Gini Dietrich, founder and CEO of integrated marketing communications firm, Arment Dietrich and author of Spin Sucks, shared her step-by-step, week-to-week, quarter-to-quarter formula with Inc. Magazine for creating your own media relations magic, and it goes a little something like this:
- Choose one newspaper, magazine or blog.
- Comment on one article or blog post once a week (make it professional and intelligent, even if you disagree),
- Include hyperlinks to resources/stats/facts in your comment, including to your own content if possible.
- Keep going, don’t stop. Try to target articles from the same journalist or blogger as last time.
- After a month or so, watch the relationship unfold and send your best pitch or story idea.
- Choose another publication every quarter
- Include big publications and if you are already going after the big guys, don’t be afraid to try the small guys too.
Gini adds:
If you are consistent and post intelligent comments once a week, you’ll soon have developed relationships with journalists who call on you when they need someone to interview.
Yes, it takes some time. Yes, it’s hard work. Yes, it requires that you keep up with your reading.
But it works.Devoting a bit of time toward nurturing human relationships is 100 times better than sending your company news release to 1,000 journalist.
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