Pitching Boot Camp
Winning Over Journalists and Bloggers in the New Media Landscape
Category: Media Relations
Media pitching coach Michael Smart’s most popular workshop offers hundreds of intensely practical tips that will instantly boost your media and blog coverage. Those trained by Smart have scored coverage on the front page of The New York Times, in The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, and on CNN and NBC’s “Today.”
You will learn:
- How to take advantage of the upheaval in the media industry.
- Eight “story boosters” that turn ordinary news into stories journalists and bloggers crave.
- The anatomy of perfect phone and email pitches.
- Foolproof ways to determine the correct journalists and bloggers to approach.
- What to say or write to grab attention every time.
- How pitching bloggers is similar to and different from pitching to other media.
- The secret test journalists subconsciously apply to every pitch that has nothing to do with newsworthiness.
- Four proven formulas for winning email pitch subject lines.
- A specific pattern for knowing exactly when to follow up with your media contacts, and when not to.
- What most annoys journalist and bloggers, and how to avoid it!
Materials and lunch provided.
Testimonials
“As someone who’s placed products on the front page of USA TODAY, in The New York Times Style Section and the Los Angeles Times Mag(azine), I admit I was a bit skeptical that Michael’s workshop would be advanced enough to help me. But, I gave it a chance, and within the first hour, he had given me two new angles for one of my clients I had never thought of before. He shows you how PR people have done the impossible, and how you can do it, too.” — Sabina Gault, director of corporate communications, Venture IAB, Los Angeles
“I took Michael’s workshop because I face the challenge of landing national coverage for what is traditionally a regional event — the Indiana State Fair. After applying his research and pitching techniques, I’ve had unbelievable results — USA TODAY ran a half-page article with a photo, and The New York Times reporter I pitched came to the fair and her story (w/photo) ran on the FRONT PAGE. The media response was better than any of us could have ever dreamed, and I believe much of it is a result of implementing some of the strategies Michael taught in his seminar. I’m a firm believer in his approaches.” — Andy Klotz, Indiana State Fair
Instructor
Michael Smart, principal of MichaelSMARTPR, has been landing top-tier coverage for 13 years. He also has trained more than 4,500 communicators across the globe on how to boost their media and blog placements, including pros from Allstate, Disney, Verizon, Hilton, Honda, Edelman and many other organizations, large and small. He has been among the top-rated presenters at the PRSA International Conference three times.
Participants earn 2.0 APR Maintenance Credits for a one-day course. For more information on Accreditation maintenance, visit http://www.prsa.org/Learning/Accreditation.
