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Phone_Pitches_Can_Pay_Off
| Phone Pitches Can Pay Off
More than a decade ago, Colorado consultant Debra Benton gave
her career a lasting boost in less than one minute. She called a
famous columnist and told him in one sentence what she did:
teach executives how to have charisma. The columnist took her
number and called her back a week later for an interview.
The day his article appeared, she received calls from Time and
Newsweek as well as from several executives who turned into
clients. Time ran its own story on her, which led to writeups in
Barron's, Financial Weekly, The New York Times, "CBS This
Morning" and "Good Morning America." Much of her business -- and
her ability to charge thousands of dollars a day for her
services -- indirectly stems from that phone call to that
columnist.
What can you learn from this?
First, she used a concise, intriguing characterization of
herself. This takes most people much more than one minute to
formulate. Unless you have an unusual job title, such as Florida
State Official Handwriting Analyst, your job title won't perform
this function. Instead you need to delve below "stockbroker,"
"specialty shoe wholesaler" or "sports trainer" to put into
words the results that you produce for some group of people. The
shoe wholesaler might say, "I help men spend a whole day on
their feet in comfort."
You'll know you've done it right when people lean forward after
you reel off your sentence and ask you, "How do you do that?"
Second, Benton did the research necessary to reach someone who
would probably respond well to her pitch. Although her research
consisted simply of taking note of the personality and interests
of the columnist, whom she regularly read anyway, you may need a
few trips to the library or the Internet to find the right media
person to call. Consider the audience you hope to reach and what
publications they read or what programs they watch or listen to.
Or consult an up-to-date media directory in the reference
department of almost any public library.
Third, when you call, respect the other person's time. Because
media people face unforgiving, absolute deadlines, PR pros
usually start off something like this: "Hello, this is ____. Are
you on deadline or do you have a moment now?" Tell them only as
much as is necessary to pique their interest. Don't take it
personally if they appear brusque, and never argue with someone
who's given you a "no." Simply go on to another person on your
list.
Fourth, practice what you'll say when they want a full- length
interview. Decide on three major points you want to get across
and get a friend who's a Barbara Walters wannabee to feed you
relevant and off-the-wall questions. Debra Benton got terrific
results from the columnist partly because she anticipated what
he might ask and prepared compelling examples and convincing
replies.
Phone pitches shouldn't replace targeted distribution of news
releases, only supplement them in those rare cases where you
sense a perfect match between a media outlet and your own
specialization.
About the author:
Marcia Yudkin is the author of the classic
guide to comprehensive PR, "6 Steps to Free Publicity," now for
sale in an updated edition at Amazon.com and in bookstores
everywhere. She also spills the secrets on advanced tactics for
today's publicity seekers in "Powerful, Painless Online
Publicity," available from www.yudkin.com/powerpr.htm .
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