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What I didn’t know is that national magazines plan their publications at least four months out and regional publications plan about two months out. Gift guides of most national magazines are fully booked by July 1st. Knowing the themes of a magazine in a particular month lets you know if your story idea might be a potential fit.
Lucky me to be able to interview a 15+ year media pro in the magazine and television editorial space. Jenn Chan is a rockstar beauty and fashion editor and on-air host and she sat down with me to talk about all things pitching the media! She is now working with People Magazine as the shopping editor. Welcome Jenn!
The Irish media landscape is dominated by the state broadcaster, RTE, whose reach extends to TV, radio, online, mobile and social media. Television viewership is steady and national/local radio remains popular: on average, people watch more than three hours of TV and listen to more than three hours of radio every day.
They think of people who work for the media as an elite group of untouchables like A-list celebrities or royalty. Yes, they have super important jobs and get to be on TV or publish articles in big named magazines but at the end of the day, they are just like us. This is their job. They get paid to do a good job. PR FOR ANYONE.
A network television feed producer said that between the nonstop coronavirus stories and the presidential primary elections, “our resources have become even more scarce.” The medical producer at a local TV affiliate mentioned that COVID-19 “rules life right now.”
It’s being newsworthy (think newsjacking – what’s happening in the media right now that you can speak about), creating great hooks (look at magazine covers), and finding the RIGHT journalist (hello Google!). Take that and couple it with a positive mindset and you are well on your way to landing in the media!
Remember, these are for local media and national television. If you are pitching magazines or national publications, that’s a much longer lead time (I made that mistake!). How is your business related to weather, topics, holidays in September. By being timely and relevant you have a much better chance at getting the yes.
Timing is everything when you want to land stories in the media. I didn’t realize there was a system and a calendar to pitch the media. I was pitching national magazines a few weeks before I wanted to appear in them. I made so many mistakes when I first started pitching. I pitched holiday gift guides in November.
If you want a little head start on what the magazine might already be covering which instantly makes your pitch a warm pitch because you know they are covering that topic, check out editorial calendars. Hard to think that far ahead. That being said, isn’t it worth it to have millions of people learn about your product service or brand?
Just look at magazine covers. And learn how to pitch the media and start incorporating that into your everyday marketing, because I know of no better way than to get hundreds of thousands, millions of people learning about your business. You want to create great hooks. And you want to find the right journalist. Hooks are super easy.
Give them great content in a format they can use on their platform and you will be light years ahead of others when pitching the media. Create a great hook – look at magazine covers for ideas. Be newsworthy – try newsjacking. Find the right journalist – use Google! The formula works. It’s proven.
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