about their organization. This experience taught me that pitching a story is like jumping into a black whole. The possibility that your story is ever picked up is almost like pining a tail on a donkey.
How do you get passed the gatekeeper?
I learned from Jeff Crilley (2) and his book Free Publicity that there are several ways to improve your chances. Jeff is an Emmy Award winning reporter who explains how to reach success. He says the only chance you have is doing your homework like Bill said. You need to research people who cover the subject of your stories. Once you find them you have to be sharp about when to pitch because of the small window of opportunity. Vicki Giammona (3), a producer for the 11 a.m. news on ABC 7, explores this idea when she explains about pitching. The “two rules not to break” are contacting someone too late and contacting the wrong person. Jeff and Vikki both explain that by doing this you bypass the gatekeeper and will be one step ahead of everyone else. Some of the key tips Jeff gives for success once you have gotten pass the gatekeeper are:Always be available: You never know when you will get another chance to meet the reporter.
Always be appropriate: don’t pitch false stories
Never violate a reporter’s trust: you do this and you’re blackballed
Thank you notes: They go a long way because it starts a personal relationship
Patience: Keep making reports because once you have success the reporters will continually come to you. But do not forget how to maintain a strong relationship and do not burn bridges.
Deirdre Breakenridge has an article at http://www.ftpress.com/articles/article.aspx?p=25077 that gives specific details of how to build internet relationships. Bill, Jeff, Vikki, and David clearly explain that you will get the relationships and ink you want for both print and broadcast media if you follow the basic tools they provided.
My suggestion for young professionals is to start making a list of contacts that you know will provide you support when you apply for jobs. Once joining an industry you should make a contact list of people to contact and not to contact and rely on your coworkers who have had experiences with certain media outlets to continue growing your contacts.
(1) http://www.mediarelationsblog.com/111/six-tips-for-better-media-relations/
(2) http://www.jeffcrilley.com/
*Photos from google images
1 comment:
Good points. Invite some of the bloggers/media whom you referenced to comment on your blog.
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