Press Releases and Pitches

I have been getting lots of questions about press releases, so here's some advice. Yes, journalists still read press releases, but it seems pitches are made more often and press releases are part of the supporting material once an interview is booked.

Pitches come in the form of an email or a phone call. If a reporter wants more information before confirming, he or she will usually request the press release.

The great thing about writing a press release is that it can be re-purposed:

1. Use them as blog entries.
2. List them in the “Press” or “News” tab of your website—this is where journalists go to research your organization.
3. Print them out and put them in packets you send to potential clients and investors.
4. Link to them in the social media outlets you use, such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

Here are ways to make your press releases effective:

1. Keep them short.
2. Have an attention-grabbing headline.
3. Answer who, what, when, where, why and how.
4. Include a quotation from the newsmaker.
5. Have contact information prominently displayed.
6. Put a date on them.
7. Do not exaggerate—be as accurate as a textbook.
8. Do not call to ask if it’s been received—reporters hate this intrusion.

With newspaper, radio and television outlets reducing their staff size for economic reasons, producers and editors are looking for shortcuts. And that means in some instances, your press release—if well-written—may end up, copy unchanged, as a news story.

The Future of News and Public Relations

I've been a fan of Jeff Brady's for years. I first met him on the night he was the best man in our wedding. He has been a reporter and anchor in the Yuma, Tyler, San Antonio, Shreveport and Dallas markets, so you may have seen him on the air. He recently left the newsroom to start Brady Media Group. His perspective about the direction of news is fascinating.

Jeff: We are a Dallas-based PR, consulting and content development agency made up exclusively of journalists. We KNOW the news: the fundamentals of how it is produced, the tempo, the deadlines, the “recipe” and how to attract the interest of a reporter. We understand how to pitch a story to a working journalist because we’ve been there ourselves.

But what does "content development" mean? Well, by that I mean the media content housed on your website. Do you have a blog? A podcast? A video blog? A digital newsletter? Current articles or press releases? What about a video clip to convey your brand identity for the next generation of media-savvy consumers? We can produce all of that. Out-source your newsroom to us. We’re the professional story-tellers.

The clients we currently target are medium and small businesses that are either dissatisfied with their current marketing, advertising or PR strategy. Or those that have never tried PR in the first place. We come at it from a different perspective, and most clients like the “insider knowledge” we bring to the table.

Lorri: How is the Brady Media Group different than other PR agencies?

Jeff: As you know Lorri, the vast majority of publicity agents have never worked a single day in a newsroom.

The analogy I provide is taking your car to be repaired by a mechanic who’s never driven a car. It just doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone try to solicit favorable coverage in the news media by paying an advisor who’s never done the work?

Not only do we have the DNA of journalists, but each member of my team has a pretty hefty Rolodex (or Outlook Directory) filled with our former colleagues in newsrooms all across the state – and the country.

Lorri: You say that “public relations” has a negative connotation in newsrooms.

Jeff: Name one PR agent whose help or involvement you enjoy. I would challenge any working journalist to name three. It’s almost impossible.

Again – as you know – the typical relationship between the reporter and the publicist is one of grudging tolerance. As a journalist, you typically feel that you HAVE to put up with the meddling, opinionated interference of the PR rep because it’s the ONLY way to get the story.
If there were any other means, you’d do it. Right?

Moreover, during my entire 18-year career in TV news, I can’t think of a single PR agency I would turn to – in good faith – as a resource in a pinch. And yet that’s exactly what’s happening to me and to my friend and colleague, Jeff Crilley. He has a very similar publicity agency here in Dallas. And our story ideas and clients have now become almost invaluable to friends and former co-workers who may need help on short notice. They will call to ask about a reliable source who can speak on the "topic of the day." And we usually come through!

Lorri: What is the future of television news?

Yikes. This is the tough one. Short answer: most major network TV news operations will survive in their current form.

Most local TV new operations will NOT. The business model is disappearing like ice on a summer sidewalk. A recent report projected that 2009 local TV ad revenue will drop up to 30% this year alone.

Of course, there are a lot of reasons – including the recession and the staggering auto industry.
But advertisers are simply following the audiences – and migrating to other platforms. If ad revenue drops, that means the station’s entire budget drops: payroll, equipment, travel, overtime, etc.

So imagine the task of a local TV General Manager: reduce the budget by 30% but produce the same amount (or more) original content – and make it better than ever – to attract an audience that is more media-savvy than ever!! It is not sustainable.

Lorri: News is covered differently than it was when you started reporting. What happened?

Jeff: Newspapers are going bankrupt because they are using an archaic technology (ink on paper delivered by hand) and because they are giving away their best content. (Why should top-notch journalism be free online when the phone companies have trained us to pay 25 cents for a TM??)

Most big newspaper ownership groups are in a financial tailspin and doing anything to survive. Most will not. The reporting suffers when the business is going through such convulsions that it can no longer pay for the best talent. (I wrote a blog entry about “The Newspaper Fix” – you should check it out at http://www.bradymediagroup.com/!!)

As far as TV, when Walter Cronkite (rest his soul) commandeered CBS, the fundamental goal was to do the job of reporting what every American needed to know. Then TV became highly profitable. Then the journalists in charge of the networks and local stations sold out to non-journalists (in the 70s and 80s), and then it became all about the profit margin. Then the newsrooms became more focused on “what will people watch” instead of “what do people need to know.” That’s why we have so many blaring cop-chases and health scares on local TV news.

In addition, there are too many people "under the tent" calling themselves journalists. Not everyone with access to a TV camera and a microphone is qualified to deliver the news. I fully support the notion of “accredited” news agencies. But I digress…

Lorri: Do you think every newsmaker needs a publicist or a company like yours, or can people do this on their own?

Jeff: Most people can absolutely do it on their own. No question. It’s not nuclear physics. PR is a sales job. It involves making a sales call with YOUR story or YOUR company or YOUR brand in mind. Sell, sell, sell. Know the audience (the journalist to whom you are speaking). Make it sexy. Leave 'em wanting more.

At the same time… with my U.S. Marine Corps training, I can wash, starch and iron my own shirts. But I don’t. Instead, I outsource that work to experts who are much more efficient and effective. The same can be said for media exposure.

Lorri: What else would you like to add?

Honestly, I believe we are on the verge of an era in which most people don’t need to worry about soliciting the attention of mainstream media. Instead, most people need to spend more time developing their OWN media… with the help of an expert consultant, or course!

Have you read The New Rules of Marking & PR by David Meerman Scott? If not, check it out. With increasing high-speed Internet access, more companies, entrepreneurs and non-profits are learning that a steady stream of unique and compelling content on their own website is the best PR in this day and age. So I tell most clients that they need to start a blog and then create a channel on YouTube. And develop a better brand using these new platforms to reach a vibrant new audience. Most of whom are not watching TV or reading newspapers, anyway.

Lorri: Thanks for your time and insight, Jeff. And all the best wishes to you in this new endeavor!

Interview with Dave Lieber, Newspaper Columnist

My friend Dave Lieber is The Watchdog columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He's also a dapper dresser. In this photo, his tie is a replica of the state flag of Texas. Dave has been a newspaperman for 30 years. He is founder of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation, which awards scholarships to top college columnists each year. He was named the best columnist in the U.S. Southwest by the Press Club of Dallas and won the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award as the columnist who made the most positive contributions to his community for his founding of the Summer Santa charity.

Dave took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions that might help people get more newspaper coverage.

LA: Dave, if people think they have a newsworthy event or idea, how should they contact a newspaper?

DL: The best way now is through a personalized e-mail written to the correct person at the media outlet. Who is the correct person? Well, you have to do a little research. If your story pitch is about transportation, find out who the transportation reporter is and go to one of his or her stories on the Internet and look for his e-mail address. If you can't find it, one good way to search for e-mail addresses is to go to google and type in the name and then an ampersand and then the domain name of the newspaper. For example, in my case, "lieber @ star-telegram.com" would bring up my e-mail. You can also do a phone pitch, but most likely a reporter or editor won't return your call. But an e-mail is very easy to forward to an editor, print out, whatever. I get about 100 pitches a week, and the e-mails are the ones I pay most attention to.

LA: Reporters have a reputation for being snakes, vultures, jackals, etc. But you actually courted your wife by way of your newspaper column. Do all reporters have a soft spot?

DL: I'd say 99 percent of people in the media can be reached through their heart and emotion with the right pitch. I like to say, "No joy for the writer, no joy for the reader. No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader." This means the emotions that I feel on any given story much be transferred to the readers in the storytelling work that I do taking the idea from pitch to finished product.

LA: You improve our area with your work. Tell us about “Watchdog” and “Summer Santa.”

DL: The Watchdog column is unique in American journalism. It's a column that comes out two or three times a week in which readers help us expose wrongdoing - and sometime "rightdoing" - in government and business. It's an investigative column. Very rare. Only a few other papers offer such a service to their readers because it is complicated and fraught with perils. But I do believe that some day all papers will offer it - if they want to survive - because it is incredibly popular with readers. And for the past decades, newspapers have given up this important public service to TV news. Newspapers have favored personal opinion columnists, of which I was one for more than a decade. But these are a dime a dozen, whereas investigative columnists are a necessity because the public really does feel like NO ONE looks out for them. You can see recent samples on my personal Web site.

Summer Santa is a charity I co-founded a decade ago to help area children with summer camp scholarships, back-to-school clothing, school supplies, free medical checkups, summertime toys and after-school activities.

LA: It seems like traditional newspapers have all kinds of new competition. How do you think the Internet has changed reporting?

DL: Not as much as most people would have you believe. Now you don't have to wait until the next morning's paper to get the news. You can get it almost immediately. If you ever go to news.google.com and type in something in the search box, it shows stories on the subject that you are interested in along with a note that says something like "Post 27 minutes ago." But the basics of news reporting are still the same, and news reporters who are talented and work hard and know their craft and their beats are still in high demand. Bloggers have opinions, but they mostly derive their facts from newspaper or magazine stories. Without journalists, there would be a lot less to have an opinion about. And when was the last time a blogger did an interview or searched government records or attended a public meeting? I'd say that one percent of all bloggers are actually involved in the craft of real journalism.

LA: Some people tell me they just cannot get news coverage despite a decent hook. What advice would you have for them?

DL: The key to your question is "a decent hook." Decent is not good enough. It has to be spectacular. I teach seminars on how to get your stories into media outlets. In summary, you have to present the media outlet with a dramatic story that has a beginning, middle and an end, with a hero and a villain, a plot, dramatic conflict and a climax. Any PR pitch can be turned into that format if the "pitcher" is willing to do a little work to construct it like that. The old-fashioned press release? Just really doesn't work any more.

LA: What are the biggest mistakes you see by wanna-be newsmakers?

DL: They send out a mass-mailing press release to anyone and everybody, especially people who could never use it. In this day and age, there is no excuse for why you shouldn't target your audience. With a little research on the Internet you can actually find out who at any media outlet is actually the person most likely to look at your idea. I get 50 press releases a week, and I DON'T READ A SINGLE ONE OF THEM.

LA: You are your own best publicist for your speaking services and your book, The Dog of My Nightmares: Stories by Texas Columnist Dave Lieber, by getting articles in magazines, e-newsletters and blogs. What is your strategy?

DL: Your question is based on the idea that my getting articles in magazines, e-newsletters and blogs actually sells books. The truth for me is that they don't sell a single book. I've probably sold 20,000 copies of the three books I've produced and none of them are sold through the methods you describe. I sell them through personal appearances, speeches and basically, for lack of a better term, sheer force of personality. It's very easy to do these days. And 95 percent of the people who buy my books have never even seen my column. They have seen me in person. I do believe that any writer or other person who has a strong message to share should seriously consider self-publishing their own book. And I'm not talking about going through one of those vanity-like presses like AuthorHouse, etc. I'm talking about doing it yourself. In fact, I've helped many people learn how to do this and be successful. I started getting so many requests to teach how to do this that I created my Guide to Self-Publishing which consists of an A-Z manual on how to do everything from concept to bidding for a printing to producing the book, and then, most importantly, how to sell it. It comes with a 3-hour accompanying CD audio guide. It's available on my Web site, http://www.yankeecowboy.com/ in the "Yankee Cowboy Store."

LA: You had a great article recently on story-telling. This is a big passion of mine. Would you share some of your tips?

DL: Thanks. Again, this is something else that I teach at seminars. And I included a very long chapter on how to do this in my newest writing manual called "The High-Impact Writer: Ideas, Tips & Strategies to Turn Your Writing World Upside Down." It's 35,000 words showing everything that I know about non-fiction writing from both a storytelling and writing viewpoint. Also available in the Yankee Cowboy Store on http://www.yankeecowboy.com/.

As for some tips, here are a few:

1. Make sure you have, as I said above, a true story with a beginning, middle and end, a plot, a dramatic conflict between a hero and a villain and a climax. The story should leave you with something meaningful, more than entertainment and drama. It should impart some universal truth about the human condition.

2. If you have serious information you want to impart, make sure you hide it within the body of the actual story. Like taking your medicine surrounded by a whole lot of sugar to help it go down.

3. Humans really only process information in a way that they both remember and care if it comes to them in a story. A fact-laden Power Point presentation is truly the kiss of death, unless that presentation shares the information as a story. That can easily be done as a Power Point but very few PPT presenters understand how to do that.

LA: Why did you start speaking?

DL: I've been speaking since 1980. I was working for a small paper in Florida that paid me $200 a week, and I could barely live on that. So the paper paid me $5 a speech every time I went and appeared before a Rotary Club or other audience. I began giving two or three a week because that extra $15 really went a long way for me back then. I got so good at it so quickly that the publisher of the paper actually started giving me some of his speeches. And when I left the paper and had speeches scheduled, he took mine and filled in for me. He went on to become publisher of USA Today. That was almost 30 years ago, and now I give about 100 or more speeches a year across the nation. It's so much fun because unlike my writing, I can see the immediate reaction from audiences!

LA: Dave, here is a virtual standing ovation for all of your terrific advice. Thanks so much!