Making the Most of Media

I was fortunate enough to attend a wonderful seminar over Hospitality Week in Las Vegas - Making the most of Media. Since you were not there with me the wonderful ladies that put it all together were kind enough to allow me to share the "Do's and Don'ts" with you here. Please enjoy the article and make sure to visit the sites listed below to find out more about these most knowledgeable contributors!

Media - Making the Most of it

Presented by:
Jenny Adams, Natalie Bovis-Nelson and Ann Tuennerman

Do:

1. Approach all types of press with your story ideas (blogs, Web sites, magazines, newspapers, trade publications, etc)
   
2. Read several back issues of the publication you want to be published in to make sure you are not repeating a recent story.
   
3. Send an email with a short paragraph (300 words or less) explaining your idea for the story and include your direct contact information.
   
4. Make your pitch specific and unique.
   
5. Spell check and grammar check everything before you send anything out to any press person.
   
6. Include high resolution photos of what you are pitching (might be shots of your bar, your bottle packaging, your waitstaff in action or a cocktail)
   
7. High-resolution photos need to be about 300 dpi (dots per inch) at 2 by 3 inches in size or larger to be published in a magazine, newspaper or on any kind of physical paper. For blogs and Web articles, you can send low resolution.
   
8. Follow up by email 3 weeks if you haven’t heard anything and include your original pitch, contact information and photos again.

Do Not:

1. Call an editor or writer to pitch anything. Always email unless you know that person very well or they have instructed you to call.
   
2. Send vague pitches. For example, “My bar rocks. We do 300 people every Monday night for $2 draft pitcher night.” There is no story here. If you look at your pitch and you wouldn’t want to read all about it, chances are none of us do either.
   
3. Send a follow up email the next day asking why you haven’t heard back. Give an editor at least a few weeks to get to your pitch.
   
4. Shamelessly pitch your product or business. That is what advertising is for.
   
5. Send contact information that is vague. For example, please contact me at www.greatbar.com or email me at info@greatbar.com. Get a press email address if you don’t want to use your personal.

Additonal Advice for Pitches:

1. A pitch is a short paragraph of less than 300 words that tells the basics of the story.
   
2. Find the angle. Find the unique thing that makes your story something others would want to read.
   
3. If your pitch is “timely” then say so. If you want press on an event before it happens, let the editor know.
   
4. Check to see how far out each publication works and pitch accordingly. For example, magazines right now are working on their June issues. Don’t pitch press on a Memorial Day party in March. Blogs, newspapers and online are better for close pitching.
   
5. Know the publication and mention the section you think a story on your product, bar or event would work in and why.

Contact Information:
Jenny Adams
jennyadamsfreelance.com
Natalie Bovis-Nelson
theliquidmuse.com