The greater communications/tech networks are atwitter with another round of pitching rules and regulations. It’s a much needed, ongoing conversation, but it’s hard to ignore the undercurrent of nay saying and finger pointing (not an uncommon phenomenon in our space.) It seems like such a trivial pursuit when – forgive me – there are bigger burdens in our world at the moment.
We do need to figure out a solution to our pitching woes. Our firm and others are committed to finding the right mix of relevance, timeliness, newsworthiness and the people/publishing channels that would like to spread the word.
Let’s pretend that we had PR/blog relationships all figured out. There’s another issue at hand. I like to call it “Scott Ward’s* Theory on Things that Blow Up.” It goes like this:
The point being, of course, we’re all fighting for the same small piece of non-disaster pie. Competition is fierce (as it often should be) when it comes to unexpected catastrophes such as Myanmar or today’s earthquake in China. The thing you’re promoting is also up against anticipated explosions: the recession, the food crisis, the election, to name a few.
We sure do fight for that tiny piece, don’t we?
“Pitching in a tightened news cycle” requires a shift in what and why we’re pitching, be it to press or bloggers, through calls or emails. Margo Mateas, whose firm trains PR professionals in media training and management, calls it out clear:
. . . We have to understand the cyclical nature of news and the world, and adjust our plans accordingly. . . Now is the time to help people feel more secure, safe and certain.”
The how’s and how not’s of pitching are imperative. Jason, Geoff, Jared and John bring the many facets of this issue to light, and their ideas for reconciliation are worth the read. I humbly add that it goes back to the message and offering itself: if your company or client does not touch on the things that matter to people right now, those people might not care.
We have to appeal to the things that matter – the things that blow up – to stay relevant to the mainstream.
Until we get this figured out, is there a way we – this influential community of communications/tech people – can bring a little more aid to one of the bigger crises at hand? Myanmar is a good place to start, having lost nearly 30,000 of its people in May 3rd’s Cyclone. Donations for relief projects are trickling in through Network for Good and Global Giving.
In the spirit of cause marketing and CSR, aligning your company around a bigger, more relevant issue will reap rewards that dwarf the perfectly crafted message to a blogger, and perfect blacklist.
For additional incentive, check out Mark Benioff’s score on The Huffington Post, “The End of Philanthropy,” and how Salesforce.com is leading the way. Make an impact, make the news.
*Scott Ward might not know I’ve turned his thoughts into a pie chart, which stems from a media training I attended years ago. He was still with Widmeyer Communications then, but now heads Fifth Estate Communications. The “things that blow up” principle was great advice then, better now.
PR/communications people raising awareness about worthwhile causes? Kind of a no-brainer, isn’t it?
Good thought.
Hi Mark – That’s not always the case, because it’s not always the bottom line. And not everyone gets all hot and bothered about it like me :) I really appreciate your post on “alternatives to blacklisting.” There’s been talk of an opt-out list, but it could be hard to get all marketers to abide by the silent code, let alone ensure that everyone knows about the list. Still worth a shot!
You make a very good point that sometimes the best way to get a pitch thru is to choose the right ideas to present. I suppose that’s easier said than done though?
News hole. That’s what we used to call it in the newsroom. It’s the space left over after the advertising. Big breaking story happens, sucks the oxygen (space) right out of the news hole. Business side isn’t going to cut ads or print more pages to make space for more stories. So some stories that were on the sked don’t make the final cut.
Making your story compelling enough from the outset — from the first pitch via phone or email or Facebook message or otherwise — not only helps to keep a journalist or blogger from hanging up on you or, worse yet, “outing” you for pestering them. But, it also helps to ensure that if a big story breaks while your story is in line, it may make the cut and get into the remaining news hole.
Alternative? Just take a deep breath and forget about your all-important story and client for the moment and realize that there’s a more important story out there right now with real urgencies involved. When the news hole opens up again, there’ll be a chance to get your story and client back into the news … provided what you have to offer the journalists and bloggers is compelling enough, in the first place.