spring 2013 michael smart media relations

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© Copyright 2013 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC

Perfect Pitch: Win over journalists and bloggers in the

new media landscape

For the Insurers Public Relations Council May 16, 2013

Michael Smart

@michaelsmartpr

Thank you for this investment

MichaelSMARTPR • Pitching media myself for 15 yrs

• Training people how to pitch better for 10 yrs – On-site workshops - Phone coaching

• Moderate panels of journalists and bloggers

• Recent interviews of top journalists and media relations pros

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Listen for . . .

• New ways to frame stories when there doesn’t seem to be any news

• The two-part formula for grabbing any journalist’s attention

• How to get on media’s radar screen without a story to pitch

My objectives

• Double your pitching success rate

• One of the best professional development experiences of your career

– Engage with the material and apply it

– Let me know how I can help you

– Consider “unplugging”


Developing story ideas: “Story boosters” that turn

otherwise boring angles into

winners


Cara


Cara

We need to go further • Fewer journalists. Less time. Better angles

required.

• “If you weren’t pitching this, would you still be interested by it?”

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Story “boosters”

• How to meet these new needs of journalists

1. Process stories

• Result or event isn’t that interesting, how about the process?

• Great for boring new products or routine events

Pitch

• “A BYU researcher developed a ‘bird breathalyzer’ to determine whether sparrows and warblers are migrating under the influence of berries or bugs so we can help protect their habitats.”

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2. Frame pitch around PEOPLE

• Product or service story: people that your company touches or changes

• Who are the REAL people behind the story?

What would you do?

What would you do?

Sara at a children’s hospital

• Blood clinic trying to find new ways to attract and motivate donors

• High-profile patient needed 100+ units of blood – 9 yr old girl, Jessie, struck by garbage truck

– Family willing to come to clinic to thank workers and donors

• What else could be done? How would you pitch it?

3. Tie to a trend

• They’re going to use an example, why not yours?

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4. Contrarian or “backlash” trend

• Debenhams challenge:

– How do you liven up food service at a big retailer?

– Tweak the coffee menu

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5. Tie in to media agenda

• Tie your news to a current event

Promoting English research?

• In the fall, English professor. . .

• Writing a book about a pirate. . .

• Who was a woman. . .

• Who was IRISH!

Mary What would you do?

Mary Dondiego, VitalSmarts, Inc.

• Fall book launch

• Crucial Confrontations tells people how to conduct the difficult and painful conversations in their lives

• One co-author is particularly good at media interviews and giving brief tips from the book

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“You don’t have to be a pushover to make friends in political discussions,” says Joseph Grenny, co-author of Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violated Expectations, and Bad Behavior. “It’s possible to be 100 percent candid and 100 percent respectful in any discussion – even when disagreeing over your favorite candidate!”

Grenny offers a few tips for improving the outcome of any disagreement:

Result

6. Exploit pop culture

• Every outlet moving in this direction

• Can quickly convey complex concepts


Pitch subject line

• Hire a Dwight Schrute for a better performing team

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Kinetic Analysis Corp

• Actuarial firm that does damage estimates

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7. Combine existing assets

Laura Kane, consulting client from Aflac

Promoting corporate philanthropy

• Annual donation to pediatric cancer

• How to make it new again?

Contest for pediatric cancer patients • “Color Carl’s Car”

• Kids design Carl Edwards’ NASCAR racer

• He’d drive it that way in the upcoming race

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8. Create a story where there wasn’t one

Top math student in the nation

• No one cared

• How do you get people to care about math?

• Year of trial and error led to desperation:

Top math student in the nation

• Shoot a rap video!

Mathletes rap video

• Shot in one 3-hour session

• Bribed extras with pizza

• All “talent” from within department

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Video Hey Jenna,

March Madness and Pi Day collide in this

Mathlete rap music video:

http://youtu.be/0AGT4M3Z1OM

I can send you more details if you decide this

fits.

Joe Hadfield

BYU Media Relations Manager

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Identifying key targets Corner-cutters

• Blast emails

• Newswires

• Media databases

The solution

• Focus like a laser on 5-10 absolutely crucial outlets

• Come to know them intimately

• For your next tier of 15-30 targets, do the best customization you can

• Researching targets IS an investment of time


Getting on media’s radar

Building relationships with media

• The strength of your relationships with media/bloggers is usually determined by:

• The usefulness of the information you share with them

Building relationships with media

• What if I don’t have a (good) story to pitch yet?

• Learn from the Honey Badgers

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“Read and react”

• Identify your target influencers

• Follow/read/internalize their stuff

“Read and react”

• Let them know you saw it!

• RT a tweet

• FF the journalist/blogger

• Share story/post on Twitter

More “Read and react”

• Comment on story/post

• Link to it on your newsroom/blog

• Email them praise for a story

• ESPECIALLY when it’s not about YOU

• Authenticity is key

Action item

• Pick no more than 7 influencers

• Set aside one hour per week to “Read and React”

• Preferably 12 minutes a day, all on one day is okay

Reuters “read and react”

• Email chain

../Dropbox/Pitching/reuters read and react.docx

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Ms. Masters:

Great article! Although your piece focuses on equity-indexed annuities, it also highlights

many problems associated with all annuities (complicated, expensive and therefore, bad

investments).

I thought you might be interested to learn about an annuity that was recently developed

to address the latest negativity surrounding variable annuities (VA), it's called Monument

Advisor and was developed by Jefferson National . . .

Monument Advisor is a consumer-centric product that was developed in response to the

negativity surrounding annuities. Since it pays no commission it benefits consumers

because advisors manage client accounts without stacking fees.

Please contact me if you would be interested in speaking to some advisors about how

they’re using Monument Advisor, or if you would like to see some case studies. I would

also be happy to connect you to Jefferson National’s product specialist Patrick Ferrer.

Thanks for your time,

Gary

3 most valuable points from today

• 3 specific action items you will take in the next three months

• “I will . . .”

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Pitching’s tough . . .

• . . . but it’s worth it.

Please stay in touch

[email protected]

@MichaelSmartPR

www.michaelsmartpr.com

mailto:[email protected]

spring 2013 michael smart media relations

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