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Why The Media Hate You Joe Public
Copyright © 2002 - 2010 by Susan Harrow. All rights reserved.
 To make the media love you avoid these common mistakes.
1.
Hello out there!
How can I find you? Most people didn't give me their full
contact information. I know this sounds ludicrous, but not only
did people not include their website or phone number, but they
often had a gmail, hotmail or other free account so even when I
tried to Google them I couldn't find their website. Maddening.
One PR person didn't even leave her name! (This frightens me
deeply).
Please give the media every single option you have to get in
touch with you and let them choose the medium they prefer.
Include your phone, cell, email, website, blog, facebook, and a
direct link to your media page. And, need I say it, your full
name?
2. Just call me.
A few people said things like, "Call me, I'm happy to talk
to you and answer your questions." No. I asked you questions in
my query that I wanted you to answer so I could determine if I
wanted to talk to you. You need to give me a reason to WANT to
get more information. It's called a tease. A few people gave me
general, boring information that anyone in their field could
have supplied.
On the other hand you don't want to give me everything because
then I won't need to call you. Just give me enough to peak my
interest. And please give me answers to the questions I asked.
3. My life story blah, blah, blah.
There were others who gave out too much information. Stuff
that may be interesting in another context, but wasn't what I
asked for. I'm on a deadline and I only want the information
that I requested.
4. You're stupid.
In my query, as an example of what I wanted, I quoted
research from another source and one person told me that it was
"ludicrous". Well, that got my attention, but it didn't give me
a warm fuzzy feeling about him. I suspect he did it for the
shock value. That worked. He had some interesting things to say,
but I may or may not contact him. Is he rash or bullheaded? Not
sure if I can take someone so flip seriously.
5. I have a friend who...
People wrote in to tell me to contact their friend, but
don't tell me why he/she would be right for my story. Just that
he/she would be perfect for me. Why would I believe a stranger
who is biased?
6. Are there specific questions you need answered?
Uh, yeah. Don't ask me this when I listed several in the
query. Very specifically, actually. This person answered my
query very briefly, but didn't address my particular questions,
which, if a reporter asks, you should. They ask because they
want to know. It's how we determine whether you qualify for what
we need.
7. Let me tell you about me.
Please don't give me background that has nothing to do with
what I'm asking. A PR company -- who should know better --
proposed their client and then went on for two paragraphs about
the real estate firm's accomplishments where their client
worked. I asked for a powerful woman doing martial arts to
discuss the impact it had on her body image, personal and
professional life. What does this have to do with what I'm
interested in. Nothing.
Why should I care that the company "completed commercial leasing
transactions totaling over 10 million square feet and valued at
over $1.6 billion." Now if the PR person had connected that in
some way to the personal success of his client's training in
martial arts he would have gotten my interest.
8. Read this.
Some people told me that they were experts and then referred
me to other people's articles. While this was helpful overall,
it wasn't helpful in terms of me evaluating them to see if they
would be the right expert for my story. I asked for research and
studies, but I wanted to talk to the people who had done them.
Why would I use a secondary source if I could go to the original
one? Plus, if you're going to send me to a link I need to know
why. Tell me the topic of the story and why it would interest
me. Better yet, tell me how that article or research is
connected to you and what you do.
9. Hi, I'm famous.
A few famous people (what, they don't have to play by the
rules?) had their assistant or PR person contact me saying that
they were available to be interviewed. They didn't explain why
their boss/client was an expert but gave me a link to an article
or two that they had written.
I don't want to have to plow through tons of material to see if
this expert is right for me. YOU need to convince ME that I
should talk to you. Just because you're famous doesn't get you
off the hook for showing me that you're the expert I need.
Because, guess what? Lots of famous experts are vying for my
time who sent me just what I needed to inspire me to call them.
Besides, I'm not going to call you because you're famous, I'm
going to call you if you have the information that I need. And
you don't need to be famous to be the expert that I will use. So
please follow the producer or journalist's instructions EXACTLY
and you'll become a pleasure instead of a pain.
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Susan Harrow, CEO of
http://prsecrets.com, is
a top media coach, marketing strategist and author of
Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul® (HarperCollins),
The
Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah, and
Get a 6-
Figure Book Advance. Clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, bestselling authors and entrepreneurs who have appeared on
Oprah, 60 Minutes, NPR, and in TIME, USA Today, Parade,
People, O, NY Times, WSJ, and Inc. |
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