Take Advantage of "Lazy" Journalists to Reap a Bonanza of Free Publicity

by George McKenzie
Former TV Anchor and Radio Talk Show Host

During a recent interview for his "Internet Marketing Lounge" radio show (http://www.internetmarketinglounge.com), Peter Twist asked me if I thought today's journalists had gotten lazy. 

Peter noted that to get a journalist to do a story about you, a product, or an idea, you almost have to do all the work for them:  give them a good headline, figure out an intriguing angle, etc.

On the surface, it would seem then that's today's reporters, producers, and editors HAVE gotten lazy.

But in fact, the opposite is true.  It takes more hard work than ever to stay in the journalism business these days, and only the most dedicated, energetic people survive. Think about it this way.

When I got my first TV job in 1974, the city where I worked (Altoona, PA) had only ONE station.  Even big cities, like nearby Pittsburgh, only had three commercial outlets.

So those stations got to divide up ALL the TV advertising dollars.  The pie was cut into no more than three pieces.

Look at what you have now.  Hundreds of stations and cable channels competing for less and less money.  The pie is no longer cut into pieces.  It's down to slivers.

Plus, advertisers just aren't spending right now. Revenues are down.

As a result, some news operations are shutting down altogether.  Others are merging and streamlining (streamlining is a euphemism for "cutting jobs").

The laws of economics apply.  Reporters, producers, and editors who are still in the business have to do more work for less money.

While that's bad news for them, it's good news for you.  It opens up some terrific opportunities to get exposure and
free publicity.

Here's how:

If you're sending a press release, make sure

1. it has a great headline that offers a benefit to viewers, readers or listeners.  It has to be about something they need to know, or would like to know. Focus on THEM, not you.

2. its "news value" is apparent at a glance. A reporter, producer or editor wants to be able to figure out in seconds what the release is about, and why it would be of interest to their audience.

There's never a guarantee that you'll be able to get the free publicity you want from the media.  By if you do the things I've mentioned above, you'll certainly increase your chances.

Remember this advice from Joan Stewart, a former newspaper editor.  Joan says the five most important words you can say to any reporter are "How can I help you?"

That's always been true.

But in this day and age of shrinking budgets and expanding job descriptions, it's truer than ever.