- Gaining the attention of media takes more
than just issuing a press release.
Actually, it takes a lot more in both time and effort.
That's not to say a press release isn't
useful or valuable when it comes to marketing, it can be,
but it's not going to land you
that podcast appearance or TV interview.
If you're wondering how to master media pitching,
then stick around, this video is for you.
(upbeat music)
Hey, there I'm Julie The Book Broad,
founder of Book Launchers,
your fabulous professional self-publishing services team.
Your book can be a stepping stone
to incredible and influential media appearances
if you know how to leverage it to get there.
At Book Launchers,
we don't worry about creating one single press release
for you to send out across all media outlets
in hopes of getting a bite of interest,
'cause that doesn't work.
Instead, our marketing team crafts targeted short pitches
specific to each outlet and specific
to exactly what you and your book
can offer that outlet's audience.
Here's how you can replicate what we do for our authors.
First, put on your researching cap.
(bell dings)
You need to find potential media outlets
that may be interested in what you can contribute.
A list of relevant, active and niche-driven media contacts
that publish content within your area of expertise.
Those will bring you more value and success
than a giant list of thousands of generic outlets, or worse,
a pre-drafted media list that you buy online.
Please don't waste money on a media list.
So your research should begin
with checking out who your audience is
listening to, reading, or watching.
We're talking newspapers, magazines, blogs, radio
and TV stations, and of course, podcasts.
See if the outlet publishes content relevant to your book.
If so, grab the producer's contact information
which is usually found in their bio, social media,
or on the website somewhere.
Collect all of this into a spreadsheet
for easy organization and access.
This way, you can also record when you did outreach
and what the angle was,
so you have that in one place
when you reach out for a second or third or fourth time
to follow up.
Next, you need to craft your pitch.
And this is not one pitch fits all.
Customize your pitch based on who you're pitching.
Are they a magazine journalist, a podcast host
a TV host, or a book reviewer?
What topics do they usually cover?
Your pitch needs to highlight
how you and your book can help them
in their specific audience, how it fits in,
but stands out a little from what they normally talk about.
That means, yep, more research.
Still research. Still hat, still a hat on,
hat on my head it is.
That means, yep,
you need to do a bit more research.
See? Research hat still on.
But now instead of the who you're targeting,
you're researching what you're pitching.
No two outlets are the same,
even if they're within the same genre
or cover the same type of topics, kinda like books, right?
I mean, "Game of Thrones" and "Lord of the Rings"
might sound like the same thing
if you describe them generically.
But every fantasy fan knows that the two are worlds apart.
Literally, like Westeros is probably pretty far away
from Middle Earth.
The same could be said for non-fiction books, of course.
There are countless real estate, or financial,
or memoirs out there, but what makes each one unique
to the audience that you're trying to appeal to?
Did you say, what did you say?
Did you say hook? If you did,
make sure you smash that thumbs up button
and post in the comments, "I said hook"
because yes, my friends,
a well-crafted hook makes your book stand out
and also makes your pitch stand out.
Individualized pitches tell the outlet why they should care
about you, and how you can bring value to their outlet.
That's the hook you need when pitching to each media outlet
you've got your eye on.
When I was in the real estate space,
I built a really strong relationship
with the editors at Canadian Real Estate Wealth magazine.
I had read months and months of their back issues.
I knew the kind of tactical, numerical articles they liked,
and I knew some of the topics they hadn't covered
that were within the range of topics they had covered.
I sent a pitch to the editor of two articles I could write,
and why they were perfect for them.
I got invite to write one of them.
And I ended up being a regular contributor
to their magazine.
I was even on the cover of one or two of their issues,
and I was a speaker at their events across Canada
for many years in a row.
My pitch stood out because I had done
a lot of research and I had an angle that fit
with what they liked, but was just different enough.
So ask yourself, self, what's the most compelling angle
of your message that that particular audience needs to hear?
Just like how you crafted your hook for your book,
a successful media pitch highlights a problem
the audience is facing,
and the solution that you and your messaging provides.
You could even reference another expert
in your space that you saw they covered
and say something like,
"I saw that you had Eric Brotman featured in Issue 32.
He did a great job sharing why retirement
can be a new phase of your life versus the end of work.
My strategies for choosing a low-cost country to live
this new phase of your life could be the perfect angle
for your audience.
Complete with my detailed research on the three best places
in the world to retire to, I can offer tips
to make it work with health insurance, finance, and family."
That's just an example that I kind of made up.
I probably would change it a little bit now
that I'm thinking about it,
but that would be all I would say,
along with a one or two sentence bio about myself.
This takes time and you have to do this research
if you want results.
Devote time to diving into the outlet's website,
social media, scrolling their past content
and figure out how your stuff can help their audience
by solving a problem or adding value
to their audience's life.
When the media contact at that outlet reads your pitch,
it should be specific and targeted enough
that they can see you did the work
and took the time to research who they are,
who their audience is,
and what they're looking to give them.
If you present a strong enough hook,
they should be able to see just how they can present it
to their audience right off the bat.
Here's a tip.
Do not start the pitch off by saying that you're a big fan
if you're not legitimately a big fan.
I was speaking with a podcaster the other day
who says he gets about 40 pitches a week
and almost all of them start off that way.
If you're legitimately a big fan,
then you better immediately highlight something specific
that proves it,
like saying "Your interview with Sally made me cry,
it should come with a tear warning."
So now that you've got the angle, craft the pitch.
Keep it short, clear, and direct,
a snappy subject line under 10 words and a pitch no more
than two paragraphs is what you should aim for.
And if two paragraphs seems too short
to say what you wanna say, then go back
to that part where we talked about hook and messaging.
A hook is called a hook for a reason, even in pitching,
it should be one or two sentences max.
Step three, to your well crafted, well-researched email,
you should always attach a professional media kit.
It should include your bio, sample speaking topics,
the book description and any social media links.
We've got a great video on media kits
that I'll put at the end of this video for you.
Be sure to also offer to send them a copy of your book,
either physical or digital.
Even if they pass on their pitch,
you never know what could happen
if they do decide to pick up your book anyway.
So it never hurts to send a copy
if they say they're interested.
Step four, wait.
(crickets chirping)
Yeah. After you send out your pitch,
patience is most definitely a virtue.
Media pitching is not an overnight thing.
It can take weeks or even months to hear back from outlets.
It's important to remember to keep your chin up,
and don't be discouraged if you don't hear back right away.
Our team does a round of outreach,
than follow ups, follow ups, and even more follow ups.
The number of times we have a win come in,
three to six months after the initial pitch
would surprise you, but it doesn't surprise me anymore.
Give it two weeks,
and then follow up with another personalized email.
Any sooner and you risk bothering and annoying them,
or getting sent directly to that dreaded spam folder.
The best wins, though, can come from follow ups.
So do check back in after a couple of weeks.
Carefully considering and crafting each pitch
you're sending can be a process,
but it's worth the time and effort.
All that research and writing may mean
that you only get to do 20 pitches this month,
but that's okay.
Better 20 directed pitches, with two to four yeses
than throwing away your time and money on pitches
that will get you nowhere.
Timing is even more important to keep in mind
when it comes to media.
Podcast hosts often have a backlog of interviews saved
and can be months ahead on scheduling.
If you want media appearances to coincide
with your book launch or some other event,
you have to start pitching weeks or even months in advance.
It's also worth noting
that a pitch sent mid-December
could get lost in the holidays.
You're probably better to save it
for the second week of January
or get the pitching in the end of November if you can,
unless your pitch is really specific
to something going on in the world.
Bonus tip, it helps to be available and flexible
with your time.
When it comes to TV spots, you'll often find out
the night before that you're invited for the next day.
Sometimes even speaking opportunities
can be really short notice.
Very often, interview requests come last minute
or on a tight deadline.
People have jobs and commitments, but media does not wait.
If you are not ready, they will move on to the next source.
When a good media opportunity comes up,
be flexible as possible with your time
so you can take advantage of it.
Now, deciding when to start your marketing can be tough,
especially when it comes to pitching.
This video right here is worth checking out
to know when to jump into marketing mode.
And if you wanna check out what your media kit
should look like, that beauty is right here.
Either way, I would love to hang out more.
So please click to the next video, and I'll see you there.