by George McKenzie
During a recent interview for his 'Internet Marketing Peter noted that to get a journalist to do a story On the surface, it would seem then that's today's But in fact, the opposite is true. It takes more hard Think about it this way. When I got my first TV job in 1974, the city where I So those stations got to divide up ALL the TV Look at what you have now. Hundreds of stations and Plus, advertisers just aren't spending right now. As a result, some news operations are shutting down The laws of economics apply. Reporters, producers, and While that's bad news for them, it's good news for you.
Lounge' radio show at
http://www.internetmarketinglounge.com), Peter Twist
asked me if I thought today's journalists had
gotten lazy.
about you, a product, or an idea, you almost have to do
all the work for them: give them a good headline,
figure out an intriguing angle, etc.
reporters, producers, and editors HAVE gotten lazy.
work than ever to stay in the journalism business these
days, and only the most dedicated, energetic people
survive.
worked (Altoona, PA) had only ONE station. Even big
cities, like nearby Pittsburgh, only had three
commercial outlets.
advertising dollars. The pie was cut into no more than
three pieces.
cable channels competing for less and less money. The
pie is no longer cut into pieces. It's down to
slivers.
Revenues are down.
altogether. Others are merging and streamlining
(streamlining is a euphemism for 'cutting jobs').
editors who are still in the business have to do more
work for less money.
It opens up some terrific opportunities to get exposure
and free publicity.
Here's how: If you're sending a press release, make sure 1. it has a great headline that offers a benefit to 2. its 'news value' is apparent at a glance. A There's never a guarantee that you'll be able to get Remember this advice from Joan Stewart, a former That's always been true. But in this day and age of shrinking budgets and About the Author
George McKenzie is a best selling author, speaker, George has been a radio and TV reporter for more than He opened the "Publicity Goldmine" to provide expertise
viewers, readers or listeners. It has to be about
something they need to know, or would like to know.
Focus on THEM, not you.
reporter, producer or editor wants to be able to figure
out in seconds what the release is about, and why it
would be of interest to their audience.
the free publicity you want from the media. By if you
do the things I've mentioned above, you'll certainly
increase your chances.
newspaper editor. Joan says the five most important
words you can say to any reporter are 'How can I help
you?'
expanding job descriptions, it's truer than ever.
and former news anchor.
30 years. His work has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN
and ESPN. He's a three-time-winner of the "Best
Sportscast In Texas" Award from the Texas Association
of
to groups and individuals who need publicity but can't
afford an advertising agency.