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Casual Articles - Phone Pitching - How to Convince Journalists to Publicize Your Product, Service, or Company
When helping our clients sell their businesses, we get to witness buyer behavior first hand. The most important behavior is their economic vote – how much they are willing to pay for a business. Many factors go into their assessment of value, but a contractually recurring revenue stream is consistently the number one value driver.Why is this so important? The first answer is risk. Buying a business is risky. Any factor that reduces this risk is rewarded with transaction value. Forecasted sales, for example are at the high end of the risk scale and are heavily disc
I work for a small independent publishing company. The company is privately owned and we often use less traditional means to promote both our print and online publications. So it was not a big surprise when I was contacted by an account manager for a new behavioral marketing service. The company is called Soho Digital International and they have a number of market leading companies as their clients, including Dell, T-Mobile, Hotels.com, Match.com and Travelocity. They are located overseas, not really sure how this effects privacy laws, and associated with Direct Revenue
However, no matter how enticing the pitch letter, in most instances you will seal the publicity deal on the follow-up phone call. This is your chance to build rapport with the reporter and really razzle-dazzle him or her on your idea.
Your phone skills will mean the difference between life and death when attempting to convince a reporter to cover your product, service or company. So before you pick up the phone and place that call, consider the following tips for successful phone pitching:
Respect the reporter’s time.
Reporters work on tight deadlines and, depending on the publication, these deadlines fall on different days and different times of the day. Staff at a monthly publication will most likely undergo one week each month when they are “putting the next issue to bed” and are working under tremendous pressure. In contrast, reporters at weekly publications are generally most stressed on the days leading up to their weekly deadline. Dailies have particular times each day, usually in the late aft
I hear it all the time. “What should I do about . . .?" As a business owner you're faced with the daunting task of making all the decisions that affect your business. Should I remain a sole proprietor, become an LLC or is an S Corp better? Should I start using an electronic PDA or stick with my trusty, but out-dated, Day Runner? In what direction should I take my marketing? Is the color right on this logo? PC or Mac? Paper or plastic? Aargh! Big decisions. Little decisions. It can be overwhelming, especially when you consider how each decision has a bearing on the succes
Your phone skills will mean the difference between life and death when attempting to convince a reporter to cover your product, service or company. So before you pick up the phone and place that call, consider the following tips for successful phone pitching:
Respect the reporter’s time.
Reporters work on tight deadlines and, depending on the publication, these deadlines fall on different days and different times of the day. Staff at a monthly publication will most likely undergo one week each month when they are “putting the next issue to bed” and are working under tremendous pressure. In contrast, reporters at weekly publications are generally most stressed on the days leading up to their weekly deadline. Dailies have particular times each day, usually in the late af
Business management, when will you ever listen? Your business management approach should be so different. I mean, really, they seem to already have their answer to any question or proposition you may present. This really is a reason nature gave us 2 ears and only one mouth: To Listen More. So, hey, boss man, just listen to us and we may be able to achieve for the company what you are responsible for. For starters, do we really need all of these people around here? Have you ever done any sort of time study on their jobs? I did one at a manufacturing plant the other
Respect the reporter’s time.
Reporters work on tight deadlines and, depending on the publication, these deadlines fall on different days and different times of the day. Staff at a monthly publication will most likely undergo one week each month when they are “putting the next issue to bed” and are working under tremendous pressure. In contrast, reporters at weekly publications are generally most stressed on the days leading up to their weekly deadline. Dailies have particular times each day, usually in the late af
Two important pre-reading notes: Before you chose to read or not read this article, let make two things clear. Everyone has Customers. Even if you work in an internal staff department in a large firm, you have Customers. They are the people you provide work to. And second, don’t be put off by the term Customer. Maybe you call them Clients, Students, Patients, or (heaven forbid!) Users. If one of those words works better for you, read that word every time you read Customer. Now that I have eliminated your reasons for not reading, please continue . . .We can
Reporters work on tight deadlines and, depending on the publication, these deadlines fall on different days and different times of the day. Staff at a monthly publication will most likely undergo one week each month when they are “putting the next issue to bed” and are working under tremendous pressure. In contrast, reporters at weekly publications are generally most stressed on the days leading up to their weekly deadline. Dailies have particular times each day, usually in the late af
It's long been held that trust goes a long way in building strong long term design relationships. Building all your hopes and dreams with one designer could leave you high and dry when they up their rates after you've committed to a job. So how do you go about finding a trustworthy graphic design company?Word on the street Some of the hippest young gunslingers are to be found hanging out in the gin palaces and opium dens of the ghetto. To the uninitiated this might seem like a frightening place to look for someone trustworthy to carry out your design brief bu
Before phoning a reporter or editor, first call the main number of the publication and enquire as to its deadlines. Then, avoid calling during those times.
Even when you have determined an ideal time to call, always start your conversation with, “Hello, my name is Jane Smith and I am from XYZ Company (substitute your name and company!). I have been studying your recent articles and I have a story idea I really think will interest you. Is this a convenient time for you to talk?” Most of the time the response will be “yes,” but if it isn’t, respect the reporter’s wishes and ask when would be a good time to call back.
Be brief.
If the reporter does give you their time, don’t blow your chance with a rambling, unfocused pitch. Be concise and to the point. You should be able to deliver a solid overview of your story idea in 30 seconds or less. Practice your delivery several times prior to placing
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