The seemingly Zen answer is to pitch them by not pitching them at all--participation is key.
Huh?
Inevitably, and understandably, someone starts to whine when you start talking about social media and using it to do your job better. "I have too much to do as it is and this is just one more thing I can't get to."
We're not suggesting you get a monitor tan and spend 24/7 online kissing editor arse. We are saying that media outlets and reporters are providing opportunities to interact with them on all of these social media sites. Are you connecting with them? If you are, "the waste of time you call web 2.0" starts to look like this.
All of the little interactions between you and media are building up context. So when you do have news for them you are already considered a source by the reporter. You have a clear channel to discuss the story with them.
But there are folks out there that see social media sites as a waste of time and would prefer their staff smile and dial. Good luck with that.
They are motivated by the lazy reporters who go to YOUTUBE and take who ever is getting the most hits and then bringing them to national television. They figure if they just talk a lot in social media, some reporter will make them famous or they will find a reporter on twitter they can pitch.
ReplyDeleteI have been pitched on twitter however it is usually a poor match for my shows content.
What they don't get is that it only works when people has slow news day. If you want to really get in there, you need a PR professional who can get you bookings. The people they bring up from YOUTUBE are flukes who really do not have a product or book to pitch and not able to take advantage of the media coming their way OR they are being featured on a show that belongs to the same production company and this IS part of their overall Publicity plan.
Dr. Letitia Wright
The Wright Place TV Show
http://wrightplacetv.com
www.twitter.com/drwright1
Richard,
ReplyDeleteI think its a bad idea for a PR firm or marketer to enter social media explicitly to get something. It's really easy to post a comment on blogs or to set up a Twitter account. The low barrier of entry means is misleading; in order to use these social media tools effectively you need people to trust you. This trust comes with months of participation, a timeframe that is not exciting for a marketer who wants to pitch something.
Social media places a newfound emphasis on an individual. If people recognize your content as relevant and compelling, you have more sway than marketers and advertisers from big firms with money to burn.