From now until June, you’ll be seeing articles about journalists whose newspapers, magazines, TV stations and radio stations have won industry awards.
The American Society of Newspaper Editors, for example, announced its 2005 winners recently.
Why is this important to Publicity Hounds? Because these awards are important to journalists.
And if one of the award-winners happens to be a media contact, or someone you’d like to get to know better, sending a hand-written thank-you note congratulating them for their award can pay huge dividends.
So keep your eyes open for more of these articles and for things such as the Arbitron and Neilson ratings. They’re great chances for you to stay on the radar screens of your media contacts.
Once you have their attention, it’s time to pitch your story idea. But what happens if you pitch, and get no response? Publicity expert Jill Lublin says it’s far too early to give up. In fact, you should follow up seven times. That’s how long it might take to catch a journalist’s attention. Jill was my guest during a teleseminar called "Failproof Ways to Follow Up After Sending a News Release or Pitch Letter." It’s available as a CD or downloadable transcript that you can be reading within minutes after your order is approved.