“Let’s make shit happen -- and not
let shit happen."
--Brian Feinblum
One
of the areas authors can improve when pitching the news media is to have a
confident and unrelenting frame of mind.
They have to approach the process of contacting the media as one that
says: “I’ve got a good story. Someone needs to tell it.”
Now,
I’m not talking about coming from this with an egocentric mindset. That won't get you so far. That comes off as being lazy, self-centered,
and narcissistic. No one wants to hear
from someone who thinks they are entitled to coverage. Media exposure needs to be earned.
But,
you have to have confidence, resiliency, and conviction in your voice and in
your carefully worded email. The news
media needs to sense you have a genuine purpose and reason for contacting
them. They need to believe in you. Lead them.
So
how does one do this?
First,
prioritize in your mind what the truly strongest points are – and lead with
them. Don’t circle around what really
tugs at the media. Play it up. Lead with one of these: emotion, passion, news predictions, or
something that you know that the journalist personally cares about, or
something that particular media outlet likes to cover.
Second,
speak with a bit of edge. You’re not
begging them to cover something nor commanding them. You don’t want to sound weak and desperate
and you don’t want to come off as a big jerk.
You want to speak in that sweet spot that blends enthusiasm with
purpose.
You
are putting on the hat of a lawyer, advocating beyond a shadow of doubt, that
what you present to them is important, useful, truthful, and interesting. If you were advocating before a judge you’d
look to make key points clear and to not rely solely on the weight of the facts
but the believing and harmonizing sound of your voice.
To
persuade anyone of anything, the other person has to appreciate your situation
in a way that gets past doubt, ignorance or debate. They have to like something about you and
relate to your plight. You need to
quickly disarm their judging eyes and humanize your story. Make them feel and care. Get them into your shoes so that they, too,
can experience as you do, and hear what you say clearly.
So
just how does one lobby for something?
Ask a provocative question. Cite
an eye-opening stat. Pile up the
facts. Seek empathy. Tug at their emotional fragility. Offer something unique, new, or of
value. Promise a result that you can
deliver on.
Lastly,
think like the media. What do they need
and want? How will they perceive you? What weaknesses or holes come with your story
that need to be plugged? Most
importantly, speak with undeniable conviction and you will see results.
Editorial: Facebook Fiasco
In
seeing Mark Zuckerberg testify for 10 hours before Congress about data privacy
and the challenges of social media advertising ethics, it seems obvious to me
that, as a society, we’re screwed. No
privacy. No protection against
ill-intended advertisers. No avoidance
of fake news. No guarantees hackers can
be stopped. All in all, today’s consumer
of digital media and social media is being scammed-over and over- not just by
Russia or faceless corporations but by those we’ve entrusted our information
with – Google, Twitter, FB, Apple, Amazon, etc.
To think otherwise is foolish and idealistic.
“In old days books were written by men of letters and read by the
public. Nowadays books are written by the public and read by nobody.”
--Oscar Wilde, in The Saturday Review (1894)
--Oscar Wilde, in The Saturday Review (1894)
“I have never known any distress that an hour’s reading did not relieve.”
--Baron de
Montesquieu, Pensees
diverses (1899)
“You must put books alongside the subject they relate to if you
want to attract a wider audience. If someone is in a supermarket buying
food then it makes sense to sell cookery books there too.”
--Terence Conran, in TheTimes (18
Sept. 1985)
DON”T MISS THESE!!!
Should
all authors invest in book marketing or book publicity?
Yes, this is how you get your book reviewed
What is the payoff for authors to getting a million clicks?
Do you
think like a book marketer?
How
should authors sell themselves?
The keys
to great book marketing
How
Authors Can Capture The Media’s Attention
Big Marketing Lessons From My All-Time
Top 10 Blog Posts
Enjoy New 2018 Author Book Marketing
& PR Toolkit -- 7th annual edition just released
Brian
Feinblum’s
insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this
terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You
can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him
at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in
the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and
raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often
featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.
This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.”
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