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Before You Pitch The Media- 10 Things the Media Wishes You Knew

Whether you are a PR professional or an entrepreneur, it can seem like a daunting task to pitch the media. It can feel like you’re sending your pitch out into the great unknown, possibly never to be seen or heard from again.

It takes courage and a belief in yourself and your idea to pitch the media as well as some tenacity since the likelihood is that you won’t hear any feedback or get any response to the majority of your pitches unless they land right or interest the media. In fact, according to a Propel survey via Spin Sucks:

“Journalists respond to roughly 3.27% of the pitches they receive. This means that, on average, it takes about 31 media pitches to journalists to get a response to any one of the pitches you send. [Aug. 2021]

When you factor in the number of pitches the average journalist receives, there is a lot of competition for that 3%. To increase your chances of success, we asked the media what they wish PR professionals and anyone knew before pitching the media.

Before you pitch the media – 10 things the media wishes you knew

1. Less media, but more PR

Newsrooms have been shrinking. There is more work with less staff to do it. Between 2008 and 2020, there has been a 26% decline in newsroom staff .

Because of this, not only are there fewer journalists, but their roles have expanded. At some outlets, they now have to do their own editing, whereas in the past, there was someone on staff to edit their stories.

2. Why they won’t get back to you or give you feedback on a pitch

According to Muckrack’s State of PR 2021, 59% of respondents stated their biggest challenge is getting a response to {their] pitches. Staff journalists are busier than ever, so responding to pitches just doesn’t make it to their overflowing to-do lists. For freelance media, time is money, and they prioritize writing and continually seeking new work opportunities.

3. Why the media may not tell you when a story goes live

See points one and two. As stated in points one and two, the media is short-staffed and extremely busy, and as much as they would like to, they may not let you know when a story goes live. Their editor may not tell them when the story goes live.

A simple solution to this, to make sure you get notified when a story or podcast goes live and you are mentioned in the media is to set up Google Alerts and Talkwalker Alerts. Watch my set up tips here

4. Journalists prefer pitches via email

Most media professionals don’t like to be pitched in DMs unless they specifically state so. Many are active on social media and it can be a great place to network and build relationships with them. The majority of those we spoke to, do not like or want pitches in their DMs. Many told us that they feel it is an invasion of their personal social media accounts. They prefer email as it is easier to read, sort, and search pitches in their inbox.

channels journalists prefer — Source: Muckrack survey: The State of Journalism 2021

5. Freelance media need to market themselves

Journalists, and especially freelancers, need to market themselves to bring more work in. You can help them be more visible by liking, commenting, and sharing their work. Bonus points for tagging them with their social handle when you share or post their content.

6. Related media supports your story

When you have related images or video to enhance a story, please share it with the media as long as you are the creator or have secured or gotten authorization to use the media. This helps us craft a better story and makes our work easier as we don’t have to go source images or video. Do not send media that you don’t have explicit rights to use/or for the media to use.

7. Don’t ask for a link to your website

If the media can put one in the story, they will. It is the publication, and not the journalist, that sets the link policy for content. Asking is not going to change that. They are not going to make an exception for you, so please don’t put the journalist in an uncomfortable position by asking.

8. Don’t ask the media to update an article to include you

If it’s already published, there is no updating a story. Find another angle to pitch or pitch it in time for next year’s roundup list. Do let the media know if something is factually incorrect in a story, as that is something they will want to update immediately.

9. Unsolicited packages are unwelcome

More media professionals than ever are working from home and don’t like unsolicited and unexpected packages. They can cause some concern for the recipient who doesn’t know what a package is or if it is safe to open. They may not have room to review and store unsolicited books or products. They may not be expecting a package, and it can get lost. You’ll save money and energy, maintain a good working relationship, and get a much better response if you only send samples to the media who have expressly given you permission to do so.

10. Respect the media’s privacy

While more journalists and freelancers work from home, it is important to respect their privacy and safety. Even if you can locate their private contact information online, please don’t use their professional contact info such as home phone or cell phone to pitch the media, unless the media professional specifically gives you their personal information.

Thanks to:

Joni Sweet, a freelance writer and editor who focuses on travel, health, and wellness. Her work has been published by Lonely Planet, SELF, Forbes, Health, National Geographic, Thrillist, Prevention, Greatist, and dozens of other publications. You can learn more about her at www.jonimsweet.com

Candice Sabatini, Editor in Chief BeautyNewsNYC and Content Creator

► Related Content: 7 Must Haves For a Successful HARO Pitch

Why You Need To Keep Positioning Yourself As An Expert

The Case For Why You Need to Keep Positioning Yourself as an Expert.

This is the second time in my life it’s happened. A stranger asked for my autograph as I stood on the street. I was positioning myself as an expert without even realizing I was doing it.

I’m not a celebrity or a known personality. So why did these passers-by ask for my autograph?

I was a perfect September day and the passers-by were just following their instinct and conditioning.

You see, I was with my client Marya who was about to be featured on NBC to talk about her new book Career X, that we had recently published for her. We thought it would be fun to hire a video crew to document our experience leading up to being on NBC, and both she and I could use the video in our marketing.

So, the passers-by didn’t recognize us or mistake us for celebrities. They just assumed that we were celebrities based on our positioning -the video crew following us signaled to them and made them believe without a doubt that we were celebrities and they were just too bashful to even ask who we were.

They were attracted to us as celebrities – whoever we were.

So why am I telling you this?

As an entrepreneur or author, you should always be positioning yourself as the expert so that you stand out in your niche. It helps do the following:

Solidifies your expert positioning
Presells prospects on working with you
Creates an enhanced desire to work with you
It sets the expectation that as an expert, they can expect to pay premium pricing to work with you

Even if you are higher priced than your competitors or the highest price in your market, positioning yourself as an expert reduces price resistance and negotiation.

Take a lesson on expert positioning from celebrities like Richard Branson

Here is another example of expert positioning from a true, internationally recognized celebrity – Richard Branson – one of my business heroes.

Doing lead generation on LinkedIn, I noticed something in conversations with my new connections. Following some back-and-forth messages and a few phone conversations, if I believe that a connection might be a fit for my services, I will ask if they’ve ever thought of writing a book. On numerous occasions, I have gotten a sharp response back saying, “I’m already an author.” In one instance, the response was “I’ve written ten books and they are translated in multiple languages.”

I’m human and sometimes I make mistakes, so feeling I had possibly goofed and missed it on their LinkedIn profile when I initially reviewed it, I went back and checked. Nowhere on their LinkedIn profile is there a mention of their book. This always surprises me. For most people, writing a book is something that they’re immensely proud of. It’s a big achievement. And it’s a great expert position piece. So why isn’t it on their profile?

Branson and Gary V recognize the importance of positioning, continually. They both showcase their books in their profile graphic and title description.

Richard Branson takes his positioning even further by including endorsements for his book from other recognizable names – Sheryl Sandberg and Bill Gates. He shows that positioning is an ongoing process, even after you reach celebrity status.

Dan Kennedy, legendary marketer and author stated it well when he said:

“The simple truth is, if you aren’t deliberately, systematically, methodically – or rapidly and dramatically – establishing yourself as a celebrity, at least to your clientele and target market, you’re asleep at the wheel, ignoring what is fuelling the entire economy around you and neglecting development of a measurably valuable asset.”

Want help with your celebrity positioning? Schedule a complimentary strategy session here

Ready to add Author to your resume and positioning? Join us for the 8 Week Book Coaching Program

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Why Your Brand Needs Both PR and Content Strategy

You’ve heard the expression ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ It is true for your communications, which should include both PR and content strategy.

An ideal communication strategy strives to incorporate all channels to get the attention of stakeholders. This includes using the following types of media: Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned or the PESO Method.

PR and content strategy both serve unique and useful purposes for you, work well together, and as a result create greater Roi. Here is how:

PR is Earned media and Content Marketing is Owned Media.

Your content strategy can consist of your website, blog posts, articles, and social media. It gives you a chance to communicate with your audience and share ideas and topics that matter to them. It is also a chance to educate and inform about your brand.

Using the right keywords in your content can help your ideal prospects find you, based on topics, solutions, and products they are already searching for. Your owned media is a key component of your communication strategy as you get to tell your story and craft your communication and messaging your way. You have full control over your content.

Your owned media gives you a chance to communicate directly with your audience, exactly as you choose to, as often as you choose to.

Publicity is referred to as earned media, as it is something that you have to work to garner. With PR, while you have less control over your messaging – the media has the final say on what they write, it is the most desirable form of communication. Getting mentioned or featured in the media gives you free visibility in front of an audience outside your own.

Being written about in the media gives the reader, viewer or listener the impression your brand is endorsed by the media [though technically it is not]. You get a positive boost to your brand by being associated with the media outlet. Think of it as a 5-star review on Yelp or another online platform.

Unlike your owned media, you don’t get to decide when, where, or how often you get publicity. What you can do is be strategic in the media outlets you target and have a consistent media outreach plan.

How Your PR and Content Strategy Work Well Together:

Your owned and earned media complement and lift each other. Consumers are suspicious and less trusting of what you say about your brand, products, and services. They do trust the media. Publicity provides third party credibility to your brand. It also provides authority positioning; someone else, the media, citing you as an expert or talking about your product.

Your earned media makes for great content. You amplify the value of the publicity you get when you share it with your audience.

The benefits of having both owned and earned media are that they [can] help you get more publicity. When a journalist googles you to see if you are a credible source, they will see the content you have put out, as well as any media coverage you have gotten. Together they paint a stronger picture and make you more attractive to the media as a credible source.

For prospects who discover your brand after reading about it in the media, the content you have created will help them learn more about your brand and will be taken more seriously. Your credibility has already been established for them by the media.

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Are You The Best-Kept Secret in Your Niche ?

Being the best-kept secret in your market is a disservice to you, your clients and the world. Most brands, like my clients, LOVE what they do. They also create great impact in the lives and businesses of those that they work with.

This inspires me and makes me proud.

It also makes me mad…

What? It makes you mad Jane?

I know this applies to some of your companies, my dear, talented readers….

The problem is…..

You may still the best-kept secret…

So… the best-kept secret I want you to meet is YOUR COMPANY! You have a gift, you have a message that needs to be heard. Your brand can make a difference in peoples’ lives, health, wealth…. And so your not being seen enough – that makes me mad – how can your brand share it’s gifts, services and products if the right people don’t know about you?

I want to help you so that more people know about you and what you can offer. Simple mindset shifts, as well as learning more about simple publicity you can do for your business can be both fun and profitable. Often the solution is simpler than you think!

So I have a question – what stops you? Why isn’t your company getting the word out, getting more visibility and reaching more people who want and need you and what you offer?

I have a sneaky suspicion…. As well as how to fix it… and I’ll share with you in an upcoming post. I am also going to be talking about this on Facebook, so please follow me there and like my page so you get notified when I add content or go Live. I’ve also created a new program to help you Magnify Your Message.

Of course, I love to hear from you… Please comment below.

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6 Easy Ways to Become a Great Source for the Media

With continual deadlines, the media are always under pressure to gather information and sources for their stories (while often juggling multiple stories and deadlines at the same time). The media depend on a great source or two to help them with each story.

As a source, there are some simple things you can do to make their job easier and more efficient and become a sought-after source.

1. Meet deadlines

Stories have deadlines. Getting all the research done and finding sources and images on time can be stressful for the media. Be a reliable source and provide requested information in a timely fashion, ahead of the deadline.

2. Use white space

When pitching or responding to the media via email or written document, use short paragraphs and lots of white space. It makes it easier to read your content and reduces eye strain. This is especially welcome as journalists read a lot of documents and emails.

3. Use identifiable file names on photos

Rather than labeling your photo ‘headshot.jpg’ when submitting it to the media, use ‘yourname_headshot.jpg’. That way, it can easily be identified when they are compiling your story and they can avoid unnecessary time needed to double check who is in the photo, and thereby avoid errors.

4. Don’t ask for updates

While it’s tempting to want to get updates on a pending story you have contributed to, don’t ask for updates, and don’t ask when a story will run.

It’s unreasonable to expect the media to let you know when your story gets published. The media are stretched thin already and don’t appreciate your ‘just checking in’ or making requests.

Instead, set a Google Alert, and monitor the media so that you know when your story is live.

5. Share stories and credit the journalist

Share stories on social media, and tag the journalist, not just the outlet. Journalists rely on social media for publishing and promoting their own content.

You can help them get more visibility by promoting their work and helping them reach a wider audience.

6. Secure image rights

If you are offering or providing photos to accompany your story, secure the image rights and provide them to the journalist. This saves them the time and trouble of having to do this themselves.

By asking yourself, how can I be a better source, you are not just thinking about how you can get more publicity, but you are becoming a more valued asset.

“You can have everything in life that you want if you just help other people get what they want,” said motivational speaker Zig Ziglar stated.

Being a great source is a win-win. You can make a journalist’s demanding job less stressful, and you can have the satisfaction of helping them do their job more easily while gaining media coverage for yourself.

Being easy to work with is a desirable reputation to have. It can also make you the media’s go-to resource — they might just begin to seek you out for upcoming stories.

This article first appeared on Muckrack.com

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5 Bad Behaviors That’ll Leave You on a Journalist’s Blacklist

5 Bad behaviors that will land you on a journalist's blacklist

The inbox and the telephone are tools of the trade for a journalist. They can be useful platforms that deliver the next exceptional story or be the bane of their existence. Due to the latter, the journalist’s blacklist was created.

While it’s their job to be open to unsolicited pitches, journalists draw the line at certain behaviors that they will not tolerate. Do one of them even once, and you could get banned forever.

While this isn’t brain surgery, it’s worth revisiting these basic rules for successful pitching. Bad behavior, just like bad pitches, can come from individuals, PR professionals, corporate staff, influencers, or bloggers alike. Don’t be that person.

Here are the top five things that will get you banned by journalists.

1. Lying

Never lie to a journalist. They are smart, trained professionals who will find out the truth eventually. While this may seem obvious, any of these behaviors will brand you as less than truthful by journalists:

• Outright lies

• The omission of key details

• Withholding information

• Not presenting a ‘downside’ to the story, the product, or the main subject [that you are aware of]

Journalists never appreciate being blindsided or embarrassed when information ‘they should have known about’ comes to light after they have pitched a story to their editor, or even worse when it becomes known about a story that has already been published.

While your initial pitch should be brief, once a journalist has expressed interest it’s time to reveal everything you know about the story or risk being banned later.

2. Offering bribes

Do not offer any kind of compensation for coverage; this includes money, gifts or barter offers. Offering to share their article with your army of followers on social media as an incentive to write about you, your product, or client, is also taboo if intended as a bribe. Gifts of any kind, including an offer of any form of compensation, are against journalism’s code of ethics and will get you shown the exit faster than you can blink.

Instead, pitch a better story, one that they will want to write about. Make sure it’s on a topic that they cover.

3. Pitching the same story

Most journalists prefer or insist on an exclusive on a story. If you are pitching more than one outlet on a story with the same angle, you need to let the journalist know about this up front.

Don’t pitch the same story that has been covered before in a similar outlet or market, and most definitely don’t keep that fact hidden.

Journalists don’t want to appear as though they have an inside track and like to be the first to break an original story. No one likes to be a copycat.

Instead, find a new angle or an update to your story that hasn’t been covered before. Offer the journalist an exclusive for a limited period, and you will have much greater chance of success.

4. Making demands

There is no situation where it is appropriate to make firm demands or requests of journalists. This includes asking for specific placement, insisting a photo or hyperlink gets included or any other requests.

Whether or not a journalist or publication decides to run a story is at their discretion.

The specifics of what they choose to include in their coverage is totally up to them. Asking nicely, pleading, or hounding the can all get you banned from ever working with them again.

5. Late or missed deadlines

Journalists work on deadlines, and as a reliable source, you want to meet requested delivery dates for information, a quote, or a photo that has been promised.

The worst thing you can do is leave a journalist hanging on a story or miss a deadline by which you agreed to get back to them.

Not returning calls in a prompt fashion, can also cause them to miss a deadline altogether, which can be catastrophic on their end, giving them a good reason to decide to sever your relationship.

Things happen in life. Perhaps you can’t gather the information they are seeking from you or can’t get approval to use a photo they requested. Let the journalist know as soon as possible so that they can find an alternate source or kill the story with enough time not to leave a blank hole in their publication.

I like to think about how I can make it easier for a journalist to do their job. If you can do that, as well as bring them excellent stories, and follow these simple rules, you don’t need to worry about being banned. In fact, you can develop great working relationships with journalists. You will often see them start to treat you like a trusted resource, seeking you out when they need a source for a story.

This post first appeared on Muckrack.com

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How to Get Publicity Using Social Media

How ti get Media Coverage Using Your Existing Social Network

If you are looking for media coverage, you can start by using social media. Chances are there is a journalist in your existing social network. Or just one connection or friend away.

This is great news. It’s never been easier to connect with a journalist, one who can write about you and your company and give you the media coverage and visibility you deserve. And this may surprise you to hear, but you probably already know exactly how to connect with a journalist using social media. You are probably using these skills, perhaps just not in connection with a journalist. Please read on, as I am about to explain.

I speak to a lot of entrepreneurs, authors, coaches and business owners who find the idea of doing public relations or promotion, daunting.

I remember the first time I was considering doing some publicity for my fashion company. I was scared, overwhelmed and intimidated.

That was just before the digital age. No Internet to look up how to write a press release. No online press distribution services. No online directories of journalists, and no social networks.

I needed some information and insight as to how to do my own publicity, so I did the only thing I could think of – I sought out a mentor and asked a lot of questions.

My first attempt at public relations, I probably did at least 10 things wrong and yet I still got some great media coverage! And you know what, it turns out that getting publicity really isn’t hard, if you know a few simple rules of the road. And I am about to share them with you in this post.

Today, you have the distinct advantage of the Internet for information, templates, training and video tutorials. Just do a search on YouTube and you will find a plethora of training on virtually any topic including how to do your own public relations. You also have online social networks that make connecting easy and sometimes instant.

Here is your best news: Journalists are very social

A recent study from the Indiana University School of journalism looks at how U.S. journalists use social media to report the news. Here are a few specific ways journalists are using social platforms:

59.8% find ideas for stories
54.1 % find sources
20% interview sources

Journalists also see social media as a vehicle for self-promotion; 80% state that it helped them share their work and two-thirds say they are more engaged with their audiences thanks to social sites.

As you can see from the study, more and more journalists use social media to promote as well as to facilitate their work, including finding story ideas, finding sources and interviewing subjects. That is where you come in! You can be a source for journalists in any or all of those aspects of their job!

On social media, journalists are more accessible to everyone whether they are PR professionals or folks like you. Therefore, it has never been easier to connect with journalists.

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How to Contact a Celebrity for a Book Endorsment

How to get celebrity endorsements for your book

You are ready to get endorsements for your book. You’ve identified your ideal celebrities and influencers. Now it’s time to contact them and make the ask, but you may be wondering how to contact a celebrity for a book endorsment. Here are the top ways to find the contact information of celebrities:

Start with a Google Search

Google is a great resource for finding contact information. Start with a google search. Try being completely literal. Type in ‘email address for Celebrity Name’. We are going to use Barbara Corcoran as our example.

As you can see you get a number of results, including Barbara Corcoran’s own website [1], which is sure to have a contact form. We’ll save that for later.

In this search you see both RocketReach [2] and CEOEmail [3] which claim to give you email addresses. Both are free. It is worth having a look and copying down the email addresses into a file.

Test the email addresses to see if they are valid using this free tool:

In the event you don’t find any email addresses you can try the following:

Find an email address for a staff member at your celebrity’s domain. You can do a Google search, or try a Linkedin search using your celebrity as the company name.

For example: look for any address at @barbaracorcoran.com. From this you can determine the email convention they use. It might be ‘first initial’ and ‘last name’, or ‘first name’ only before the @ sign. You can then substitute your celebrity name in the same format as the email address you found.

How to Contact a Celebrity for a Book Endorsement- Ninja tips:

Address your endorsement request to a few different email addresses at the same time – addresses that you found, or just try a few of the most commonly used email conventions. That way you increase your chances of success, and any email address that is not valid, will send back an email letting you know that.

Add a read receipt- if used, it will let you know the email was received and read.

Use Press Contacts to request celebrity endorsements
Celebrities and high-profile people often have a PR firm on retainer or staff. You can typically find their contact info in a press release issued about the celebrity. These releases may be found on the celebrity’s website, or by searching for news about them.
Once you find out the celebrity’s PR contact you can either contact them to ask who to direct an endorsement request to, or just pitch them directly.

Use the Contact form on the celebrity website
The contact us form on any website is always available as a way to contact a celebrity, or anyone else. It usually goes to a general mailbox, often opened by an assistant. I have had success using this method to request endorsements, though it’s not my preferred method; I use it only when I can’t find a celebrity email address or press contact name and email address.

Here is why you should ask Barbara Corcoran, or any celebrity for an endorsement. They might just say yes!

In fact, Ms. Corcoran encourages you to request endorsements, and has a dedicated link to make it easy for you.

Fast Track Your Results & Get More Celebrity Endorsements

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Do Your Own Book Publicity

The top 3 challenges authors have with book publicity

If you build it, they will come. It turns out that readers and clients don’t just show up. Even established authors use book publicity to promote their work.

With one book published on Amazon every 5 minutes, it can be hard to get your book in front of your target readers. Unfortunately, this can be a tough realization for you authors who work so hard on your book to then publish it, only to hear crickets.

I hear this unfortunate story all too often. The two biggest concerns I hear from authors are getting more visibility and how to leverage their book to get more clients. The fastest way to accomplish these two is with book publicity.

Publicity done right can put you in front of your ideal audience, establish instant credibility, instant expert status and be perceived as an endorsement from the media. It gives you free access to a wider audience, while positioning you as a top expert. It also creates a sense of ‘know, like and trust’ that is needed before people will buy from you. Because of these factors, book publicity can help you convert your media coverage into paying clients when done right.

Many of the authors that I speak with aren’t using publicity due to 3 major challenges. I hear these challenges so often, that I have come to call them the Big 3:

Lack of Time
Lack of Money
Lack of Know-how

Due to these 3 factors, authors often stay stuck and don’t do anything regarding publicity for themselves and their book. Or, they mistakenly think that they need a big, expensive PR firm to do the publicity for them. Billionaire and Shark Tank judge Mark Cuban has said, “Never hire a PR firm.” He and I believe that you are the best person to do your own book publicity because you are the most passionate about your book and work, and know the most about it.

Why I Created the Author Visibility Builder Program

I feel so strongly that authors like you are missing out on what can be the single biggest leverage point in getting more visibility, readers and new clients – publicity, and it doesn’t have to be that way. I want to show you how to succeed with PR even if you have little time, a tiny budget and have little or no PR know-how. I felt I had to help authors; you put so much work into your book, you deserve to reap the benefits book publicity can provide.

That’s why I created the Author Visibility Builder program. It’s for non-fiction authors just like you who want to do your own book publicity. You know that if you just get in front of your ideal audience, you can share more of your gifts as well as turn more of your audience into paying clients.

The Author Visibility Builder program will empower you to do your own book publicity, give you a simple system you can easily follow to do your publicity and get results. I’ll also show you how to leverage the publicity you get to generate more opportunities – publicity, speaking gigs, new clients…

Preview the program here

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How a Nonfiction Author Can Get New Clients From Media

For authors, getting visibility helps put them in front of more potential readers. It also helps put them in front of more potential prospects. Nonfiction authors can get new clients from media coverage; especially if they know how to maximize the coverage that they get. The temptation to spend an interview talking about your book is great. With a bit of thought and planning, you can use your interviews to really connect with your audience, and make the case for why they need to work with you.

Here are my top 5 steps a nonfiction author get new clients using media coverage:

Speak in sound bites
“A sound bite is characterized by a short phrase or sentence that captures the essence of what the speaker was trying to say, and is used to summarize information and entice the reader or viewer,” according to Wikipedia. By speaking in sound bites you grab the reader or viewer’s attention and are able to connection quickly as people have short attention spans. A great sound bite is one that resonates with them and is memorable. It is the kind of content that may inspire them to share it on social media, and could easily fit on Twitter, whose limit is 140 characters.

Tell stories about the big problems you solve
Talk about the big problem that keeps your clients up at night. I don’t mean talk about your process. Tell a story about the big problem a client had, and how you were able to solve it. This lets your reader see themselves in your story, especially if this a problem they have. Your audience is going to think. I need that, I want that solution.

Use third party testimonials or descriptions
It can be hard to speak about yourself, especially in glowing terms without sounding boastful. If you have had a client describe you or your work in a very positive and concise way, then use it in your interviews as this can boost your trust and credibility with the audience. For example, “my clients call me the ‘Publicity Queen and Mentor’ and tell me that I make publicity very easy for them to understand and implement on their own.” This serves as both an elegant way to state your expertise, while also building additional third party credibility with the testimonial.

Cite statistics
Statistics sound authoritative and are called ‘sticky content’; they are easily shared and journalists love them. It’s even more powerful if you can cite your own survey or statistics. It doesn’t have to be a huge survey of 1000 clients. If 10 out of 20 clients have the problem that you solve, you can state that ‘50% of the companies we speak to are struggling with this problem.’

Use language that talks about the benefits of your solution
Well chosen words can really reach the audience and help make them desire your solution and want to work with you. Again, this is not intended to be a sales pitch but part of your story. The client was happy because our solution was ____________ [fill in the blank]. Great benefits to cover are how you save time, money or stress. Words, like cheaper, easier, faster, better will grab the audience’s attention. Who doesn’t want more results like that in their business.

Don’t be afraid to be a bit mysterious and suggest that the audience will have to get the book to find out exactly how you achieved an outcome, but do tell great stories and give them enough information to intrigue them. Make a specific reference in your interview to your book. For example, ‘I cover this in chapter 3’. That draws your reader or listener back to the book and suggests they get it to read chapter 3 for themselves.

Finally, include an invitation, also known as a call to action. In print media, it’s up to the journalist or publication what they will include it in the article or profile, so it may not be possible; you’ll want to ask if they can include your invitation. A good call to action can be ‘sign up for my newsletter’, ‘download a free report’ or ‘download a sample chapter of the book’ on my website. When you are being interviewed on radio, podcast or TV you can usually make a call to action. I recommend discussing it with the media outlet beforehand. They will often be happy to segue into your call to action by asking, “If the listener would like more information about your work, what is the best way for them to find out?” Here is where you invite the reader or listener to connect with you, download your content or engage with you on social media.

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