I’ve been a publicist for many years, but I admit that I still get excited when I’m working with producers at national TV shows. Last week, I was talking with producers at three national morning shows about three different clients. After those really good phone calls I told co-workers, “It’s close to Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air and I love my job!”
Building relationships with the national media isn’t easy. And it’s gotten even more complex over the years. When I first started booking clients on national morning shows, for example, most of my work was done on the phone. Now social media plays a big role. Times are changing!
How can you build good relationships with national media? Here are a few of my pointers:
- Know what the reporters are broadcasting. What stories do they gravitate towards?
- Follow the shows and the individual reporters on social media. Read their tweets. Be ready to show that you understand what the show needs in terms of guests and topics. Just remember that you also have to pick up the phone and talk with these people directly.
- Give producers good ideas. Your pitches should not be one-size-fits-all. For example, one show may jump at doing a segment on flu. Another may resist until you offer an expert who can speak specifically to H1N1.
- Be sure that you are addressing the show’s demographics. Ask the producers what they look for in a pitch.
- Build long-term, trusting relationships. I’ve been pitching one producer for 17 years. She trusts me to deliver what she needs for a segment. I’ve used my connection with her to open doors with other producers on that network. Good things have happened after she endorsed me to a colleague.
While you’re building these relationships, you’ve also got to be getting media placements for your clients in cities across the country. The national media will be much more interested in clients who are generating a buzz in many markets. Plus, by doing this, you will be reaching a lot of consumers with your client’s messaging.
If you are looking for a PR agency that knows how to build the right relationships with the right media, call me at 612-802-8552.
