Conclusion
Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minuteSo, there you are. That’s how sausage is made. I only hope your appetite for news coverage has increased now that you know the ingredients. You now know what we cover and why we cover it. You know that slow news days are a gift from the PR gods, and you understand how to take […]
Extending Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutesYou scored big with the reporter. You created the ultimate media event. You whipped up a stunt so stunning P.T. Barnum would be proud. Now what? The fame game can be fleeting. So if you don’t want to become a one-hit wonder, read on. BUILD RAPPORT BEFORE THE REPORTER HITS THE DOOR There are a […]
It’s Show Time!
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutesOkay, you’ve charmed the media into giving you coverage. And they can’t eat even one more Krispy Kreme. What do you do once that red light illuminates and you’re on the air? Where do you look? What do you say? What if your mind goes blank and you freeze up? Worse yet, what if the […]
Mike Wallace is Here to See You
Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutesHANDLING NEGATIVE NEWS Anyone who ever watched Mike Wallace grill someone on 60 Minutes knows how hot that fire can be. But you don’t have to go hiding under your desk at the first sign of a crisis. The truth is most reporters aren’t like Mike. We’re not trying to trip you up so we […]
Sound Bite Machine
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutesTALKING THE TALK Every once in a while, reporters run into someone who has a silver tongue, a person whose every sentence is a ready-to-print quote. But these folks are rare. Most of the time, a good quote is a happy accident. It doesn’t have to be that way. You, too, can become what’s known […]
Becoming an Expert
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutesYOU DON’T NEED A DIPLOMA We’ve all seen people giving advice on the news and said to ourselves, “What makes them experts?” Well, I’m about to let you in on a little known secret: They’re on TV. When the news crowns you with the title “expert,” you are one. And how do we decide who […]
One Stop Shopping
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutesMAKE IT EASY ON THE REPORTER Reporters are no different from anyone else. Many of us are lazy. And worse, we’re usually on deadline. We show up at 2:30 in the afternoon and need to have a live report at 5:00. So, you should create a story that is onestop shopping. EVERY DOG HAS HIS […]
Who Ya Gonna Call?
Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutesWHO YA GONNA CALL? Okay, so now you’ve come up with your own Elvis turkey story. You’ve thought out the visuals. You’ve tried to take advantage of the feeding frenzy, and you’re ready for the media to beat a path to your door. Now, at the risk of ripping off the Ghostbusters, “Who ya gonna […]
The Feeding Frenzy
Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutesKNOW WHEN TO JOIN THE RUSH Every once in a while, the media will get hold of a big story and you’ll have a feeding frenzy. Sometimes TV and radio stations will devote entire newscasts to one story. Or the newspaper will publish a special section on one event. It seems no other story even […]
It Must Be A Slow News Day
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes“What are you doing here?” some people will say to a reporter. “This isn’t news. It must be a slow news day.” But if you want news coverage, you should be praying for days like that—in fact, the slower the better. Slow news days are when stories that might not otherwise make the cut can […]