Megjelölte egy moderátor
Berrak Sarikayamoderátor
MiscBiz - #Bizdom How can businesses build relationships with reporters?
We sat down with +Elizabeth Wiley from +KING 5 News and discussed the dos and don’ts of pitching your story to the news. Want to learn more about interacting with reporters? Elizabeth will be in the community today at 2:30 PM PDT to respond to your questions, so feel free to leave them in the comments. Note: This is not a video hangout.
What's a typical day for you at King 5 News?
In terms of the routine, there are a few general tasks my teammates and I take care of, but the focus varies a lot depending on the time of day. Main tasks: keeping website up-to-date with local and national content, editing and posting reporter stories (and clip packages from TV), distributing content via social networks (FB and Twitter), customer service, training/advising others in the news room on digital.
Could you give us some examples of how business owners can build relationships with reporters?
I would start by identifying reporters that have a beat or focus related to your business and reaching out to introduce yourself. That first contact might just include a hello, background on yourself/your company and perhaps a mention of a story or stories the reporter has done well.
Another good way to build that relationship is to think of ways your company or someone who works with you could serve as a source for a breaking news story. While the whole story may not be about you, that would get your business' name out there.
If there is something timely going on with your business, be prepared with not only information but possible people to interview and any media (images, b-roll, etc.) that could support the story.
Finally, I would recommend thinking about the news outlet you are working with. What makes a good TV story is different than what makes a good print/written story. In TV, we definitely look for ways to tell the story visually as well as through interviews.
What are some common mistakes people make when sending reporter pitches?
Too long, unclear – be straight and to the point.
Not timely. Are you sending a pitch because it’s convenient to you or because there is a reason this would matter to people now?
Now that I’ve talked about what not to do, here is what you should do.
These are the elements we look for in pitches:
- What’s new or different?
- Is the story focused? Can it be described in a sentence?
- What is the emotional center? Can you tell it through the people affected?
I've heard of 'spot news' - could you tell us a little more about what that is and give us a few examples?
Spot news is usually reporting of events as they occur. Usually this refers to breaking news events like a tornado, car crash, house fire, etc.
If you could give one piece of advice to businesses who are looking to get news coverage, what would it be?
We want to tell stories about people, not just air promo pieces. People connect better to emotion. We’ve identified a few motivators for people who watch/read our stories. These are reasons they are more likely to connect with what we’re sharing: family, safety, health, community, money. If you can connect your pitch to one (or more) of those, it will make for a better story.
We sat down with +Elizabeth Wiley from +KING 5 News and discussed the dos and don’ts of pitching your story to the news. Want to learn more about interacting with reporters? Elizabeth will be in the community today at 2:30 PM PDT to respond to your questions, so feel free to leave them in the comments. Note: This is not a video hangout.
What's a typical day for you at King 5 News?
In terms of the routine, there are a few general tasks my teammates and I take care of, but the focus varies a lot depending on the time of day. Main tasks: keeping website up-to-date with local and national content, editing and posting reporter stories (and clip packages from TV), distributing content via social networks (FB and Twitter), customer service, training/advising others in the news room on digital.
Could you give us some examples of how business owners can build relationships with reporters?
I would start by identifying reporters that have a beat or focus related to your business and reaching out to introduce yourself. That first contact might just include a hello, background on yourself/your company and perhaps a mention of a story or stories the reporter has done well.
Another good way to build that relationship is to think of ways your company or someone who works with you could serve as a source for a breaking news story. While the whole story may not be about you, that would get your business' name out there.
If there is something timely going on with your business, be prepared with not only information but possible people to interview and any media (images, b-roll, etc.) that could support the story.
Finally, I would recommend thinking about the news outlet you are working with. What makes a good TV story is different than what makes a good print/written story. In TV, we definitely look for ways to tell the story visually as well as through interviews.
What are some common mistakes people make when sending reporter pitches?
Too long, unclear – be straight and to the point.
Not timely. Are you sending a pitch because it’s convenient to you or because there is a reason this would matter to people now?
Now that I’ve talked about what not to do, here is what you should do.
These are the elements we look for in pitches:
- What’s new or different?
- Is the story focused? Can it be described in a sentence?
- What is the emotional center? Can you tell it through the people affected?
I've heard of 'spot news' - could you tell us a little more about what that is and give us a few examples?
Spot news is usually reporting of events as they occur. Usually this refers to breaking news events like a tornado, car crash, house fire, etc.
If you could give one piece of advice to businesses who are looking to get news coverage, what would it be?
We want to tell stories about people, not just air promo pieces. People connect better to emotion. We’ve identified a few motivators for people who watch/read our stories. These are reasons they are more likely to connect with what we’re sharing: family, safety, health, community, money. If you can connect your pitch to one (or more) of those, it will make for a better story.
2
Megjegyzés hozzáadása...
