Standing out among the crowd when pitching to media outlets is how to get your email noticed but targeting the correct outlets is also crucial. A single story in a top media outlet can really help get the word out on what is being pitched.
Targeting a specific newspaper, magazine, online publication, radio, podcast or tv news program has a lot to do with getting feedback and interest in producing a story. Defining what audience to reach is important because you cannot be everything to everyone so having a target audience guides you to where that audience is likely to be found.
When pitching for a new client we create a customized list of media outlets that are most suitable for them. When we are promoting an author, comedian, actor, musician, influencer or expert we market to that specific client and their brand. The same goes for promoting a special event. We produce a strategic list geared towards the correct market for each client.
For instance, with authors we would reach out to the most suitable outlets for the client depending on the genre of the book: fiction, non-fiction, self-help, etc. Besides reaching out to book editors and writers for publications, we also pitch to bookstagrammers who have Instagram accounts dedicated to writing about books. They are a great source for an author who wants more exposure with social media. They only discuss books and offer reviews. Also, outlets are chosen depending on the demographic. If our client has a romantic fiction novel, the target audience would be geared towards the teen and young adult crowd. Some examples would be Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, and Sweety High.
TV talk shows and news morning programs are also a wonderful way to get the word out for our clients. Comedians and actors do very well with morning shows on local tv stations where they are touring in that part of the city. Local news programs love having them as guests to discuss an upcoming show in their city as part of their tour and we also see an uptick in ticket sales. We recently had arranged for an interview with our client, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes with Talk of the Town, a morning program on the NBC affiliate in Nashville. She discussed her comedy tour and show coming up at the historic Ryman Auditorium in October. She also promoted her new book: Who Do I Think I Am: Stories of Chola Wishes and Caviar Dreams. In addition, we give the tv station a link where they can display the information at the end of their news story so viewers can know where to purchase tickets to the show. Having her on the local tv station was great exposure for both her book and comedy tour.
Here is another example of getting the best outreach for a client with many talents: Darci Lynne is a singer, a ventriloquist and the youngest winner of America’s Got Talent in the history of the show. She recently made her film debut in A Cowgirl’s Song. We pitched to local tv stations in the Oklahoma City area where Darci is from and where the film was shot. Two stations had her on their morning news program: KFOR-TV/4 (NBC) and KWTV/9 (CBS). It was great exposure for her film, a new song she co-wrote and sang for the film, “Just Breathe” and a concert that she was part of the same night as the opening of the film. There was so much to promote and having it all covered in one interview was a great way to cover all bases. We also booked national broadcast such as the Tamron Hall Show.
Pitching for our clients is done from extensive research and years of public relations experience. We create a custom-made list and pitch to various media outlets for the best outreach possible for each of our clients.