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Pouncing_on_Reporters_Leads
| Pouncing on Reporters Leads
You see a notice from a reporter seeking examples for an
article. You should:
(A) Ignore it. (B) Reply immediately to say you have a good
story for him/her. (C) Reply immediately with your complete
story. (D) Consider the request for a few days rather than
acting hastily.
For more than two years this question has been part of a quiz at
my Web site, and a majority of those taking the quiz have
guessed the answer was (B). Wrong. That means that most people
who see a reporter's query, either through a leads service such
as ProfNet or PR Leads or on a discussion list, may miss their
chance for 15 minutes of fame.
A reporter's notice might look like this:
For an article for a national business magazine, I am seeking
businesses that have turned less than a thousand dollars in
initial investment into more than a million dollars in annual
sales in less than 10 years. Respond by this Friday to
areporter@reporters.net.
My quiz respondents think the thing to do is to reply simply, "I
fit your criteria. Here's how to reach me..." The correct
answer, though, is (C), replying with the complete story. Why?
Assume that the reporter receives a flood of replies, as usually
happens. Most likely, enough of those have supplied a full,
enticing and relevant story for the reporter to complete his or
her research without contacting you.
Factor in the deadline, too, and you'll understand you can lose
your chance for the spotlight because of the delay created by
making the reporter write back, "Tell me more" and wait for your
reply.
In addition, to some reporters, the reply "I fit the bill.
Here's how to reach me..." shows a self-centered lack of common
sense and courtesy. You set up a hurdle for them to cross rather
than making it easy for them to perform their job.
In recommending that you reply to a reporter's appeal with your
complete story, I don't mean that you have to spend an hour
typing detail after detail. Rather, provide the basic facts that
demonstrate that you are what they're looking for, along with
the fundamental who, what, when, where and why or how of your
situation. For instance:
My name is Kathy Kaminar, and I own a cotton candy company in
Missoula, Montana, with $1.5 million in annual sales. I launched
the company in 1993, when I was 17 years old, at the Missoula
State Fair, with an investment of $200 for supplies. I now have
27 employees, mostly part-time. Although all my sales are
offline, I do have a Web site: http://www.kathys.biz. Here's how
to reach me...
The Web link provided there is excellent, because it enables the
reporter to obtain further information about your organization
and a general impression before interviewing you. Don't send any
attached files, much less a gargantuan history of your firm,
previous press clips, photos and so on unless and until the
reporter requests them.
You might still strike out following these suggestions, but you
would have upped the odds of success as high as possible.
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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