How would you like to get free exposure for your business? How would you like your latest event to be featured prominently in the glossy pages of your favorite magazine? And how would you like to be quoted as the featured expert in your field?
I recently spoke with three prominent special event publication editors – Chad Kaydo, editor in chief of BizBash Media, Liese Gardner, editorial director of Event Solutions Magazine and Lisa Hurley, editor of Special Events Magazine – to understand, from their perspectives, what opportunities event businesses are missing and, more importantly, what they need to do to about it.
With all the pitches that come across their desk, what gets your attention?
Be relevant, be relevant, be relevant!
Liese – "Those that are relevant to the content and spirit of the magazine. It’s great when the sender sends an informative message – such as ’We just produced an event we think is great for your tent issue. It involved X-number of tents, was unique because of XX, the challenges were X and the team included X, Y and Z. Here is contact information for them. Attached are low res photos by (photographer’s name) for sending purposes, but we can get you high-res as soon as you need.’ Simple, to the point, informative. People get too caught up in what they may have learned about press releases and pitches. This is really all that is needed to get our attention!"
Chad – "BizBash has a pretty specific audience and we like to cover things before anyone else does, so I’d rather get an email with a couple short paragraphs about why this would be interesting to my reader, not a press release that is more suited to a general audience—and that is going out to lots of other outlets. (That said, clear, comprehensive press materials are very helpful once a story is assigned.)"
Beyond context, think about content
Liese – "I can’t stress about the photos enough. Like so many publications, Event Solutions is photo-driven whether online or digitally, so that always will be a major consideration for inclusion."
What is the most memorable way someone pitched a product/idea?
Show, don’t just tell
Lisa – "This is so old-fashioned and of course doesn’t work for all pitches, but I am always impressed when someone sends me a sample (and no, I’m not asking for freebies, and I think it’s wise to ask an editor beforehand if they would like to see a sample). To me this says the person making the pitch believes so strongly in their product or service that they just know I will like it once I see it."
Avoid Gimmicks
Chad – "If you have a product you’d like us to check out, of course we’ll want to see it, but sending a gift or overly elaborate packaging doesn’t make me more likely to feature something," says Chad Kaydo, "Straightforward and targeted always beats fussy and overwrought."
Social Proof
Lisa – "I also put a lot of faith into pitches that carry the endorsements of leading event planners."
What tips do you have for becoming THE person that gets called for a quote?
Build Relationships
Liese – "Here is the bottom line on why someone gets quoted and it’s no mystery – they have been in touch with the magazine either by sending consistently good information or have been visible in other press (press begets press). I suggest sending a note to the editor outlining your area(s) of expertise and that you are available anytime as a resource for articles that concern that topic(s). It lets the editor know that you can be a resource on certain subjects. I recommend sending this type of pitch in addition to company news and event pitches.
Have a Plan
Liese – "In regards to all these different type of communiqué with the media, it’s a good idea to map out with your team what you want to get from media exposure. There are two approaches. One is the shotgun effect in which you are looking for any mention, anywhere. To me, that is not very effective. The other is a strategic placement and a careful campaign that puts you, your company, your work, your expertise, in front of the right publications that will in turn get you in front of the right clients."
Be Easy to Work With
Lisa – "The number one rule for getting quoted is to reply-fast! We editors always seem to be putting things together at the last moment, and if I don’t hear back from someone I’ve contacted for a quote, I have to move on to someone else. If an editor reaches out to you after a pitch, that’s like a little jerk on your line when you’re fishing. You got ’em hooked! Don’t waste this opportunity and get back to them as fast as you can. Just two weeks ago, I got a great press release for an event product, which included the promise ’photos available upon request,’ but the PR person never got back to me, and so we wrote up another product."
Liese – "If you see someone quoted often, it also usually means that they are also reliable sources for the editor. Meaning, they will call or e-mail back within 24 hours if not sooner (editors are notoriously on deadline), they address the subject at hand in full sentences that offer little jewels of information (in other words – no "yes" or "no" answers)."
Have a Unique POV
Lisa – "If you want to be quoted, be brave. Speak in specifics, not generalities, and don’t be afraid to give an opinion."
Chad – "Speak in soundbites—keep it short and interesting. Don’t just promote what you do."
Mind your Ps and Qs
Chad – "Say ’thank you’ after the story runs, regardless of how prominently you were featured—it’s a reminder to the writer that you’re still out there, and that you follow what they do."
How is social media changing the way you find ideas / experts to feature in your publication?
Feedback & Ideas
Chad – "It definitely shows you who is engaged in a topic. We occasionally use @BizBash_News and our Facebook page to solicit opinions and suggestions for stories."
Finger on the Pulse
Liese – "Because so much of what we do is photo driven, Facebook is perfect for looking in on what event professionals are doing. In this regard (photo wise) it’s a little more helpful than Twitter or LinkedIn. Myself, our editor, Ann Turner, and our Creative Director, Jean Blackmer, have all found stories and photos on Facebook because it is so rich with photo postings, albums or blog links. For business articles, staying in tune with LinkedIn conversations has been a great way to find what people are talking about and find new experts. Personally, I find these three social media outlets to be a sea change in shaping editorial as well as keeping my finger on the pulse of the industry. I’ve found so many great new faces through Twitter, especially by following hashtag conversations such as #eventprofs."
Make your own media opportunity
Liese – "I encourage everyone to be their own media through blogging. There are just so many stories out there and limited editorial space (this holds true of print and online media outlets). By blogging, companies are able to control their brand and message and consistently reach out to current and prospective clients. And, as I mentioned, the media will also look in on blogs to find stories, get more information about you, or educate themselves on your work or marketplace."
What are the biggest mistakes you see companies make, and how should they fix them?
Sending content in unusable form
Lisa – "I’m always amazed at pitches that come my way in some graphic form that makes me have to retype the information in order to post or print it. This is not why God made computers."
Making editors hunt for information
Lisa – "I highly recommend spoon-feeding editors. For example, I sometimes get pitches for new venues, and when I ask for missing basics such as capacities, the person pitching will tell me, ’Oh, you can find that information on the venue’s website.’ No, no, no! Think about what info the editor needs and get it for them—even if that means just grabbing it off the website yourself. Make it easy for the editor to cover you, and you will get coverage."
Pitching too frequently
Chad – "If you mass-email an irrelevant press release every week, when I see your name in my inbox, my brain says ’delete’."
Short-term thinking
Liese – "If you have something coming – say you are doing something large in the summer – I’d start reaching out to the editors now with other news, yet mention that tidbit as well in the ’bio’ paragraph about your company. It’s about sitting down and creating a strategy so that all the pieces of your story are being conveyed in several different ways."
Chad – "If yesterday’s pitch didn’t get covered, tomorrow’s might, and next month the writer might get an assignment that you’d be a perfect source for. And that might be a bigger story than what you were originally hoping for. Build a relationship over time."
Waiting too long to reach out to the media
Chad – "Sometimes people take so long to create an elaborate pitch, the information gets stale. When we cover an event, we like to post the story within a day or two. If you take a week to put together a press release, it’s probably too late for us to do much with it. (That said, we always want to see photos of innovative work, and we often use those photos in other kinds of stories later.)"
What tips have you used for getting press coverage for your business?
