How Do You Know What Is In The News?

To get media coverage for you and your book, you will need to be creative in your approach. It helps to have a working understanding of the news media that you are pitching. You should know what is going on in the news, in general, and specifically, you need to be cognizant of what is being covered by individual media outlets.

First, you should familiarize yourself with the type of media you are pursuing. If you seek to be on a morning network television show, such as Today, you should watch it. See what type of guests come on the show, and observe how the segment is conducted. Do you see anyone that resembles yourself on the show?

Second, go online and look at the Web sites for some of the outlets you want to pitch. See how a TV show presents itself in terms of what they like to cover. Learn about the demographic they value by looking at material from their ad department. Tell them you are considering advertising and they will send you a packet of information showing the type of audience they have, based on Census-like data: age, sex, ethnicity, education, buying habits, etc. You can tie that into your pitch to the producer.

Third, you should look at all media to get a snapshot of what is currently hot. Just go to a newsstand and scan magazine covers to find out who the hot celebrity is, the latest trend in fashion, the big business story, or the popular sports team. Skim out-of-town newspapers to see what is controversial. Look at national papers, such as The New York Times and USA Today. Read editorials or op-eds to see what the issues of the day are. Channel surf the talk shows or news programs. Look at what is trending on Twitter and what the popular blogs in your genre are covering.

Once you know which outlets to pitch as well as who to pitch, you just need to know how and what you will pitch. By studying the media you will no doubt improve on the level and quality of what you present to them. Good luck.

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person.