Six Pieces of Media Relations Advice for the Newbies

Heart racing, palms sweating… no, you’re not having a heart attack. You’re pitching your first story as an intern or entry-level pro. Whew! it can be nerve wracking, for sure. Through a good process, you can feel prepared and confident in your delivery.

1. Know “why.” What’s the point of the media relations effort? What’s the big picture? How does this release, this pitch fit into what the client/company wants to accomplish? It’s ok to ask. You’re not just “smiling and dialing,” asking why can help you craft a better pitch, but also helps you understand the business of public relations and the media relations function.
2. Know the story. Understand not only the primary story, but all the potential angles. You may not be able to pitch the primary story to every editor (in fact, you probably can’t).
3. Create, refine and refine again your media list. An awesomely targeted and strategically refined media list is your golden ticket. This part is pretty freaking tedious, but it’s so important. Don’t let the tedium deter you. Tools like Cision and Vocus can help a lot if your organization has a subscription. If they don’t, there are a bunch of free or almost free tools… including your eyes and brain. If you understand the “why,” (see #1), you can be reading, watching and listening to the right sources and you’ll get to know who will be interested in your pitch. This takes time, so the computer-aided-search-tools are a nice boost, but don’t lean on them too hard. Know your organization’s industry.
4. Write the pitch. If you’re emailing it, make sure the grammar is pristine, the message clear and that it’s SHORT. If you’re calling, make sure the grammar is pristine, the message clear and that it’s SHORT.
5. Practice the pitch. Have colleagues read and listen to your pitch and give you feedback.
6. Make the call! (or send the email). But really, you’re going to have to make the call at some point, even if your first pitch is via email.

I asked my friends via Twitter what advice they would give to newbies and, boy! did they have advice. Check it out. And follow these super smarties – some are vets and some are newbies themselves.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/Bookgirl96/statuses/106815124261703680″]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/JenJAshley/statuses/106816028138422272″]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/mculpPR/statuses/106815993988386816″]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/mculpPR/statuses/106815639099949056″]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/JulieMa/statuses/106812944096047105″]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/jpitts/statuses/106817252728389632″]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/RACHELkoppes/statuses/106816629446410241″]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/jenna_levy/statuses/106819096561192960″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/behindthespin/statuses/106831502993657856″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/KellysDavies/statuses/106832108646965249″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/ztzinthecity/statuses/106820662022250496″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/jamescrawford/statuses/106832389141037056″]

See James’ blog, too.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/kevinkennedy320/statuses/106833121214865408″]

For even more tips & advice, check out my Delicious tag on media relations. And I’d love to hear what you think? What would you add?