Speaker 1: Michelle Mechie is a veteran award-winning broadcast journalist and public relations executive who has led high-profile marketing and PR campaigns for some of the nation's most innovative brands, businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profits. Michelle is part of the prestigious International Public Relations Network, Forbes Agency Council, and Women's Business Enterprise National Council. Michelle graduated from Northwest University, achieving her bachelor's and master's degree from the renowned Medill School of Journalism. She is also the founder and president of Mechie Media Relations, a boutique PR agency that has strategically partnered with a wide variety of industry leaders, helping them tell their stories to new audiences to fuel their growth. Michelle got her start in television news, spending over a decade as a senior producer and news writer for Fox TV in Chicago. She transitioned from journalism to PR and marketing, working at top agencies and using her insider media knowledge and widespread connections to achieve top-tier coverage for clients ranging from startups to global powerhouses. Welcome Michelle.

Speaker 2: Thank you so much. Well, I'm very excited to be here to talk to you guys today about thinking like a journalist. I have to say this is probably what I call the biggest secret sauce of public relations. If you understand how to think like a journalist, you will be successful in your PR career or in any aspect of PR that you attempt. So today I'm going to share with you my insights from my years of experience working in both journalism and PR. So just to start off, this is my agency, a small portion of my team. I started Mechie Media actually six years ago, just to give you a little insight. But I've been in the industry over 25 years working in television and also for over a decade in PR before starting my own company. And what we truly are experts in is PR and media relations and getting publicity for our clients in a whole range of industries and verticals. And a lot of the tried and true techniques that we use truly come from my experience from my days as a journalist. So to give you a little bit of background on that, I actually worked for 12 years as a television producer for Fox in Chicago, worked my way up starting as a news writer on the overnight shift, all the way up to a senior producer where I was in charge of booking all the content on the morning shows. And I was pitched by hundreds and hundreds of PR people on a daily basis who truly were trying to get my attention. And I learned through all my years doing this, what some of those publicists really got right and what some really got wrong, and there was a lot missing in how they were trying to reach producers and journalists like me. So today, what I'm going to really talk to you about and teach you is how to think like a journalist in your publicity careers and in your work, so you truly can capture the attention of journalists like me. So let's dive in. How do you think like a journalist? First of all, you have to understand, what is today's media landscape? Back when I was at Fox, I worked on a team of about 10 producers at one point, and that whittled down to about one producer on those shows. So journalists are truly quite short-staffed in newsrooms across the country. They're absolutely overwhelmed with stories, and they really need the help of great PR people to work with them to get great content in their publications. Now whether it's print, online, broadcast, or podcasts, helping journalists do their job is really going to make them more likely to accept your pitch and work with you on an ongoing basis. When I was at Fox, I had about five PR people that I went to on a regular basis because I knew they really understood what I was looking for. So that's the first thing, is really understand that they need you, and you just have to serve up ideas to them that are really going to capture their attention and help them do their job. So how do you do this? First of all, as journalists, we're taught extensively how to identify stories and angles that make up news, right? What truly is newsworthy? That's the bread and butter of what journalists do. Now PR people also learn that, but it doesn't come quite as naturally to you. You learn it very much from the promotional and the brand perspective, but if you want to land in news, you have to understand what makes a story newsworthy. How are you going to fit in to the news of the day? How are you going to take that client and shape them to be newsworthy? And that's really what this is all about. So let me show you some examples here. We have a client's news, right, versus the actual news. So as PR professionals, no matter what brand or individual or company we represent, we're always trying to get them attention, get them exposure, and asking our clients, what's new in your company or organization? What can we really talk about? This is how we help understand what we could pitch, but also it could lead to some other issues. So some clients want you to promote all the great stuff they're doing all the time, but is it really worthy of a standalone story, a news article, or a segment? And will promoting that actually achieve their goals? We really need to look at it from all perspectives. And what happens if a client tells you, you know, I'm not really doing anything new but I really want to hire PR just to get me out there. So that leaves publicists like us with a big challenge. What are we going to do, right? How are we going to get them exposure? So what is the goal here and how are we going to make what your client wants newsy? So first of all, we have to think about what do the listeners, viewers, and readers want to know about? What can your client or brand offer that is going to teach them something or bring them something of value? That's really where it starts. When you can really hone in on that and present that to a journalist, that's where we work together seamlessly. So let me give you some examples. Let's say your client is a tax firm, a tax accountancy firm, and they come to you and they say, okay, can you just write a press release and announce how great we are and all the great things we're doing and what we're doing to really service our clients? Of course, we can write that press release. We can put that out there. But is it really going to land in the news, whether it's year-end numbers or whatever they're trying to promote? Truly that's more of a promotional aspect than a news story. So how do we turn that into something that could be newsy, right? What would that pitch look like? So we think about the audience. What do people really want to know about their taxes? After asking this question, let's think about it. There is four different angles that we can come up with, which probably would land you media attention. Ask your client, what are the three biggest benefits to filing taxes early? A lot of people wonder this around tax time. Have your client become that thought leader and the expert? Or what should kids and their parents know before paying college tuition? Another great tip that a tax accountant can give advice on. How can Chicagoans or wherever you are prepare for and adjust to new tax laws? Every year we have new tax laws. This is something very important that viewers, readers, listeners really want to know about. And then let's say you're a new parent. You had a baby. What can you do to write off becoming a parent in the next tax cycle? These are all thought leadership angles, if you can see the difference, versus pitch to the media how great we are and all the great things our company is doing versus actually offering solid advice that you're going to teach the viewer and the listener something. This is how you really think like a journalist. You're getting in their brain now. You're thinking of what story could I put out there with this company, with this individual that's actually going to bring value to our readers and our listeners. That's sort of how you switch the initial thinking on what that client's asking for and teach them, here's how we're going to get you in the news. How do we craft that story without being overly promotional? There are other ways to do it other than thought leadership. For companies, just profiling the leader and their story, the entrepreneur who started the business and offering them up as an expert. Any unique initiatives that are happening in that company, that's what journalists are looking for. Maybe it's something to do with creating a healthy workplace for their team or some sort of annual retreat that is above and beyond what you would expect at a company. These are potential stories or founding stories. We're always fascinated by how did this company start? How did they put 2 and 2 together out of their garage and now become a million dollar company? Those are the angles that journalists are looking for when it comes to a company. Now, when it comes to product, you have to think a little differently. Instead of just promoting this great product, which a journalist may or may not be interested in, but that becomes more of an advertorial piece, not so much a journalism piece. Maybe holiday shopping. When you watch the news around the holidays, you're seeing all the hot holiday gifts or you're seeing what are the trends and what are people spending and what are they buying? Think of how to position your product in that way. Or sustainability products or shopping local. Ways that we can really capitalize on what the journalists are already writing about. Most importantly, think of it as a full story. What's the beginning? What's the middle and the end? In the actual communication that you send to that reporter, give them an outline of what this piece would look like or what this segment or what this radio interview would look like so they are immediately understanding it and are that much quicker to accept your pitch. Now, I've given you some ideas on how to think like a journalist, but of course, finding that angle is only half the battle. Now you actually have to pitch the story, which can definitely be challenging if you don't understand exactly how to do it. So I'm going to walk you through some of my greatest tips here. First of all, press releases are very traditional, but they don't always catch your attention. So we say you need a great pitch. You need a subject line that is going to catch their attention and right away get to the point in the first few sentences. So many times back at my days at Fox, I would get paragraphs and paragraphs and email titles that would just blend in with the hundreds of emails that I was receiving. But how do you really stand out? You have to get right to the point. Here's a poor example and a better example. Number one, taxes. That's all that's going to be in your email title. Really won't catch attention. Introducing yourself, great, but not that exciting to a busy, busy journalist, right? But get right to the point. Subject line. Local CPA offers strategies to file taxes ahead of a busy April. There you go. I know exactly what this pitch is going to be. I know this is timely. I know I need a good expert to talk about this. And so right away, it captures my attention and I'm going to open that email. So that's what we call an email pitch. It's really just to grab their attention. Make sure you have the who, what, when, where, why up high. So we don't have to do a lot of work as a journalist and comb through tons of copy. You want to get right to the point. Of course, what do you put in the content of the email? Okay, I told I taught you what to put in the header, but we need all the key information. Who is going to be doing the interview? Who are you offering up? Maybe it's quotes from them in that pitch. And then, of course, video and photos of the individual are key when it comes to broadcast. They definitely want to see who's the expert we're talking about. If we're pitching a product, we want to see video of it, this day and age, even if it's a social media story or a blog, there's visuals attached with almost any kind of journalism these days. So very important to think through to that level. And at the same time, really think through how are we going to convey this in a clear way? Be as clear and concise and to the point as possible. Don't write a full-out article, like I said, with a ton of copy. Avoid long, lengthy paragraphs. We even like to do bullet points. Bullet point in the highlights of what this individual can offer up. Make every word truly matter. And use links for the journalist within the email. They don't like big, heavy attachments. Sometimes those get returned or go into spam. You want to keep it very easy, very to the point, shorter the better. And of course, if you have a link to the individual that you're pitching and their past media experience, that's extremely helpful if they've done television before, especially if that's what you're trying to pitch. So here's a great email example. Just like I was explaining to you, we have the great header. We have an opening question, which catches attention. And then we get right to the point. We put bullet points here so you can see. Any busy journalist can just scan this and understand. And then the ending is exactly what we're asking. We're asking if they want to learn more. We'd love to offer you an interview, connect you with the expert. So there's no question what this email is about. And you get straight to the point. That is really doing some of the work for that journalist and how to really capture what they would like to see in a pitch. Now, how do you find the right journalist? That is a puzzle in itself these days. The media lists that we put together are constantly changing. We have people switching jobs left and right. We have interns sometimes writing for big major publications. So you really have to do your work and continually update those lists and think through every type of interview target there could be. I listed all of these here on the screen for you. There's broadcast, of course, but then there's radio contacts. There's podcast contacts, which now is also a very big growing aspect of who we pitch and can be very beneficial, especially if you have individuals who want thought leadership and to get exposure. There's local news. There's national news. There could be an in-station interview where they want to have your person in the studio. But sometimes now, especially with Zoom and with the pandemic, so many stations switch to actually covering remotely. So you might be asked to do an interview from your living room on Zoom. So there's a wide variety of opportunities these days. And really think through who is the right target. If you're talking about a business pitch, make sure you're reaching business targets. If you're talking about a feature story or an event, make sure you have the lifestyle coverage in your list. Trade could be something more targeted depending on the type of business you're pitching and the type of company. So really think through, is it a local story? Is it a national story? The more you do this, the better you understand. But also read the news, watch the news, listen to the news. Make sure that you are subscribing to every possible news outlet because that's another big issue in public relations is that not enough PR people really understand the media. And in order to succeed, you have to really understand who are those targets that you want to reach. Make sure you have a stack of magazines on your desk and you're really understanding what the opportunities are. As I said, keep a true pulse on that industry movement in and out of the newsroom. Follow those articles, read those articles. And then I always teach the key to really succeeding in PR is building those relationships. So once you land a story, that's a new relationship for you. Keep in touch with that writer, ask them what they're working on. Maybe if you're local, see if they'd be willing to join you for coffee, invite them to an event, send them a thank you card. They love written thank yous. Or tweet a story that they might have written to give them exposure, tag them in social media. These are great ways to build relationships with journalists that are truly going to pay off as you grow in your career. Now the third and last segment of this that I want to talk to you about is newsjacking to really get in the mind of that journalist. So you may be pitching the greatest companies around and the greatest clients around, but if there's a breaking news story, no one's going to be reading your pitch. They want something relating to the news of the day. And that is another way that PR people can really succeed and become that go-to source for a journalist. We call that newsjacking. So that's why I say really pay attention to what's happening in the news because that way you can understand if I have an expert or a client that maybe is a retail expert or a therapist and there's been a terrible tragedy and people are needing counseling and guidance, a therapist client might be able to go on the news and offer advice for children. There's a lot of breaking news these days when it comes to guns and unfortunate incidents like that. And these are issues that mental health comes into play. So depending on the type of client you represent, think about how they can offer advice or guidance connected to news of the day. And it does happen 24-7. So even though PR is not really a 24-7 industry, I like to say you do need to understand the news and make sure that you're on top of it. As I said, current events, always going to be a way to get your client in the news. For example, let's say a law comes out that would lead to student debt cancellation and it's currently being debated by Congress, does your accountant client have any expert insights that they could offer? Think about it quickly though, right? You can't wait a week. This is news that happens in the moment. So that's another key learning that I always teach my team and the people that work for me is we have to move on this stuff, right? So if you see the news story come out, right away get to your client and see if they could be of service to that journalist and maybe offer commentary. Back when I was a producer, I would jump on those opportunities if a publicist emailed me in the moment. Now when we talk about our clients, we need to have great spokespeople, right? When I have a client that comes to me and says, I want to promote my company, but I don't want to do the interviews. I don't want to be in front of the camera. We have a problem because most media wants a human face. They want to get to know the spokesperson, right? So they're always looking for real people. Think about who in that company, that brand, that business can speak on behalf of them. That is who you should be training to do interviews. For a business growth story, you might want it to be the CEO. For a social impact story, you might want it to be someone else at the company that maybe is involved in different social efforts or an expert at the company. So really think of who's the right match depending on what the pitch is, and it could change depending on the angle. Now once you've identified the spokesperson, not everybody is naturally great on camera. I learned from years in journalism that I would have about 30 seconds to coach someone before they went live on television, and I thought they would be great. As soon as the lights hit and they walked in that studio, everything changed. So you really need to think about who is going to succeed and how to prepare them no matter what interview they may face. That's where media training really comes in handy. And if you bring a great media trained expert to the table, that journalist trusts you and books your client, they are going to come back to you time and time again. Here are some things we train our spokespeople on that you should think about. Key messages. We always have key messages for a client. Those are the core paragraphs of how you speak about that client. And teach your clients, your brand, your expert, how to deliver those key messages. They need to practice. We teach techniques, hooking, bridging, flagging. Believe me, those are all ways to actually control the way you answer a question. These are techniques that can be taught. Some difficult questions. Not everybody knows how to answer a tough question. You don't have to answer all the tough questions. You can say, I can't really speak to that, but here's what I can tell you, my great little phrase to get out of any tough question. Poise and body language. We have to teach them how to sit up straight, how to not have their arms folded and look hostile, how to really be friendly and engaging. Show confidence. And then always practice those mock interviews. If you're working with a journalist, you have an idea what that story is going to be about. Practice it with your client. Make sure they're comfortable. Review some of the tough questions. And you will be much better off with that training. So just to sum up, bringing it all together, when you think like a journalist, you're not just enticing a reporter with a newsworthy story, you're really getting the audience to care. And you're helping them do their job. And that's how you build those relationships and truly succeed in PR. Believe it or not, PR is actually very connected to journalism, which is why a lot of journalists end up going into PR, which is another avenue. But really understanding how to think like them and don't lose that newsworthy nose, you will definitely succeed when you're launching any campaign in public relations.