Kibbe on Marketing: Rock My World

The most difficult task marketers and business owners have in getting their message out through the press is capturing an editor’s attention enough for that person to publish something.

I hate to tell you there’s no magic formula that will ensure a pitch will get picked up for a full-length feature story or any other type of mention. There are, however, some good rules that will greatly increase your chances of getting published.

Choose your publication wisely: Once again, the selection of the right publication for the right message is key. Not all trade news is fit for mass consumption. Unless it immediately saves grocery money or some other “home and hearth” barometer, most trade news should stay in trade journals. And believe me, there is a trade rag for EVERY pursuit. Don’t believe me? Check out the North American Sea Glass Association, seaglassassociation.org. Yes, they have a newsletter.

Know thy editor: As the old adage says, it’s not what you know, it’s who. Pick up the phone. Give one of us a call. We’re nice people, hungry (read: desperate) for the next great story. Your company might be it. Editors, believe it or not, are just like regular people. We have likes and dislikes (although nothing should ever even approach bias), sectors we’re skilled at covering, and those we don’t really follow. If you build a rapport with an editor, learn a bit about what he or she covers, you’ll have a head start on your next pitch.

Only earth-shattering news gets above the fold: If you really want that front-page coverage, you’ve got to move the ground under me. As I said above, pitches that represent something within my geographical coverage area, something of immediate value to the greater community and something utterly innovative – that’s what makes me sit up and take notice.

This is tough to figure out from company owners’ perspective. Of course, they are going to think whatever they do is front-page news. Let me tell you now, it isn’t. Here’s an easy litmus test: talk to friends at church or at the gym. Are they impressed? If so, go for it. If not, it’s probably not feature-friendly.

For me, most of my headliners were about issues, not a specific company or person, but there were a few that fit the bill. I wrote a headliner about a prostate cancer resource and support group. Why? It was run by several former CEOs who were survivors. I wrote for a business pub, so that was a great fit right there. It was also astounding how many men came down with the disease. It was also timely; I was able to get the piece printed in time for the September awareness week.

Another was a local company done good – my favorite. This company didn’t do just “good,” they were named by Fortune as one of the fastest growing firms in the country. Again, it was the right coverage area, it was a company most folks hadn’t heard of and they did something truly amazing.

Of course, there were hundreds of others, but the common thread here is uniqueness – real, honest to God, rock my world uniqueness.

The last page still has news:  A newspaper or magazine has more than one page. Marketers would pitch me about a new company that opened within my coverage area. Great, but it’s still probably not worth a feature. That said, if it’s kind of cool, say a new dining concept or an unusual service business (No, not that! Say, mobile cockatoo grooming), it might get a little news brief or, at the worst, an item in the “seen and heard” section. Other marketers use those sections deep in a newspaper to prospect for new clients, while other publications might scan those sections for story ideas that work for them.

Landing a feature on the front page is more of an art than a science, but keeping a pitch focused, targeted and truly unique will often get the attention of an editor and result in that elusive coverage.

Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at cindykibbe@comcast.net.