How to Get on the News

You will never be the first person to call a reporter or producer with a story idea. Every day, viewers and readers bombard the media with poorly written emails and long drawn-out voicemails requesting coverage for events that are usually not news worthy. Sadly, this dilutes the credibility for everyone else trying to pitch a legitimate news idea.

People frequently complain the media is unresponsive to their calls and emails, but there’s a reason for this discourse. It’s not that reporters and producers don’t want to listen to the public; it’s impossible to field calls from every person, especially when one rambling caller can quickly eat up 20-minutes of time. Making matters worse, it’s easier for a reporter to hit delete on your email or voicemail than to review your entire message. Unfortunately, you can never shape or influence the media’s coverage without getting over this initial hurdle of making contact.

Every journalist is constantly measuring the value of a story during that first interaction with you or your business. Most experienced journalists believe they can tell within seconds of listening to a pitch whether it is a story or not, and they are usually right. Their attention span is limited over the phone, which is why you must be concise, comprehensive and coherent with every pitch. The quickest way to lose credibility with a reporter or producer is to ramble on for several minutes before explaining what your story is about.

There are no written rules for that first encounter with a reporter or producer, but just like life, there are unwritten rules to making sense of random chaos. There are ways to navigate this media maze so your emails and phone calls don’t get lost in the shuffle. There are also better hours and days to pitch reporters when their time is less pressing and their attention is more focused. But before you even make that initial contact, you must first learn how to effectively identify, pitch and communicate a news worthy idea. Here are my Ten Commandments for First Encounters, which will help you with every media transaction. You should treat these laws as sacred acts, and abide by them with all first encounters with the media.


Commandment One- Know Why Your Story is Newsworthy

Everyone knows the best salesman is a person who believes soundly in his product and this is why you must be absolutely convinced that your story is newsworthy. If you can’t sell that story idea to yourself, no reporter or producer is going to buy it. Likewise, if you don’t understand why your story is newsworthy it is going to be difficult to persuade a reporter that your story merits coverage.

In Journalism 101, students are taught the five W’s that help them identify the value of a story. They are the: Who, What, Where, When and Why, along with the How. You can use these rudimentary bullet points to help you identify why your story is newsworthy and what is important to stress in your pitch. Let’s do a quick lesson in the five W’s so you will understand how to apply them to your pitch.


WHO: Who is this story about? Who is the character in the center of the story? If you are pitching an organization, business or nonprofit you must identify a person to revolve the story around because the best stories involve people. You will improve your chances of coverage by identifying a sympathetic character that viewers and readers can relate to. I mentioned earlier in this book an example of a grandmother who walks to a volunteer center to help new widows find love. It’s highly unlikely any established news outlet would want to do a story on a volunteer center because the story lacks focus. However once you identify a sympathetic grandmother who is trying to help widows find new love the story suddenly takes on an emotional appeal. Pitch the story in February around Valentine’s Day or Grandparents’ Day and you suddenly have a timely hook. Locate your pivotal character before you start pitching so you can tell the media you have a person lined up and ready to talk.


WHAT: What is this story about? Here is where you need to bring focus to the idea. Many people pitch stories on their businesses, but when you ask them what the story is they say, “a story on my business.” That’s equivalent to going to a movie studio and saying I want you to do a story on my life. Well, what is unique about it? What is different? What is the conflict? What is the story you want to tell? You don’t need the focus of a professional journalist but you should definitely have a keen understanding of what the story will center around. For example, if you are pitching a clothing store, you need to identify what the story is behind the clothes. Perhaps, there is a young designer who is launching a clothing line with your business or maybe the new spring collection will have colors that are not traditional by nature. By identifying the “What” you will have an edge in pitching the story because your idea will be more focused.


WHERE: This should be one of the easier W’s to identify. Where is this story taking place? Does the location have any value or importance in the community? A diner in Iowa has little national news value, unless it is a Presidential election year when all of the candidates are pressing the flesh with patrons over ham and eggs. That pushes the diner to newsworthy importance, but if you include a character – perhaps a single, young, working waitress who has no health insurance— suddenly the story starts taking shape. Maybe your business doesn’t have any historical value, but it is an element you must examine before pitching the media. Take a moment to examine your entire surroundings before pitching the story because you might uncover something that increases the value of the story idea.


WHEN: Does your story have any timely components? Will your story take place on a single night or day? Is your story relevant at a certain time of the month? All of these questions could make your story timely, which will increase the value of your story.

Many museums offer wine and cheese at their summer evening events. That in itself is not usual, however if one night is devoted to raising money for charity or an evening is targeted towards singles, the event suddenly takes on a unique angle. If you are trying to get publicity for an organization like a museum, you might want to consider turning one night into a special event. The television stations might not be interested in the story, but the Arts & Leisure section of the local newspaper will be more receptive. In many situations, the “When” factor increases the value of a news story because the story suddenly appears rare, timely and new.

When I worked for NBC in Miami, singer Ricky Martin appeared at a music store, signing autographs for his new album. The music store didn’t have a chance of getting coverage on any other day, but with a popular celebrity appearing for one afternoon inside his store, the manager was able to convince local television stations and newspapers to do a story on the popularity of this singing sensation. Force yourself to think differently. Try to find a new way to make your story appear rare by adding a timely element.


WHY: Why should anyone care about your story? Why is this story happening? Why are people coming to your event or why are people buying your product or service? The “Why” question is the last W to ask yourself because it could be the deciding factor that determines whether your story is pursued or killed. It is probably the most important factor when deciding news. No producer or reporter will dare pitch a story that no one cares about, which is why you must identify in advance why people will care about your story idea and why they will have an emotional attachment. Once you identify why your story is important to the public, you have focused your pitch down to the core and uncovered why your story is news worthy.


HOW: Not every story has a “how” factor, but it is still important to ask yourself this question. How is your story, business, service or product changing lives? How are you helping people? How will your business or product save people money or better their lives? If you can’t answer this question off the top of your head, ask yourself “how” then look around your business and start focusing on the main components that sets your business a part from the competition.


By learning the five W’s and the one H you are essentially focusing the story down to its root. The more you narrow down the story, the easier it will be for you to identify the right targeted news outlet for your story. Perhaps you are pitching the wrong medium or reporter. If you pitch the story to the wrong news outlet, producer or reporter you are setting yourself up for failure when it comes to managing the message. You want to eliminate as many obstacles as possible that will get in the way of killing your story. By asking these questions in advance you will not only learn more about your story, but you might also uncover a better story that will help reinforce the message you want to project.


To learn more about getting yourself in the news, go to www.BeatthePressBook.com