There are enough rude, annoying publicists in the marketing field to inspire the creation of the Bad Pitch Blog, which chronicles the field's ugly stories and worst practices. I'm not a formally trained publicist, but I've managed to use common courtesy to build my company's media list from 20 contacts to over 2,000 in about three years. Maybe not being formally trained isn't such a bad thing.
I was asked to provide a list of tips on building a media list through a contact at Peter Shankman's HARO and in the spirit of the season, I thought I'd share.
1. Learn who is interested in what. There are publications serving every interest. Spend a few months getting to know the space, the publications, and the writers. Read the masthead. Read the bylines.
2. Build trust by seeming harmless and offering value. First, seem harmless. It's best if you can get a trusted person to introduce you to your contact. Do nothing to cause a person to believe that, if they even so much as twitch at your bait, you will bombard them with sales-pitchy phone calls or emails. Do this by sending a brief email, 3-5 sentences max. Give a brief intro, and then add value: a brief summary of the benefits of your product to the publication's readers and an offer to send a sample or explain more if the contact is interested. If they don't reply, they probably aren't interested in that product; don't send it. Read their publication so you know what will interest them later.
3. Make a list and track what interests your contacts. Segregate your list into interests and make sure to only send communications appropriate to the publication. Don't stretch it: sending a product that's a little off target almost never works and it risks alienating your current or future relationship with your contact. Put yourself in their shoes, and if the pitch is a reach, shelve it. Track what they respond to, what you send them, and how they react. In their eyes, you'll become more on-target and therefore more trustworthy.
4. Become a journalist. Do as much of the work for the publication as you can. Pitch briefly, but be prepared to send materials that are ready to print within 24-48 hours after the contact replies. If you can consistently offer good, effortless content quickly, the publication will begin to think of you as a resource, as a regular contributor and not a PR person.
5. Respond quickly. Many journalists are under tight deadlines and quick, comprehensive responses will often get the mention. Being prepared makes this responsiveness easier.
6. Control the message by controlling the outlet. Not all publicity is good, but most of it can be. Carefully pick and choose which media outlets to pitch. Vet each media outlet, especially websites and blogs. Figure out how many readers you need to see a review of your product in order for it to be worth your time developing a relationship with that media outlet. Use services like Google Trends for Websites to check on traffic claims for websites and Technorati for blogs.
7. Pitch lightly. Once you have built trust with a journalist, you don't need to hammer them over the head with a salesy pitch. Give them the hook of the story and ask if they'd like to hear more. If they trust you, they will ask for more detail.
8. Prepare your sources. Journalists need sources they can quote. Make sure your sources are familiar with the publication and the context of a story before they are interviewed. Without rehearsing them, let them know the direction the story is going so they can help the journalist get the soundbites they need.
9. Don't call. Most of the wordsmiths I know would prefer to read and write than talk. Talking is for once-a-year tradeshows. In nearly four years of building a publicity program, maybe half our publicity hits came from just two or three emails: a brief pitch or press release and a brief follow up. Email lets journalists read, archive, delete, or respond on their own schedule, without having to tolerate an awkward phone pitch. Do you appreciate sales calls? Return the favor and keep the pressure off people whose trust you want to earn and keep (or else they'll just let you go to voicemail, like this dreadful publicist).
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