The Secret to Getting Reporters to Notice You—and Give You Free Publicity
A magazine reporter, Rasheeda, emailed me to request an interview.
No pitching.
No press releases.
No chasing.
Rasheeda—who writes about nonprofit associations—contacted me late Monday.
After exchanging four quick emails, we had the logistics down and the phone interview confirmed for Tuesday morning.
That’s it.
How did Rasheeda find me?
I had been showing up and offering free resources and value in a group we both belong to (not on Facebook)
Rasheeda was watching.
That was in early 2020.
She first contacted me in March, 2020 when the pandemic hit.
Rasheeda was interviewing a few PR people about the importance of nonprofits having crisis communication plans.
She had seen my posts and poked around my website.
The article ran, I thanked her and that was it.
Within just three months of Rasheeda’s first article...
A News Reporter Dishes on Why Your Pitches Are Being Ignored—and How to Fix Them
Hundreds of people over the years have asked me why reporters and podcasters are so dang hard to reach.
Why are they grumpy, uninterested and non-responsive?
Here’s the secret:
Ninety-five percent of the pitches and “great story ideas” that are sent are irrelevant. They aren't newsworthy. They aren't valuable and “worthy” of an audience’s attention and interest.
It's that simple.
I was a radio news reporter and on-air anchor. I received thousands of pitches during my 10-year career in newsrooms in New Jersey and New York.
I decided what was newsworthy. I was the gatekeeper.
My audience depended on my sound judgement to share important, compelling and interesting stories that affected them. The same is true today with reporters—and podcasters. They want subject matter experts—people like YOU!
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