Do you represent a service that you think deserves to be featured in Time magazine? Have you ever wondered how you could get Oprah to talk about your product? “Getting national media exposure requires a lot of preparation,” says Heather Champine, Vice President of Media Production for Media Relations Agency, who has successfully led a team of people in getting clients coverage on Good Morning America, the Today Show, and in People, Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the New York Times as well as other major media outlets.
Champine explains that to get the attention of national media, your product or service must first meet three basic criteria:
1. It must be unique. “You’ve got to have an interesting story to tell.”
2. It must be available to the masses. “It’s nearly impossible to interest the national media in something that’s only available in one market.”
3. It must be consumer friendly. “It should be something that appeals to average Americans as they go about their everyday lives.”
Media Relations Agency helped pioneer the concept of paying for public relations services by the interview instead of by the hour. “We only get paid for the media coverage our clients receive,” says Champine, “so we have to be consistently good at what we do.”
Champine counsels clients to pursue the type of media to which their business is best suited. “TV producers, as well as magazine and newspaper editors, rely more heavily on visual stories,” she says. “It’s much more interesting and entertaining for audiences to watch a host interact with a product than it is for them to watch him talk about it while facing the camera.” She adds that radio is a good medium for services that don’t have that level of eye appeal.
Having secured interviews in TV, radio and print for more than 100 clients, Champine has solid advice for anyone seeking national media attention for their business.
1. Develop an ongoing relationship with your contacts. “Get to know people at the editor and producer level. Work on building trust and credibility.”
2. Be courteous. “Always ask about the best time to follow up. If they like working with you once, chances are good they’ll consider working with you again.”
3. Take the time to build momentum. “Most of our national media placements result from our persistent efforts on behalf of long-term clients. It’s important to simultaneously focus on getting regional publicity across the country while also working your longer national leads. That gives you the ammunition of recognition when approaching the national media. If a lot of things are happening in local markets from California to Florida, for example, that increases your chances of getting the national media’s attention.”
4. Don’t waste their time pitching something about which they will never be interested. “Know their show or their publication inside out! Understand their audience demographics. I would never send Live with Regis and Kelly information on a client’s latest scientific research. But I might pitch them on a product promoted by a celebrity trainer.”
5. Make it easy for the media to do the piece. “Act as if you were the producer or writer. Do their work for them by gathering all of the information they’ll need. Outline the entire article or segment. Make it so well polished that all they need to do is tweak it and their job is done.”
6. Be prepared. “You generally have one critical moment of contact. Know the media tools you have available such as samples, photos, supporting studies, etc. What can you mail? What can you e-mail?”
7. Stay on topic. “Before you submit a query, use a search engine to learn what topics they’ve covered recently. Don’t expect them to re-hash the same story but with your product. If they’ve just done something similar, look for ways to discuss your service as the perfect follow-up.”
8. Don’t over promise. “Never build someone up as a great guest if they can’t live up to those expectations. Likewise, be honest about your product’s virtues. Work with the producers and editors to showcase your company using the best possible angles.”
