Getting Press
Alison Leporati is Co-Founder of Washashore Productions
A newspaper editor, a marketing guru, and a broadcaster walk into a bar. Strike that. These three intrepid media mavens walk into the Chamber of Commerce. There were laughs abounding as we learned the jargon of this business and how to create creative approaches in working with facets of the news. Identifying a news hook, especially one a reporter can’t resist, was high on the list for discussion. Much like taking the classic “…walk into a bar joke,’ sometimes that hook is finding something that exists in the Zeitgeist, and re-framing it around the news of the day.
Paul Provonost, Executive Editor of Cape Cod Times, Judith Goetz, Director of Communications at Heritage Museum and Gardens, and Sarah Colvin, news director for Cape Media News, led the press panel at our Thursday class.
Paul spoke first giving us cohorts a bit of well placed humor surrounding ideas and business. We learned that at the height of the Anthrax scare, a newly minted inventor contacted the paper he was working at to share an idea that could protect those who may be affected by the deadly white powder. When the entrepreneur arrived, he carried a fish tank covered with slitted tinfoil and rubber gloves. The inventor was displaying a safe way to open mail by placing the envelope in the fish tank then using gloved hands through the tinfoil to open the mail.
The flip side to this anecdote was an entrepreneur who came to tell the news of their sponge like substance that could pick up the tiniest of debris. While the newspaper passed on covering this story, the inventor was later seen cleaning up the Exxon Valdez oil spill with this product. The point was clear, newspapers and media do not always get it right. We entrepreneurs must do our part to believe in what we are creating and get the information out to media. This comes in the form of a pitch and a press release.
Judith Goetz elaborated on this. She introduced many of the cohorts to the term “news jacking.” This is the art of paying attention to what is going on in the community/world and learning how to fit your particular brand into a story that’s hot. One can do this by asking themselves, “How can I be part of this story?”
Once the question is asked, the answer should be placed in the format of a pitch; two paragraphs that summarize what your story is and why readers would be compelled to read it. The press release is set-up a bit differently and covers what is referred to as the 5 W’s: Who, Where, What, When, Why. Ideally this would be able to stand alone and quickly placed in an events section of a news outlet. It should include a boiler pitch at the bottom, include a website and a little information about you or your company.
Sarah Colvin further detailed this process. Colvin made the point that people are more conscious. This relates to News jacking is there is often a way to insert oneself into most stories or trends. These include: localizing the story, events, fundraising, humanity, philanthropy, tragedies and triumphs. Focus is highly important to entrepreneurs and this is especially true with the press. Cohorts learned that with busy reporters, the more quickly we get to the point and be direct, the better likelihood of being heard. Ultimately, know your targets, know the difference between a business reporter and a feature reporter, and create a media release. In terms of entertainment reporters, there is a very specific list, and one would be wise to foster those relationships.
The well-written press release is gold. If it is well written it can easily be reprinted, and once those relationships with reporters are established, these press releases can directly be placed in appropriate sections. Then there were gentle reminders that if the release does not make it into the paper, it does NOT mean it didn’t have value. Just like the story with the Valdez cleaning sponge. Look to cycles and activities and news of the day. Most importantly, social media and the Internet have enabled savvy entrepreneurs and business to build their own audience, build their hype, build their buzz and gain traction that helps propel their story to media outlets.
Each member of the EforAll cohort gained valuable insight and contacts from the press panel class. We left with better understanding of the chain of command in newsroom, how to approach reporters, and direct links to media outlets. There were many laughs and moments of inspiration as we developed the next level of broadcasting our visions into the landscape of the public.
