This article has been written based on my current experience as a journalist and editor of Channel Buzz Middle East
There are and will be SO MANY articles / blogs / websites that will talk about “How to engage with a journalist”. Why will this be any different? I have actually asked journalists here and this is their feedback.
- KNOW YOUR STORY: Always make it a point to research the topic you pitch to the journalist, either by asking all sorts of questions to the client or using the internet. This helps when you need to hold a strong relevant conversation with journalists. Journalists will more often than not try to cut off conversations with people who are just pounding the phones to sell a release.
- BE POLITE: Call and launch into your schpeel. DON’T. As a human it is always best to check if the other is free to talk. Also if you are someone who does point 1, the journalist will always speak to you. It is always best to check first, though
- KNOW THE JOURNALIST: By this we mean know your target audience and how the journalist will react to your story. Ask yourself, is this what the audience is looking for? Have you asked him this question before? What had he said? IS IT RELEVANT?
Once these three steps are clear, it is downhill from there. There is one more small point, though.
Keep in touch with the journalist – they are human after all. Unless you really don’t like them.
