Do you hate cold calling editors and face running through a list of media prospects with dread?
Try Hot Calling instead.
The way to turn cold calling into hot calling is to build up to your media calls with a plenty of preparation and an attitude adjustment.
First. ban the notion of "media contacts" from your psyche; as in a client asking, "Do you have contacts in the injection molding press?" Contacts are not something you "have" and the word "contact" implies that these are people you can use. Think "relationships" which you build by having something to offer and gaining trust – a two way street. Jack Welch didn't have "contacts" in the toaster press, until he became CEO of GE, and then had something to offer the editors of TOASTER MONTHLY.
Before calling, learn about each editor by searching Google, LinkedIn and online media databases so you know what his or her interests are, what stories the editor recently covered. Know where there are gaps or holes that your client can fill. Now you know the hot buttons before picking up the phone.
Likewise, set realistic goals before you dial -- Twenty well-prepared pitches, beats 100 mindless "cold calls" every time.
Tap into what is happening in society and business and have a solid grasp of how current events relate to both your client and the publication you are pitching. The stronger the tie to timely news the better the chance of getting the editor to cover your story now rather than put it off.
Don't pitch companies, people, products or services. Pitch issues and ideas, the rest will follow.
Before calling, learn about each editor by searching Google, LinkedIn and online media databases so you know what his or her interests are, what stories the editor recently covered. Know where there are gaps or holes that your client can fill. Now you know the hot buttons before picking up the phone.
Likewise, set realistic goals before you dial -- Twenty well-prepared pitches, beats 100 mindless "cold calls" every time.
Tap into what is happening in society and business and have a solid grasp of how current events relate to both your client and the publication you are pitching. The stronger the tie to timely news the better the chance of getting the editor to cover your story now rather than put it off.
Don't pitch companies, people, products or services. Pitch issues and ideas, the rest will follow.
We use political issues and news events to promote our international clients' products in the US. These include climate change, anti-trade protectionist legislation, financial reform, the G20 summit, Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act, the BP spill in the Gulf, the mystery of Japanese longevity, President Obama's visit to Indonesia. Each of these events or issues helped us open a dialogue with an editor that resulted in coverage.
Make the editor's job easy. Thoroughly research outside events so the editor has the information needed to pitch the idea internally and pursue the story.
Work with your client to develop great quotes that the editor cannot get from anyone else.
Have a written piece in prepared advance -- a talking paper -- that you can immediately email to the editor if he or she is interested and asks for "something in writing." Nothing is worse than having the editor ask for written material and then having to draft it from scratch.
Offer what you know about the subject as the PR representative of your client and defer to the greater wisdom of your client who is the expert. There is nothing wrong with saying, "I've been researching this topic for the last three months, but my client has been living the technology every day for 10 years. She can give you the latest developments plus the big picture for context. Why don't I set up an eight minute call for you with her?"
Build relationships with the editors and reporters and maintain them. There may even be times when the media will publish a negative story about your company or client. No matter, the editors are still your professional friends. Lawyers fight relentlessly for their clients, but remain friends with other lawyers including opposing counsel. Same goes for maintaining relationships between you as a PR professional and the editors – including even those editors whom you feel have burned you or your client. Maintaining the relationship will win respect and give you a second chance to set the record straight for your client.
In addition to phoning, ask for a face-to-face meeting from time-to-time. It does not have to be lunch or after work drinks. A 15-minute visit at the editor's media outlet is all you need. Have an agenda backed by solid information and sources the editor can use to make your meeting productive. If your client will attend, so much the better.
Above all LISTEN and respond to the editors' needs.
That's HOT CALLING and it works!
That's HOT CALLING and it works!
