|
You have permission to publish this article in its entirety
electronically, in print, in your ebook, or on your web
site, free of charge as long as no changes to the content
are made and you include my byline, copyright, and resource
box. Please notify me of publication by sending an email
with a copy of your publication
to:
Thanks and enjoy!
Free Publicity - How to Guarantee You Won't Get It
Copyright © 2002 - 2010 by Susan Harrow. All rights reserved.
I'm shocked. I can't believe the kind of responses I had to sift
through to find a few good experts for the stories I'm writing
for the Huffington
Post and
Psychology Today.
I've always had sympathy for the press given that they need to
deal with people who are inexperienced, but the level of
sloppiness, casual, "I'm your friendy wendy" attitude, and
simple inability to follow directions stunned me. Here are a few
pet-peeves that I share with journalists and producers who deal
with this on a scale one hundred times greater than I do.
1. Don't bug me.
Don't email or call me asking when the article I interviewed you
for will post. This is considered harassment from journalists.
Especially after I promised that I would send you an email
letting you know. Wait patiently for however long it takes.
Trust me to keep my word. And if you got cut from the piece, let
it go. In fact, even if you got cut thank the journalist and
remind him that you are available to be a source on another
story. If possible offer to find him sources for future stories.
2. Don't ask me for a favor.
One person whose book I received asked me to write an amazon.com
review of her book -- on a tight deadline. First off, I hadn't
read it. I may use it for a reference later, but I may not. It
takes a lot of time, effort and thoughtfulness to write a book
review. I told her I couldn't do it. Then she responded by
asking if I read it later would I write the book review.
Remember that when you provide a journalist information you're
not doing them a favor. You're being a good expert. Never ask
for anything in return. It's not only bad manners, it could put
you on their "do not call" list.
3. Don't go off on a tangent.
When you refer people to me or a journalist or producer make
sure they have read my/their query. One person sent in a story
in that had lots of graphic sexual violence against women stuff
in it when my query was focused on how martial arts influenced
leadership and business skills. It was disturbing to read.
Answer only what is asked of you. Quickly at that. And don't
send icky un-requested stuff. It's kind of like being stalked
in print.
4. Don't send attachments or photos.
I said specifically in my query that I would ASK for photos from
those people I selected. It is not being helpful to assume that
you will be selected by including a photo. A number of other
people sent attachments -- which don't go through anyway when
you use services like
HARO. Rule
of thumb. Never send attachments unless asked.
On my end when the people sent attachments I got a blank email
with no information. Why would I bother to take the time to
contact that person and ask them to cut and paste the
information from their attachment when I have dozens of other
people who paid attention to what I wanted? This is an important
point as many journalists will just ban you from their in-box if
you make irritating mistakes. They just don't want to bother
with people who can't follow simple directions.
5. Don't tell me you're great.
Some people think that they are just great. You know them. You
avoid them. There's nothing less appealing than people go get
overexcited about themselves. And they are most likely in the
minority in that regard. Don't TELL me how to feel. Don't go on
and on about how I MUST interview you because you're so
passionate and wonderful, just show me your credentials. Let me
come to my own conclusions about just how fabulous you are. If
you are, I will. And I will be delighted to contact you as an
expert source.
|
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. |
|
