Use a pitch letter to initiate a conversation with a reporter. Show you are familiar with their prior news stories and your idea aligns with them. Underscore how readers will benefit from your insights. Include your contact information for follow-up.
Assemble the names and email in a database or spreadsheet. Keep track of these details:
Outlet Name
First Name (useful for merge mail)
Last Name
Email address
Phone
Status of latest contact
Reporters call the people they know. Perhaps you have missed out on being included in some articles because they are not aware you are a potential source on those topics.Plan to introduce yourself to the relevant business and industry reporters at the local newspaper, city/regional business magazine and industry newsletter serving your target market. Use a Media Profile from this e-book: https://bit.ly/339dtNs
When a reporter calls you out of the blue, take the call and reschedule for a time when you are prepared to speak on the topic. The reporter is going to write the story, with or without you, so practice a script that grants you 30 minutes to prepare your remakrs and gather additional information.
Of course, you will follow up with the reporter, even if you have to dodge some questions because you don’t have enough information to respond in that moment. You probably may safely say that you are looking carefully at the situation’ (you are in touch with your attorney) and you will re-connect with the reporter as more details become available.
While this response may not be quotable, it tells the reporter you are attentive to their interest in the story and will remain accessbile for future comment.
Janet spoke at the fall conference of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) New York chapter on the topic of working with the press, a discussion that I organized. Janet’s participation was enthusiastically received by this group of plaintiff-side employment lawyers, and several participants commented to me that the presentation was very helpful. Janet’s recommendations […]
Do not ask for, nor expect to receive, a preview of the article or your quote. How do you like it when a coworker hovers over your shoulder while you compose a report?
Instead, team up with the reporter. Perhaps you will say: I know we’ve covered a lot of ground in this conversation, some of which is rather technical. If you have any questions about what we’ve discussed, or would like to review anything with me, I’m happy to help.
Better to ask when the article will be published, so that you can promote it on your social media accounts and include it in your newsletter. Reporters will be happy to learn you will drive your contacts to read it.
Here are three questions to get you started. Which problem have you recently solved for a client? Which referral source would make a good partner to package a story idea? Which reporter at an industry newsletter or a local business magazine is likely to open your gift for a news article? Start brainstorming from any of these points of departure and see where you land.
We worked with Janet on a presentation that she gave to Women in Funds. Following the event, there was immediate feedback from at least half the people who attended – all of whom had glowing reviews. It was unanimously positive and people found it very helpful. We would love to do this event again with […]
Speak up. Your predictions might be right, but don’t be concerned if they don’t work out. Twelve months from now, no one will hold you accountable, even if your ideas turn out to be off the mark. Instead, reporters will remember that you had a forecast, and they will re-connect to hear your perspective for the following year.
I am thrilled to recommend Janet Falk’s PR services for law firms. I recently retained Janet to work on some firm related PR initiatives. I drafted an article for publication. Janet was fantastic about editing it, making additional recommendations, and, once finalized, she was able to get the article placed with a reputable publication on […]
Consider these ways to share the news about your company, instead of issuing a press release:
Send an email announcement to your clients and referral sources, plus your many contacts
Add a pop-up window or prominent mention on your website
Insert attention-grabbing text in your email signature
Post the news on your individual and company social media accounts
Mention the update to members of your networking groups
Of course, you should also take these steps to support the press release you’re issuing.
One of my business goals was to write an article for a leading nonprofit magazine read by prospective clients. I published my article thanks to Janet’s guidance, strategy, support, editorial skills and her gentle reminders to stay on track. She even taught me how to promote the published article. Thank you Janet!
Janet gave a terrific workshop at my firm, to a group of women attorneys from various walks of the profession, on how best to position oneself as a resource for the press. At my request, she tailored her presentation to that audience, so that her comments and suggestions were specific and relevant; she was also […]
With Janet’s help, one of our cases received local and nationwide attention from print and internet news outlets, and even from television producers. We highly recommend Janet and believe her efforts have helped raise the firm’s profile.
Janet Falk is a great practical motivator: the term requires a definition. Some people are very good at setting you off in the right direction in your career, but they don’t know the mechanics of how to get there. Janet does both. When first I met her, I had been down-sized and had vague ideas […]
If you’re an attorney looking for press coverage, Janet can show you the various tools that will help you to get ‘in’ with reporters and journalists. It’s a no brainer for private practitioners, regardless of the substantive area of law they handle. Trust her, she knows what she’s talking about.
Being contacted by a reporter is like the lottery; you have to be in it to win it. Use a Media Profile to introduce yourself to journalists as someone who has her finger on the pulse of the industry. Think of trends that you see looming on the horizon. Consider big picture ideas that will spark interest in your insights. Is there an upcoming deadline that companies must meet? Anticipate how this may impact businesses in a specific industry or local area. Your ideas should help an individual, business owner or an executive to Save Time, Save Money or Make More Money.
Janet says “Reporters call the people they know; they don’t call someone they never heard of.” She introduced me to a reporter for an interview on employment law. After my quotes were published in an online article, another reporter from the same publication contacted me on a different employment issue. She quoted me twice in […]
Janet had great insights on (media relations), a topic that’s foreign to a lot of lawyers. She kept our audience of solo attorneys and legal professionals completely engaged.
Janet promoted Staten Island Legal Services’ first fundraising luncheon in 2013 to The New York Law Journal. She was able to secure an article in advance of the event, which is very unusual, and that news story helped us sell more tickets. The NYLJ also came to the event and provided coverage of the luncheon […]
It’s not easy to get on the front page of The New York Law Journal, and it’s usually for something bad. Here, we are on the front page and it’s for doing good! Thank you, Janet.
Help the reader or audience achieve the outcome. Now that you’ve educated the reader, listener or attendee, in most cases, your goal is for the person to contact you for your product or service.
When you want someone to give you a call, send you an email, visit your website or download a report, you have to provide them with the essential mechanism to take that step.
This is one of the few times in my career when the realization exceeded the anticipation. Even though Janet was highly recommended by several professionals in the Public Relations industry, this Southern gentleman was not excited about doing business with a New Yorker. I must confess she did an outstanding job for our company. Not […]
Janet graciously guest speaks in my NYU graduate class in Marketing. Her presentations are thoughtfully put together and demonstrate numerous points with clearly articulated case histories from different sectors. She presents a wealth of expertise and is very generous with her time and patient with student questions. Janet also speaks at my FastTrac New Venture […]
Janet gave a presentation How YOU Can be the Attorney Reporters Call at the New York City Bar Association. It was absolutely fabulous.
Janet Falk was a wonderful guest lecturer at our Farmingdale State College Public Relations class. Janet shared a wealth of knowledge about a variety of public relations topics. Prior to the class, we discussed what had been taught already and she tailored her presentation to expand on their PR knowledge base. Janet covered a vast […]
I highly recommend Janet Falk, a networking colleague who gives freely of her time to members of the group. When she noticed a reporter wanted a source to comment on first-time home buyers, she sent me the request, plus she suggested how to respond. I was contacted by the reporter and was thrilled to be […]
Thanks so much for making this happen! Heather [Cabot of the TODAY Show] made YardShare sound very cool! Great job…loved the segment.
Consider the industries in which your clients operate along these lines. Look into your crystal ball for themes to share with reporters:
Trends, Competition, Consolidation, Regulation, Legislation, Litigation.
… the NYLJ (New York Law Journal) reported on our recent move and developments in the practice. We couldn’t have made that happen without Janet.
Getting in the media is a great way for a small business to establish and grow its credibility, and generate interest in its products and services. Janet provided practical and easy to implement tips that any small business can follow. My NYC Small Business FastTrac students found these tips invaluable.
Janet helped me achieve my dream as a pianist: to play in a concert at Carnegie Hall. First, she arranged for The New York Daily News and The New York Times to interview me about a benefit recital I gave at the Brooklyn Music School. […] I was asked to audition for [The New York […]
Janet did not know anything about our business and, very quickly, she totally understood it and she makes sure the reporters get it, too.
It was Janet’s wonderful press release that put us over the top and sold the story to The New York Times.
[Janet] secured announcements in The New York Times Weekend Calendar on multiple occasions; these generated increased attendance — and donations — at our walking tours and exhibitions. Sometimes, 85–90% of the attendees read about the program in the newspaper!
Although new to the art licensing industry, Janet familiarized herself very quickly and used her business-savvy to develop unique story angles, which resulted in unprecedented coverage of the annual SURTEX trade shows in 2012 and 2013.
The New York Times Weekend Calendar featured a large photo of the cherry blossom trees and write-up, as did other publications. Janet’s media outreach generated TRIPLE the expected attendance [at the First Annual Cherry Blossom Festival on Roosevelt Island] and contributed to the program’s continuation in subsequent years.
Prepare for your podcast interview by assembling a list of topics, illustrating them with examples and using visual imagery to spice up your language. After a series of points, circle back to summarize them. These tips will make your remarks more memorable.
Look at the bigger picture from the perspective of a dentist, landlord and supermarket clerk. What is their desire or need in the community? For themselves? For their business? Which are the most pressing issues for them regarding time and money? Invite a dentist, landlord or clerk for a coffee chat, ask these questions and listen as you put yourself in her shoes.
Make an appointment with yourself to address one of the seven Communication goal questions each day for the next week. As a reminder, when setting a Communication goal, the acronym S M A R T guides you to successful completion of the goal: Specific, Meaningful, Action Oriented, Realistic and Timely.