Ok, so you’ve decided it’s time to get out there and start raising your visibility. And you know that getting publicity for your biz is the way to go.
So you’re thinking about getting in touch with some journalists to get your good self featured in a glossy mag or two.
But what do you have to offer them? What story can you give them that’s going to make them want to write super nice things about you and your biz?
Well, I have a little trick for you so to make them fall truly, madly and deeply in love with you.
Or, at the very least, it’ll get you into their good books.
Ok, the thing you need to do before you get in touch with them, is this.
Get to know them.
It’s a bit like dating. I don’t know about you, but when I was single I never went on a date with a guy without finding out something about him first. If it was someone I’d been introduced to through a friend, I’d ask them to tell me more about him. Sometimes I’d Google him. What? Don’t tell me you’ve never done that… (Seriously, I’m not the only one who’s done that, am I??)
If we were friends on Facebook, I’d have a quick scroll through his profile, check out his pics, see what kind of stuff he was posting.
Now, rather than telling you I’m one step away from stalker-ville, what my actions hopefully show you is that I’m a curious person (some people call it nosy, I prefer ‘inquisitive’) and also, I like to be prepared. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.
Think about that journalist you want to get in touch with as a potential date.
You want to find out what you can about them so that you can get on their right side and endear yourself to them.
What kinds of stories have they written before? What are their specialist topics? Do they have a regular slot that they write for? What kind of people do they interview? Are they writing about people like you?
You can even follow them on Twitter so that you can see the kinds of things they’re talking about. Perhaps give them a couple of strategic re-tweets…
This way when you get in touch with them with a suggestion for a feature or news story, you can pitch them something you know they’re going to love.
And if you have already connected with them on Twitter, it’s going to help them to remember you when they see your name pop up again in your inbox.
One of the most frustrating things for journalists is being pitched something that’s totally irrelevant. If you’ve spent some time getting to know the publication you’re pitching, as well as the specific journalist, this should really help to eliminate that problem.
So, get out there and start wooing those journalists!
Got any questions or comments? Post ’em below…
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