“Tell Me a Story”: Tips for Pitching the Media

“Tell me a story.” As a child, you typically want your storyteller to be verbose and colorful in the details, helping to paint a realistic image in your mind. In business, and subsequently in media relations, the 30-second pitch and the elevator speech reign supreme. Essentially, you have a very small window of opportunity to tell your story.

So what is your story? All too often we run across business owners who box themselves into the typical storyline: “I run a business on the corner of x and x, and we sell unique products that are just so special. Please write a story about us.” But that is rarely the story the journalist wants to hear.

Your story, and your public relations opportunities, are most likely more abundant than you think. Going beyond the grand openings, the new products, and the employee hirings, there is a story to be told. In fact, we’ll provide you with a story to show you what we mean.

One of our clients recently opened an Italian restaurant in a small strip mall in Suburbia, USA. Our goal was to generate buzz and, of course, drive more customers to the business. Yes, it is a great restaurant and one that is desperately needed in an area full of gas stations and fast-food joints. But here is the real story–or rather the types of things the media wanted to hear and picked up on, .resulting in an editor’s “Dessert Pick” for a major monthly glossy before the restaurant even opened its doors:

• The owners of the restaurant come from a huge Italian family and have five children of their own. Everyone is involved in the running of the restaurant, and all of the dishes are named after family members.

• The family patriarch is a world-class athlete and Olympian.

• The co-owner is a seasoned choreographer and was involved in the choreography of a movie that happened to be opening at the same time the restaurant was opening, which was a great angle for entertainment media.

• The other co-owner had been a waiter and manager at several high-end Italian restaurants before he pursued his dream of opening his own place.

• The owners hired a consultant who had been a chef on a leading Food Network program to plan the menu and get the kitchen ready to open.

The point is, take inventory of the histories, passions, goals, and interests of all persons involved in your business. You may not be an Olympian or a choreographer, but you may be a community philanthropist, an author, or an animal lover. Whatever it is, find your angle and promote it – even if it doesn’t directly relate to your business. Chances are when they do a story on you and, for instance, your volunteer work at the homeless shelter, they will mention your business affiliation.

Now that you’ve honed in on your potential angles, here are a few of our quick tips to make those calls to the media easier:

• Hone your pitch to a 15- to 30-second elevator speech.

• Always ask if a reporter is on deadline. If so, find out a good time to call back.

• Try different approaches. Journalists have personal preferences about how they like to be contacted, so try a variety of techniques. Often a brief, compelling paragraph sent via e-mail is an effective introduction.

• Follow up. Many potential leads are lost simply because people don’t follow through on them. If a reporter tells you to call back another time, make sure you do.

• Bring another source to the table. Of course you want your name, product, or service promoted, but it helps if you can find another tie-in to your angle. For example, if you own a doggie day care, take the time to research some statistics on the number of dog owners in the U.S. and how much they spend on products for their pooches. Include the stats in your pitch. Also, find a local doggie day spa and try pitching the two businesses as a trends story.

• And the biggest tip (in our opinion): Do your own investigating. Find out what the journalist has written before. Don’t rely on a media database to tell you about his beat. Instead, dig up some recent articles or segments and familiarize yourself with the stories he has written or produced.

Amy Chilla and Melissa Gillespie are partners in Innova Communications (www.teaminnova.com), a Ladera Ranch, CA-based public relations and marketing firm.