2. Play Ball: Pitching the Media
Donna Lorenson and Kate McCormick
Edelman Public Relations
National Association of Health Underwriters Capitol Conference
March 27, 2006

3. The Media Environment More than a dozen national television networks
1,300 television stations, 8,000 cable stations
10,294 radio stations
1,700 daily newspapers, 8,000 weekly newspapers
12,000 magazines
Three major wire services, plus assorted syndicated services
Numerous “online” news services and outlets

4. What the Media Want From Us
New and different story ideas
Data/research
Trend information
Thought leaders
Spokespeople

5. Understanding Story Channels
Briefings Direct Pitch Industry Events Opportunistic Controlled
Lay foundation of understanding with key reporters and outlets
Create innovative angles to pique interest and generate coverage
Drive coverage through appropriate outreach surrounding annual meetings, summits and seminars
Monitor research journals and news events to leverage; take advantage of editorial calendars
Use op-eds and other controlled media or position pieces to keep news flowing and reinforce leadership position

6. Understanding the Media
Media relations is not a spectator sport – being proactive is key
Perception is as important as reality
Every encounter with the media is an opportunity to shape perceptions and deliver your message

7. Reporters Are Not Always Our Friends
Competitive (daily, weekly, monthly)
Surface more than depth
Short-term memory
Frequent turnover
Often change posts/beats
It’s a for-profit business

8. Meeting in the Middle Your Interests: COVERAGE!
Positive, accurate reporting of key messages
Avoidance of negative news
Relationship so that future positive coverage is likely
Media’s Interests:
A good spokesperson
A balanced story that contains the newsworthy elements
Relevance to audience, but not “salesy”
Beat the competition

9. The Windup
To get the best results, research the reporters and topics you want to pitch before you start

10. Step One: Set Goals Introduce a story? Announce an event?
Establish a relationship?
Respond to environmental shift?
Make breaking news?
Opportunistic pitch?

11. Step Two: Assess Your News
Determine the newsworthiness of the story
Is this headline news or sidebar material?
Can it stand alone or should it be folded into a broader context or trend?
Who does it impact and how?
Is this a unique announcement?
Does it involve conflict or drama?
Does it solve an existing problem?

12. Step Three: Research Who you are pitching? The person? The medium?
What are the key messages?
Competitive landscape
Overall trends in the industry
Recent events

13. Know your Topic Gain a sense of the larger trends
Go to reporters with the whole story
Give them the full spectrum of the issue
Offer a range of people who are available for quotes or interviews

14. Know your enemy Know who is on the other side of the issue
What are they saying?
Go to their Web site to get a sense of their argument and develop a counter-strategy

15. Step Four: Prepare for the Pitch
Press release
Pitch letter
Pitch points
Facts, statistics
Quotes from experts
Analogy
Media advisory
Key messages
Backgrounders
Sources for additional information

16. Building a Compelling Pitch Letter
Opportunity to interest a journalist in your story idea
Persuasive, personalized and informative
Provides contact information for follow up and an offer for additional information
Types of pitch letters include grabber, didja know, problem/solution
Always follow up a pitch letter with a phone call

17. Know what other current events are happening and make a connection
When Do I Pitch?
Daily newspapers: Call early, deadline at 4 p.m.
Expected news, 1-2 weeks in advance
Special sections, 2-4 weeks
Weekly mags: 4-8 weeks ahead, but late breaking news can be worked in
Long-lead mags: 3-6 months ahead
Know what other current events are happening and make a connection

18. The Pitch

19. Avoid Pitching Cold
Talk your pitch through with a colleague or to yourself before you begin
Save the reporters you really want to reach until you feel comfortable with your pitch and have found your voice

20. Find Your Voice
Although it may be helpful to write down what you want to say, do not read straight from a script
Have a real conversation with the reporters
Sounding unprepared or unsure can shut down a reporter

21. Don’t Bury Your Lead Get to the point
Pitch calls should be brief and meaningful
Try to grab their attention in the first 15 seconds

22. Avoid Setting off an Argument in the Newsroom
Double-pitching reporters is a fast-track to trouble
There are often beat crossovers, especially at smaller publications
If you do pitch two reporters at the same paper be sure to say “By the way, I gave insert name here, your colleague this information as well”

23. Keep Careful Notes of Your Pitching
If you are pitching several reporters on a story, use your notes to keep track of who you called and what was said - this will allow you to follow up appropriately with each reporter
Keeping notes can help you revise your media pitching strategy if a pitch is not working

24. Cultivate Relationships
If there is a particular reporter you plan to contact frequently, place a call or send an to introduce yourself
Once you have made a connection, keep notes of tidbits from your conversation to ask about the next time you talk to them (e.g., just got a new dog, children are graduating, just returned from Europe, etc.)

25. Be Persistent
You have not made contact until you have talked to someone on the phone or received a reply from them
Do not leave voic s unless you have to

26. Aggressive vs. Annoying
Avoid overwhelming the reporter with:
Excessive phone calls or
Too much information
Let the reporter know your plans to follow up:
“I’ll call you tomorrow, once you have a chance to look at the release.”

27. Possible Outcomes Voice mail “No, I’m not interested.”
“It sounds good, but… ”
“Yes, that sounds interesting…”

28. If you have to leave a Voicemail…
Top line the story in 10 seconds
Leave your name and number
Two messages are enough, wait for live person
Wait for the human voice when the story is “evergreen”
Keep a detailed media log

29. “No, I’m Not Interested.”
Ask your contact a few questions:
Are you the most appropriate person to contact?
What in particular are you interested in?
Is there a better time to contact you?
If the reporter is too busy to answer your questions, then simply say thank you and move on to the next call
If after getting answers to these questions you still think that your story is important, re-work your pitch, re-visit your key messages and pitch again!

30. “It Sounds Good, But…”
Reporters may need more time if they are busy or on deadline
If possible, call back later
Some reporters may want more time to develop an angle, follow up at a later date

31. “Yes, I’m Interested…” Find out what information you can provide
Keep your goals in mind
Work closely with the reporter for win/win coverage
Make sure your spokespeople are prepared
Confirm coverage date but roll with the punches
Monitor for coverage

32. My Message was Misinterpreted
Direct contact with the reporter
Mention that you are attuned to his coverage and value working together; good relationship-building tool
Don’t go to the reporter’s boss - be direct, polite and offer helpful information, to be available for further questioning and to give access to experts
Call to the producer
With broadcast stories, visual images do not always correspond with the right spoken word; so there is a potential for misunderstandings
If mistake was major, there is a chance that anchor will correct it on-the-air or rerun the segment
to an online reporter
In many cases, factual corrections are posted immediately

33. My Message was Misinterpreted
Letter to the editor
Considered a diplomatic response
In many cases, these are not printed, but if so, it may be weeks after error
Serious errors/omissions
Evaluate whether to break off contact with the publication
A confrontational last resort: sue for libel
Direct communication with key stakeholders
May help to undo the damage and inform appropriately, since the error has already published

34. In Summary… There are no guarantees Media are competitive
It’s a for-profit business
Dealing with many personalities
But, you can improve your chances for success
Develop messages/resources for your target
Timing is everything
Be thorough in your preparation

35. Always present yourself as:
Pitch a Perfect Game
Always present yourself as:
Knowledgeable
Assertive
Credible
Articulate
Passionate
Courteous
Responsive