Episode 37: Most Commonly Asked Questions about Pitching, Finding Journalists, and PR (part 2)
What does it really take to pitch yourself or your business before journalists?
If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur who’s either serious or still doubtful about PR, you’ll most likely have more questions than answers, at least for now.
One of the most pressing reservations you may have concerns how you exactly present your business or your ideas to journalists who can definitely help thrust your enterprise into its own success stories.
While this may be a daunting task at first, you always have to remember this—your business needs PR! Doing PR means you’ll have to connect with journalists.
After all, journalists know the real deal with the news or the latest trends. They know if your pitch is worthy of the public’s attention and their efforts, too.
Let not the images of busy journalists and unread email pitches discourage you from the fact that you can do so much more than just sending them DMS. Instead, let’s shift your mindset to the best and most feasible PR solutions
In the last episode, we emphasized doing PR as the most important exercise that any business founder should concentrate on. I know that was a lot of information, and there’s still so much more to cover.
But I wanted to take a second to zero in on some of the toughest questions when it comes to pitching yourself before journalists.
As always, I’ll be sharing with you more of the unconventional but proven and effective PR strategies to get you noticed by journalists and be featured where you need to be.
It’s high time that your pitch and your business get recognized by the world.
That next huge move may just need you to create genuine relationships with journalists. So, let’s waste no time!
“But what matters is that you are willing to put your story out there. Remember, everything you want is on the other side of the send button. So yes, you can do it! I am not special, but I was able to get featured because I was willing to pitch over and over again. I want you to lean into that energy, where you know that you are of service to your universe or community and you're providing a solution.”
-Gloria Chou
If you’ve been searching for ways and means to finally have your business be featured at the widest possible scale, look no further. Everything you need to know about PR and journalists is just about to become clearer. This episode is just right for you!
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
The truth about presenting yourself before journalists
How to genuinely connect with journalists
Finding refreshing angles for your pitches
The PR method to help your service stand out from the crowd
How to go about controversial and polarizing pitches
Becoming solution-oriented and value-driven in your pitches
If you want to land your first feature for free without any connections, I want to invite you to watch my PR Secrets Masterclass where I reveal the exact methods thousands of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought-after industry expert. Register now at www.gloriachou.com/masterclass.
Resources Mentioned:
Gloria Chou’s Masterclass: PR Masterclass
Gloria Chou PR Podcast: Episode # 1, How to Get into a Gift or Product Guide
Gloria Chou PR Podcast: Episode # 27, How a Broker with No Connections
Gloria Chou PR Podcast: Episode # 32, How to Cold Pitch to Media
Additional Resources:
Join the Small Biz PR Pros FB group
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Here’s a glance at this episode…
[4:23] Journalists are human beings, and nothing is more refreshing than speaking to them and treating them like one. So, if you follow a journalist and you've done the research, it means that you're coming from a place of respect.
[9:14] It's okay to keep bringing that to the top of their inbox if you have a new take, a new angle. It's really a journey. It's not like once you pitch, then the story is either gonna get featured or it's dead in the water.
[10:35] I always teach people that you don't need to give something for free in order to get featured. Your product and story stand on its own. I don't teach that you have to pay to play or give someone a bunch of free stuff.
[15:31] Remember, the journalist is not going to do that legwork. They don't have time. If you come to them with very simple data, you already are ahead, all the way through.
[18:51] Do not just pitch your event. Think about how you are becoming the solution for something. How are you being of service?
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Gloria Chou 0:00
When is the best time to follow up with a journalist? Or is it okay to send them samples, or when is the best way to connect with them on social media? Over the years of helping 1000s of small businesses and startups, I've compiled some of the most frequently asked questions to help you in your PR journey. So we're just gonna get right into it. And if you're multitasking, you might want to take notes on this one because we are going to cover all the things about pitching and growing your business organically via the media. Hey, friends, I'm Gloria Chao, small business PR expert, award winning pitch writer and your unofficial hype woman. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people get the recognition they deserve. And that starts with feeling more confident to go bigger with your message. So on this podcast, I will share with you the untraditional, yet proven strategies for PR marketing and creating more opportunity in your business. If you are ready to take control of your narrative and be your most unapologetic and confident self, you're in the right place. This is the Small Business PR podcast. Okay, let's move forward. Another question I get asked all the time is do journalists do background research and Google the people who pitch them? Well, if you think about that the journalist gets hundreds of emails a day, they probably don't Google every single person. But I will tell you this because a journalist gets so many emails and they're being pitched by PR people very pushy, aggressive people all the time. If they actually respond to your email, that's a really good sign, even if it's, I'm not interested in means that you're starting somewhere. Okay, so another question I get asked all the time is, should I do some name dropping in the pitch? Should I tell the journalist that I've won an award, or that I've been featured? And I always say it depends. But if you have been featured, and you've you won an award that's truly an industry leading award that everyone would know, I would probably mention that right? It means that you've been semi vetted, it's a marker of credibility. Another thing you might consider is a lot of these top tier outlets like Forbes, Inc, entrepreneur, they actually have their own awards, whether it's 40, under 40, or most innovative companies. So if you have actually won one of these, then if you pitch to that, at that outlet, 100%, I would say I was also a recipient of your award. Right? So again, it really depends. You don't want to name drop, and make it sound a little cheesy, like you're desperate for attention. But if it's truly an industry top honor, I probably wouldn't put it in there if it's relevant, because it just it tells them that you've already done the work. So that's kind of how I feel about it. Now, in terms of mentioning the other places you have been featured, it also depends if it's another top publication in the same industry, then yeah, I probably would put it in there. If it's something that is more local or not relevant. For example, if you were in scary mommy blog, or like, you know, parent magazine, and now you're pitching to a tech outlet, maybe I wouldn't put that in there. So again, it depends. I would basically think about what is most interesting to the journalists given their background of what they cover. And if it's relevant, then yeah, I would put it in there. If it really has no relevance, then I probably would leave it out. So that's, that's my answer on that.
Gloria Chou 3:14
Another question I get asked is, is it okay to give the journalists a compliment and be a little bit less formal in your communication? And I say, Yes, journalists are human beings, and nothing is more refreshing than speaking to them and treating them like one. So if you follow a journalist, and you've done the research, it means that you're coming from a place of respect. And I think a lot of journalists, they don't realize that people, in addition to pitching them actually do respect their writing skills and their journalism integrity. So absolutely. If you have been following that person who writes about your industry, in the New York Times, or Fast Company, or BuzzFeed and you just love their writing style, go hand in the email and say it, say I love your joke that you made, or I love how you open this article with that, or I love your coverage on the 30 eco friendly gifts for mom, last year, are you doing one this year. So it's kind of a way for you to have an icebreaker. And obviously, if you are in my starter pack, you can see that I have a searchable database of over 60,000 and counting members in the media, including bloggers, journalists, staff, writers, and podcasters. And you'll be able to see what they wrote about before as well as their bio so that you can break the ice and almost feel like you've met them, except you're cold pitching them, it just draws that connection a little bit closer, and makes takes the pressure off. That's why founders really find the PR server pack to be really valuable because it gives them information that is going to save them time by you know, because they don't have to Google it. So definitely treat them like a human. Give them a compliment. If it's coming from a place of intention. It's not going to come across as cheesy. Another question I get all the time is there are so many journalists Write for a public for one publication. Is it okay? If I pitch to more than one at a same outlet? And the answer here is, it depends on if they're a staff writer or a contributing writer. So a lot of publications, actually, most publications have contributors and freelancers who write for maybe five or 10 other outlets, and it's totally okay to pitch them and someone else if they both contribute to a variety of outlets, if you're pitching to, let's say, a staff journalist at the San Francisco times, or something like that, or New York Times or Wall Street Journal, and you're pitching to someone else in the exact same beat, then maybe I'd be a little bit more careful when I say, Hey, I sent this to your colleague, because chances are, they are going to be discussing stories. Now, I always err on the side of, I'd rather pitch more people than less people, because it's all about casting a wide net. So I err on the side of pitching to as many relevant people as possible, because that's really the energy you need to push your story forward. So even though it might feel uncomfortable, or you might run the risk of, you know, pitching the same story to two people at the same outlet, they're so used to it, they're so used to getting pitches from people all day every day, and it's not going to be a big faux pas. So I always say, lean in the energy, where you're following up and pitching more than you're comfortable with, because that's really what's required as a small business owner, to be able to overcome those challenges, and get your story to where it needs to be seen. Right. I want you to lean into that. Another question I ask all the time is okay, I sent an email I followed up, I, I messaged them on Instagram and LinkedIn, like you told me, Gloria, what next. And in terms of follow up cadence, I usually like to follow up once a week. The thing here is, make sure you have an email tracker. And if they're opening your email, it's a really good sign. So it means that they've read it. And maybe it's just not for right now. But they're interested. So that's a good sign. Now, if they haven't even read your email, and you're just pitching them over, and over and over, maybe it's time to move on to someone else, right. So the email tracking device will will give you that, that that data now if they are opening the email, and if that your tracking software says that they're opening it multiple times a week, it means that they're interested, they're trying to find a place for your story, they just haven't yet. In which case, keep the lead warm by liking their stories, following them on social media. And just that way so that you're top of mind, PR, Sarah pack member, Vincent Van Van who really use the starter pack and got so many press features, including of 40, under 40 says that he actually turns on the notifications for his favorite top tier journalist. And so every time they tweet something he goes in and likes and comments. And that way the journalists, when they do get a pitch, they'll be like, oh, yeah, I recognize this person. It's the same psychology, right? It's about relationship building, the same way you would nurture a lead. It's the same thing with a journalist. They're human beings, right, and repetition and care. It really goes a long way. All right. So another question I asked it, I get asked all the time is, okay, is it okay? If I change up the email every once? Or if I just like freshen up the subject line if the journalist hasn't responded? And I say yes, that is such a good question. And you absolutely should keep refreshing the angle, if it's relevant. What I mean is, you might be sending an angle on like fitness trends, right for, like, you know, whatever, moms who just gave birth for wintertime, or whatever, and you maybe you sent it, and you followed up on Instagram, and DMS and followed up on email, and there's no response, maybe something happens, maybe now we're transitioning to spring, in which case, I would actually change a subject line and say, you know, spring trends or like latest fine, so it's okay to keep bringing that to the top of their inbox. If you have a new take a new angle, it's really a journey. It's not like, once you pitch, then the story is either gonna get featured or it's dead in the water evolve. Like all things, right? We have four seasons, the skin, our skin cells are regenerating just be in flow of the new cycle, there's always a chance to elevate your story in different ways. And there's different seasonal angles and different things in the news. So yes, definitely, always think about how you can freshen up just a little bit, whether it's the intro or the subject line, and to bring it to the top of that person's inbox. Now, another question I get asked all the time is, okay, Gloria, I want to get into a gift guide or a product guide. I have so many amazing founders inside of the PR starter pack, who are landing these amazing gift guides and product guides every single day. And they asked, Can I send a sample? How do I send the sample? How do I go about it? And I always teach people that you don't need to give something for free in order to get featured. Your product and story stands on its own. So I don't teach that you have to pay to play or give someone a bunch of free stuff. No, however, If it is something that is low cost to you, let's say you make a body butter, or if you make a soap, and you can give them a small sample of it at a low cost, that's not super expensive to you sure, you might say, Hey, I'd love to be considered for last minute gift guide. This is why my formulation is so interesting, I want you to try it for yourself. So you can smell it, feel it. And in which case, you can definitely say in the email, I'm happy to send you a sample just let me know when and where. However, if you make $500 speakers, or if you make a guitar, then maybe you're not going to send them that right, in which case, it's totally okay to send them a link to a folder where you have high quality photos, high resolution videos to give the journalist and the experience of that, right. So for example, if you have a hotel, or you know, if you have something that you can't really package up, give them a video, right. So that's what I mean by giving them an experience through visual and audio means is, is really, really helps. So another question is all right, I want to submit my, my product, and it's a gift guide season, can I pass on a coupon code or a discount code to the journalist. And I talked about this with Margo Lessing, who was on episode one of my podcast again, she writes about gift guides and product guides for all just top publications. And she was on our VIP member call for starter pack members. And she said absolutely do not treat the journalist like they are your customer. What I mean is you don't want to send them the same marketing newsletter that you send all of your customers and you for sure don't want to send them a coupon code because they're not going to buy your product. Remember, the more salesy that you treat the journalist, the more they're going to be like, You know what, I'm a journalist, I'm not an ad agency, I'm not Facebook, so maybe you should buy an ad. And in order for us to bypass the ad, we cannot be trying to sell the journalist on our product, right? You can talk about why it's great, how its unique, how it's relevant to what people are talking about. But if you just go ahead and say, Here's a coupon code, you're basically insinuating that they are your customer, and that you're using them as a free advertising vehicle. I actually had Margo, who writes for Forbes, she does gift guides, send me a couple of pretty awful pitches that she got. And a lot of them was basically like an order form. Whereas like, here's a direct order form, or here is your coupon code to pass on to your readers. She's not going to do that. Right? How many times have you read a legitimate article, and they actually gave you like a coupon code. Now, that does happen when there is an affiliate payout. The media landscape is complex, there's a lot of pay to play things. But for what I teach here at Gloria Chow, PR, it's all about that organic earned media. And yes, you deserve to be seen, heard and valued, without having to pay to play. So that's kind of what I teach. And that's what I stand by. And so no, do not send the journalist your coupon code unless they ask for it. Another question I get asked, all the time is okay, well, I don't make products. I am a service based entrepreneur. So I am a consultant, I don't have a physical product. So how can I stand out? And the answer is, there are always ways to stand out you do not have to be a physical product owner, the CPR method, and the PR starter pack works for founders from every single industry, hundreds of them have been able to be successful. Now in terms of separating your pitch when you have service based business is you want to show why your story is different. And maybe use a little bit of data or survey or highlight the interesting trends or problems that you're solving. I'll give you an example. I recently interviewed Kiba Lloyd who is a member of the starter pack, and she was able to get her body butter into so many outlets. And what she wrote in the headline was Harlem real estate broker turned skincare founder, see how that's interesting. It talks about her story, how she went from this completely unrelated industry into a skincare founder. That's interesting. We also have a lot of founders who are whether their brother and sister are founders, or there's a founder who was six years old that founded a company with her mom, that would be really interesting as a story. I think another way to make your services standout is to use surveys or predictions. So I love predictions is kind of like a secret weapon of PR is no one can predict the future. And legally you're not responsible. So if you can just make a simple prediction and we as humans, we love predictions, we love to see what's happening. Um, chances are, it means that you have something to say and journalist wants to interview people with a point of view. Remember, it's all about positioning you as an expert and not as a seller. So if you have a prediction about something, if you say that this is going to happen, or I predict this is really going to change the future of work, that is true. To stand, right, that is a point of view. And if you watch my masterclass, you'll know what I mean by that. And Vincent Van Van, who also was able to learn so much media, using the CPR method, he did a very simple survey, he literally was on LinkedIn and said, Hey, guys, I'm doing this very simple survey, come on over to my free Google form and fill out this questionnaire. And he interviewed 2009 pandemic grads, and compare their attitudes about how optimistic they were about the job market with 2020 2020 Pen Democrats. So he compared to graduating classes, who were graduating and very challenging times, and having a very small data set. I'm not talking like hundreds or 1000s of people, I'm saying 20 to 30 people, right, he was able to use that data and talk to people at talk to your outlets who otherwise would never give them a time of day, right? He was able to have proprietary data that made him stand out against 99% of other people who are pitching because he said, Here's what I think here's data to back it up. And so that is why I am a credible person, I've actually done the legwork for you. Because remember, the journalist is not going to do that legwork. They don't have time. So if you come to them with very simple data, you're ready or ahead, all the way through. So think about that. And again, it's a very simple survey, you can even use like an Instagram poll, and pull people right. So it doesn't have to be this whole data science PhD effort. Another question I get asked all the time is okay, Gloria, my pitch is a rather controversial or sensitive topic. It's one that people have polarizing views about, how do I make sure that I go about it in the right way as to not upset the journalist? Well, first of all, I have to say, it's great that you have something that's controversial, I think we need more discourse and dialogue in this world. So I applaud you for taking a stand. The next thing I will say is you want to do your research more than ever, right? So maybe instead of just copying and pasting to all the journalists, let's say, if you are like a hardcore if you love, like leather goods, and if you're making like stuff from animal products, you probably don't want to pitch that to a writer who is vegan, and who is an environmentalist, right? Same thing when it comes to like cigarettes, or guns or religion, or anything like that, you want to make sure that you do a little bit of research to make sure that the journalist probably shares similar or adjacent views as you so that you are not upsetting them. So that's that's all I mean, it's literally a simple Google search. And you can avoid that entirely. So in that case, is just to do a little bit more research and you should be fine. Another question, I get asked all the time, as I have an event, I have a fundraiser, how do I get publicity for that? Well, I will say that if you are just wanting to get publicity for your event, that's actually the wrong question to ask because you're approaching it from a very, from the from the wrong way, right? What we don't want is to use the media as our vehicles of free advertising. So if you pitch something to the journalist and say, Hey, I'm having this event, can you cover it? They're gonna be like, No, that's marketing, right? But what you can do is say, Hey, I've recently helped this many people, our local community is struggling with this, this is what I'm doing. This is why it's important. Boom, all of a sudden, you're not advertising your event, you're becoming part of someone's solution. Do you see how that energy is different? Right. Another way to think about how you can get publicity for your event is, are you partnering up with any local organizations, there's a lot of room to pitch local media stories. And there's something about reading your event in your local hometown paper that gives you a sense of pride, Ellen Yian, and Vincent Van Van and all the people in the starter pack, they've been able to land media in their local outlets, because they were able to pitch something that was relevant and event in their city. So that's what I mean by local news always has a role to play. And there's no better way to pitch to local news than if you're doing an event in your vicinity. But remember, do not just pitch your event, think about how you are becoming the solution for something. How are you being of service, that my friend is going to be? The way you can bypass paying an ad? Wolf. All right. So we've gone through so many questions, I'm going to have to record so many more of these episodes, because on all of our calls with PR Sarah pack members, we get so many of the questions. And I know PR can be such a daunting thing, right? It's like this huge thing and my whole mission is to make it so that you understand it's not rocket science and you don't have to be a member of the cool kids club to get featured. I started with zero experience in agencies. I've never worked at an agency. I never studied journalism or PR. And here I am telling you about PR so yes, you can cold pitch. You can be bootstrapping. You can have an unfinished website. But what matters is that you are willing to put your story out there. Remember, everything you want is on the other side of the sun button. So yes, you can do it. I am not special, right. But I was able to get featured because I was willing to pitch over and over again. So as we finish this quarter this month this year, I want you to lean into that I want you to lean in to that energy where you know that you are of service to your university or community and you are providing a solution. So if you can turn your pitch into one that is solution oriented and value driven, and the CPR method definitely helps you, then you are already 90% of the way there, my friends. All right, I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you're here week after week. If you can do one thing it would be to share this podcast with someone who can benefit. Maybe someone who's thinking about turning their side hustle into a full time gig or someone who is a little bit shy but has an incredible story. And they deserve to be seen in media, send them this link to our show, have them rate and review it so that more founders just like you can benefit from the information. Thank you so much for being here, my friends, and let's get you featured.
Gloria Chou 21:13
Hey Small Business hero. Did you know that you can get featured for free on outlets like Forbes, The New York Times, Marie Claire Pop Sugar and so many more, even if you're not yet launched? Or if you don't have any connection? That's right. That's why I invite you to watch my PR Secrets masterclass, where I reveal the exact methods 1000s of bootstrapping small businesses use to hack their own PR and go from unknown to being a credible and sought after industry expert. Now if you want to land your first press feature, get on a podcast, secure a VIP speaking gig or just reach out to that very intimidating editor. This class will show you exactly how to do it. Register now at Gloria Chou pr.com/masterclass. That's Gloria Chou c-h-o-u pr.com/masterclass. So you can get featured in 30 days without spending a penny on ads or agencies. Best of all, this is completely free. So get in there and let's get you featured.