Skype is continuing to gain popularity with reporters. Whether you are responding to breaking news, pitching a distant media market, or offering up a client or spokesperson that is traveling, Skype provides an easy-to-use, cost effective and flexible tool for conducting media interviews.
Here are 7 tips for maximizing the success of your Skype media interview.
- Use a Secure Connection – Make sure you have a secure Internet or Wi-Fi connection, and test it out in advance of the interview. Forbes offers a good point to make sure your computer has plenty of battery power.
- Choose a Quiet Location – Pick a quiet location that will help you concentrate and project an professional image. Keep your colleagues in the office informed so that they do not interrupt you during the interview; consider taping a short note on your office door.
- Create an Optimal Background – Use a simple and professional backdrop to avoid background confusion. Check that you have the proper lighting to avoid unusual shadows. In addition, CNN suggests avoiding patterns that come across as too loud on screen, such as bright stripes, that make it hard to focus on the spokesperson.
I recently put together a blog post with steps one through five for getting more and better consumer media coverage. Here’s a look at steps six through 10:
6. Create Expert Tips/Top Five Lists – Pitch the reporter with a top five list pertaining to your client’s product. Some examples include the top five places to hear sounds better (re: sound enhancement product) or the top ways to maximize summer value and fun (re: travel discount card). Offer up the client as an expert and work your product into the pitch as an example. The idea here is to give reporters a fresh idea for a new story or post without your product coming across like an advertisement (which turns away reporters).
7. Build the Relationship – Begin to foster the relationship with the reporter from day one. This will put you ahead of the pack when contacting the reporter for your client’s launch or other announcement. Reaching out early ensures that you have the right contact; learn the reporter’s communication preferences and see what upcoming topics and trends the reporter is covering. Sending an intro email is another way to get on the reporter’s radar.
8. Leverage Reporters Across Accounts – Pitch reporters across accounts to help generate momentum with new clients. For example, do you know a consumer producer who might want to book a new client? Or perhaps a medical reporter that switched to the financial beat that will cover a new investment advisor client? Making the connections across accounts is not always obvious – thinking outside the box will help to connect the reporter to new clients while strengthening the relationship with the reporter.
9. Master the List – Leverage your media database to put together a strong media list. This step might seem obvious, but I’ve found that fully mastering allthe advanced features of your media database can lead to additional contacts and coverage. For example, most databases offer the ability search for keywords in reporter titles such as “consumer” or “new products,” which I’ve found helpful when offering up new consumer products for review. Always prepare to vet your list in advance of your pitch as contacts often switch beats.
10. Pick Up the Phone – Add the phone to your pitching toolkit. Is relying on email enough when the top reporters are getting 100+ pitches a day and juggling deadlines, breaking news and special requests from their editors? My teams haveused the phone to their advantage when we’ve done our research on the reporter, know our technology inside and out, and simply haven’t heard back by email. However, the phone is not always appropriate, such as when the reporters are deadline or they already said “no” through email.
A copy of my presentation is available here.
Post by Michael Levey
Zer0 to 5ive Director
Twitter: @mikelevey
With the top consumer reporters getting 100+ pitches a day, while also juggling deadlines and special requests from their editors, it’s important to have a solid plan of action for opening the door to more consumer coverage.
At our recent company retreat, I put together a presentation on ten steps for getting more and better media coverage for consumer clients. Here are my tips:
1. Address the Pain Point– Start your pitch with a clear and convincing pain point. For example, if you pitch a direct-to-order hearing aid, how about sharing that 36 million Americans suffer from some kind of hearing loss, but less than ¼ are doing anything about it? Or if you push a rapid HIV test, how about including the fact that prior to the introduction of rapid testing, more than 1/3 of the 2.2 million Americans that tested for HIV at public health clinics never returned for their results? Numbers and statistics build credibility and interest with the media.
2. Tie to Breaking News & Events – Connect your product to breaking news and events to help drive immediate interest. For example, can you tie your water purification product to the Gulf Oil Spill? How about connecting a financial crime monitoring software to the Super Bowl or World Cup events that have a large spike in transactions? Breaking news and events are bound to be covered – so offer up your client to talk about the product or service in the context of the big news.
3. Use Catchy Subject Lines – Create a short and clever subject line. Think about it… how much more likely are you to open an email that catches your attention? Some examples of catchy subject lines that my teams used to drive national coverage include “Is RFID Sponge-Worthy” (re: RFID counting and detection system for surgical sponges) or “Are We All on Drugs? The Answer May Be in the Water Supply” (re: new pharma drug take-back program). The subject line should also be short enough that it can be read on a PDA.
4. Pitch Seasonal Gift Guides – Product gift guides are a great way to connect your products and services with the top publications on a regular basis. Mark your calendar for important dates such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s/Father’s Day, and back-to-school season. Offer to send a sample product and high-res photo – and be sure to reach out several months in advance.
5. Target the National Days/Months – Take advantage of the national days and months set aside by industry organizations to connect your product or service. This includes days from Earth Day to World AIDS Day to National Doughnut Day. And if you can’t think of one, invent your own. For example, 7-Eleven created “Free Slurpee Day.”
These are five steps to get you started. Stay tuned for part 2 that will discuss tips six through ten and give you an opportunity to view my complete presentation from the retreat.
Post by Michael Levey
Zer0 to 5ive Director
Twitter: @mikelevey