What the News Media Really Wants

You're not alone. Marketing professionals are not the only ones perplexed by the reports produced by the press. Inside newsrooms everywhere, editors are heavily punctuating sentences. Why? To keep busy, so as not to have the time to kill the people who wrote the copy.

Delving into a reporter's gray matter may not seem to be a valuable use of a busy marketing professional's time. Yet, once you master what a reporter needs and how to present the information, you'll find your personal worth will zoom several points. Better yet, you'll find your clients in the news more often.

First, understand news. My college journalism textbook described it as "something out of the ordinary." Editors I know have described it as "something that affects a majority of the people." Neither definition is wrong. If you have a story that fits both descriptions, you're golden.

Because you may spend a great deal of time researching media outlets, here are a few tips: If your story is complicated, or issue based (say, for example, proposed legislation to change accounting practices), think print. The average newspaper news story is about 400 words. It's not much, but it affords you more time to explain the story and its ramifications than television or radio will allow. To that end, one minute and 30 seconds will be what television is looking for, plus visuals. If you don't have a spokesperson trained to deal with television and radio interviews, consider it. It may bruise the ego, but media training will teach your spokesperson to answer television or radio reporters in 75 words or less. That translates into sound-bite magic for the media and for your client.

Second, understand timeliness. You probably already know better than to try to pitch a story that happened a few weeks ago. If you haven't, you can try it, or simply accept this scenario as a premonition of what your day will be like: First, you'll be told to quite wasting the media's time. After the reporter hangs up the phone, you'll be laughed about in the newsroom. Then, something really bad happens: Editors, like elephants, remember your name and add you to their mental list of "people who just don't get it."

That's the time to seriously consider changing careers.

Timeliness is tricky, because it varies according to the type of media outlet with which you are dealing. As a rule of thumb, a building that burnt down today will be considered timely for a newspaper. If you're looking for television coverage, the building had better still be on fire when the news crew gets there. See the difference?

Third, anticipate the reporter's needs. That means: Have the facts to answer all the questions that start with W (who, what, when, where, why), plus the how. Have the press release already done, so you can say "I'll fax it right over to you," and actually mean it. If you are promising an expert source, make sure the source is available and not vacationing in parts of the world where cell phones don't work. If the reporter needs additional information that you don't have on hand, ask how long you have to get back to him or her. Then, get the information in half the time. If you can do that, you'll be on your way to "trusted source." If you can manage this entire third step with great consistency, you'll be elevated to godlike status within media circles. Of course, it does sound like you're doing the reporter's job, and that's just not fair is it? Life's not fair. Get used to it, and you'll the press you deserve.

Fourth, always be professional. This can be hard to do, especially if the news is bad. Remember that the reporter is simply the messenger, and it's not easy to be in his or her shoes at the moment, either. I knew a PR guy who would let reporters stand in the rain, waiting for his client to leave the building so they could grab an interview. I know another PR guy who would always invite the media inside the building, and let them make themselves comfortable while waiting. Guess whose clients were always treated fairly by the press? While you may not always respect the press for the job they are doing, you can always respect the humanity of the people doing the job.

Point four leads right into point five, which is, don't be chilly. There's something called the "chill effect" that happens inside newsrooms: People who are hard to deal with, are unprofessional, who threaten to go to the editor or pull their advertising if a story isn't what they want it to be, are guilty of creating a "chilly" atmosphere for reporters to work in. Could you do your best work in that type of environment? I think not.

Next, understand relevancy. Of all the Ws, it's the "why" that outranks the others.

Here's why it's the why that matters most: It's about relevance to the reader. Because the reader is to the reporter what your client is to you, you have to position your client in a context that will appeal to as many readers as possible. Do that in your opening pitch to a reporter and you'll be surprised at how rarely you'll be interrupted or told to call back. But that's just for starters. It's not enough to explain why the story is important. You have to explain why the readers should care. Inside newsrooms, it's the why that's regarded as "sexy." When it's explained in the lead paragraph of a story, it compels the reader to keep reading. And, when your story appeals to as many readers as possible, your story moves closer to the front page.

Last, but certainly not least, understand the role of the press in our society. You may not fully appreciate this. Few people do. It's unfortunate that although we live in a society built upon the premise of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, we don't have a standard for media education within our schools. Adding to the confusion is the fact that Americans consume more media than any other country. What's it mean? On one hand, you have a perfect excuse for thinking reporters must be of a different species. On the other hand, without understanding the media you consume throughout the day, you don't understand the impact it's having on your life and your outlook. Let the reporters you deal with on a daily basis help you understand the larger picture. Start by knowing that the media is meant to serve as a watchdog of our government, which is why you'll hear references to the print media being "the fourth estate." Television has since come to be known as the "the fifth estate." By extension, media is the watchdog of our society. That's why there's so much "bad stuff" in the news. They cover crime because crime is an issue of public safety. They don't cover crime and other bad news simply to bum you out. Reporters spend a great deal of time working on behalf of the little guy. Let your story pitching illustrate how your client's product or service will improve the lot of society or, conversely, how your client may be able to protect the public. Then, you've got yourself a story.