In this crazy time that we are suddenly thrust into, I want to share the importance of PR and what your role can and should be. You have expertise in a subject matter. We all do. Right now, every single industry is being affected by Covid-19 (coronavirus). From imports to supply chain to product distribution to service industries (travel, hospitality, legal, financial, etc.) to retail to small business, big business, even Wall Street.
What information can you provide the media about your industry that will be valuable to an audience? For business media, this is really all they are covering right now. Kate Rogers of MSNBC posted a tweet that said:
Finding the amount of PR pitches coming in that are not related to the stock market, economy, Covid-19, etc. really shocking…. still surprised every day. I mean this with as much kindness as possible, please read the room
Give the media what they want and need. Do your homework. Know your role in this and the importance of PR – which is getting a message out to the right audience. You very likely have a valuable message to share. Find the right audience and the right angle and you should have success with landing media.
Here are some successful pitch ideas we used this past week that elicited immediate response from journalists:
1) Real estate– when the Fed dropped interest rates, it crushed the stock market but proved incredibly valuable to the real estate market (NBC).
2) HR– tips for implementing work from home policies (US Chamber of Commerce)
3) Financial– how to keep your money safe during these turbulent times (FOX News Radio and others)
4) Lifestyle– how to take care of your hand with frequent washing (KTLA)
5) Health & Wellness– Yoga relaxation and stress relief to do at home (pending)
As I always say, you have to know the demographic and who you are pitching. The morning shows like the Today Show, Good Morning Americaand your local shows like Good Morning Washingtonstill need regular content as well. Even turning your lifestyle segments into ones that benefit people about this coronavirus outbreak will be helpful. I have a former client who is a skincare formulator. As the inventory of hand sanitizers on store shelves were being depleted, she came out right away with a pitch on how to make your own hand sanitizer at home with products you likely already have on-hand.
These are interesting times that we shifted into within days. My kids left for spring break a week ago Saturday and as they came home, one week later, they have no college to return to. There are no sporting events to watch. They can’t go to any large-scale events or concerts. My son will not have a graduation ceremony from college. The world changed in the blink of an eye and we need to adapt, quickly.
As a speaker and trainer, with almost all events and conferences cancelled for the foreseeable future, I’m going back to virtual training and webinars. Most of my clients came from speaking engagements. Now I’ll go back to the good old days of digital marketing with on-line courses and virtual coaching. I’m still positioned as the expert in my space and I’ll still check out when the media checks me out. It will just be less in-person events and more online ones.
I’ll still do television segments (as long as the stations take outside guests). This can also be adapted to with Skype interviews. In fact, I just pitched a Skype interview for a station that I heard was no longer having guests in-studio. Most radio stations are equipped for call-in guests so start looking at radio as a means of gaining media exposure. I’m a huge proponent of the podcast and as we are all practicing social distancing and working from home, I imagine the podcast market will explode. What are your customers listening too? Get booked on one of those shows ASAP.
There is power in knowledge and we have a duty to share this. I know of no greater way to get your message to a huge audience than through publicity. It is important to jump on this now as the world is changing and we have an obligation to do what we can to help. Share your brilliance, make the world aware that you are the expert in your space, and reap the rewards of a huge audience you can bring your knowledge to.
I believe there is a silver lining here and we will all figure it out once the dust settles. This will make us more efficient because we have to be. More adaptable. And I strongly believe at the end of the day we’ll figure out what makes us truly successful.
Pitch away and if you need some help and would like a PR consult, feel free to schedule a call at www.ChatwithChristina.com.
If you haven’t joined the PR Challenge, go to www.YourPRChallenge.com. There is no cost to join. It’s a 10-day challenge, 10 minutes a day, and it will help you gain massive visibility.
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