Public Relations Tips

How Can You Get a Reporter’s Undivided Attention?

Reporters get a lot of information every day so it can be hard to stand out from a crowded in box filled with press releases, emails, pitch letters and books.

But there is a tried and true way to stand out:

Treat him or her like they are the only person in the world.

By this, I mean that your materials need to be customized and targeted to meet that reporter’s specific interests.

You’ll see what I mean if you take this quick quiz.

Which method do you think will work better?

Dear Reporter,

I am sending you this message, as well as to 1,000 other reporters in the hopes you will find my story interesting. I’m not sure what you write about, but that doesn’t matter because everyone will find my new book interesting.

Or

Dear Sally Jones,

I enjoyed reading your article about management tips in the latest issue of the Springtime Gazette. I have written a new book about management techniques that could help give your readers more insight into how to lead effectively.

Obviously, Sally Jones will think are a wonderful expert because you used her name, referred to a story she wrote and showed how you can help her.

How can you find out about reporters so you look like you know them?

Four Ways to Seduce Reporters

1.Read their articles. Since most publications are online this is easy. If the reporter writes for several publications (and many of them do), you can Google their names and find lots of articles they’ve written.

2.Learn their focus. If they write about economics are they conservative or liberal? If they write about business do they write about big companies or entrepreneurs?

3.See if they reveal any of their personal lives or personality. If they refer to their spouse, their kids, their dogs, their hobbies, then you can see if you have a common interest and use that to forge a bond with them

4.Follow them on Twitter. Some reporters will ask readers for info and advice. That’s a great way to get quoted.

So how can you find out how to reach reporters?

Four Ways to Reach Reporters

1.Read newspapers and magazines. Email addresses are listed in the article or on the masthead, in many cases.

2.Search for their names on Google.

3.Search for their names on Twitter and Facebook.

4.Buy a media list. If you are just starting out and need to find a lot of reporters fast, this could be the best way to find a big group of reporters and then narrow down the list to fit more specific criteria. This tactic is invaluable since you probably don’t know every media outlet that could write about you. You might know a handful – and that’s a great start. But there might be dozens of other sites that are even better known, or reach a wider audience – and you didn’t even know they were in business. This case is always true if you are targeting a new geographic area, or a special niche in a market. Your best step is to buy a media list from a reputable source and pay a fair price since prices can be all over the board.

Five Ways to Find Good Source of Reporters’ Names and Emails

1.Look for a company that has been in business for a while. You want to deal with a credible company.

2.Find out how often the list is updated. An old list is a useless list.

3.Does the company verify data from reporters?

4.Do reporters want to be on the list? The only proof you’ll have is if the list goes beyond name, email and address to actually include information about their specific interests (that ranges from what they write about to their personal hobbies) and personal history (such as where they worked before).

5.Check out the price. It won’t be free, but it shouldn’t cost a small fortune either. Look to spend $200-$300. Free sources might not be up to date. And expensive sources, while they might be good, are also priced for big companies who need to buy them. Look for a company that has access to quality information but offers the data at a rate for small firms, BullsEyePublicity.com

When you’ve done your homework like this, then you are ready to write a pitch letter that can capture reporter’s hearts, minds and inkwells. For a free copy of a special report on how to Write a Pitch Letter, go to http://www.bullseyepublicity.com/course/

Publicity thought leader Dan Janal is Founder and President of PR LEADS PLUS which offers a variety of do-it-yourself tools to help small businesses get publicity, including media lists, press release writing and targeted article marketing services and press release distribution.