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them for their time with a small gift from your store that shows you really listened to them/got to know them. When all else fails, send them a gift card. Think about it as a small price to pay for some great exposure down the line. Next time they’re working on a story, you’ll be front of mind.
Don’t ever try to sell the media. You aren’t trying to get them to buy anything from your store; you simply want to inform them about why your place has something special to offer. Avoid flashy sales-like buzzwords, or talking poorly about your competitors and stick to the facts (local products, specific brands that are really special/different). If your shop is exceptional, they’ll be able to see that based on the information alone.
Pay attention to the news and think bigger picture. In the fall, think about how you could pitch a story relevant to tailgating season. In November and December holiday gifts are everywhere. There is always something fresh and relevant for television and newspaper coverage. Could you offer “10 Budget Holiday Gift Ideas”? What about “Decorating Your Dining Room Table”? Offer to set up a great display table and decorate it right in the newsroom, or invite the media to come out to your shop for a behind-the-scenes look at some great gift ideas for the upcoming season.
Know who you are pitching. The best thing you can do is familiarize yourself with the publications or television programs you are trying to pitch. As a basic rule of thumb, they’re only going to cover topics that are relevant to their content. Don’t waste your time reaching out to publications that are too much of a stretch. If they don’t regularly cover lifestyle/features, they probably won’t start now.
Quality not quantity. Don’t waste your time blanketing every media outlet east of the Mississippi. Where are your customers hanging out? What magazines are they reading? What television shows are they watching? Is it beneficial for your products to be featured in a national magazine? If you’re located in a small town, you might be better off to focus on the local news first.
Pay attention to the news and think bigger picture. In November and December holiday gifts are everywhere. Could you offer “Ten Budget Holiday Gift Ideas?”
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Get to the point. If you can’t sum up what you’re trying to say in three or four sentences, you are not being concise enough. Reporters barely make it past your first sentence. If you are lucky and they’re still interested, they will read on. But do not pitch a three-page exposé about your business, the history, family, future plans, etc. Keep it short and to the point. If you get a bite, the reporter will definitely ask for more information (and you already have your media kit ready to go, right?).
And finally most important of all:
Know how to pitch. When was the last time you enthusiastically tore open your junk mail? A press release that opens with the words, “For Immediate Release,” is the equivalent of “Current Resident.” This approach is basically saying “Hey, you that I didn’t even bother to look up your name—here is the same email I’m going to send 50 other people in a very formal format. I hope you’ll do a story about me.”
It’s not that the information in the release
isn’t important, but adding a personal touch, the equivalent of penning a hand-written letter, helps. So go ahead and pitch but present the information in a way that could become a story, a human interest piece, rather than a business brief. Just don’t start your pitch with To Whom This May Concern.
Taryn Scher is The Sparkle Boss at TK PR (tkpublicrelations. com), a boutique lifestyle PR firm. She can be reached at
taryn@tkpublicrelations.com or 864.469.7488.
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