Pitching the Big Wigs: What to say in your 7 seconds
By: Talia Andrews, Sr. Account Manager, Fusion PR
Ah…building relationships with the big guys… a task that every PR professional has been intimidated by at some point in their career. Will you get hung up on? Yes. Will you get insulted? That depends…but most likely. Will you get through to someone, tell your story and get a fabulous hit? You sure will…and let me say, it is one of the best feelings in the world!
- Reference a recent article: “I just read your latest piece on social networking and thought XXX could offer a unique spin as they are the ONLY Company doing XXX in the space…”
- Pose a unique question: “What happens to the 50 million photos uploaded to social networking sites every day?”
- Remain confident. At the end of the day, your confidence in yourself and your story is extremely contagious. Why should the reporter believe you if you don’t believe in yourself? When speaking to these reporters, speak clearly and slowly (not too slow though), keeping in mind you might never get a whole minute to tell your story.
While it may take a little time, research and targeted pitches do pay off. Reporters will start to remember you and use you as a resource for story creation and support.
walshy8508
September 30, 2008 at 8:44 pmThe “Big Wigs” will have nothing on you if you follow these guidelines. Ms. Andrews gave informative, yet honest information, which as most of us can agree upon, we need to soak up wherever possible with the known stereotypes in our industry.
Expect the unexpected, plan ahead, sum up worst case scenarios. As PR professionals, this is our job so it only makes sense to RESEARCH and be ready to be “thrown in the ring.”
Ms. Andrews shares an excellent point that reporters will remember you. Networking can be endless and what a small industry public relations really is.