How to Get Reporters to Chase Your News Story

Written by Rusty Cawley


Continued from page 1

3. Is your company clearly an expert in studying, confronting or solving this problem?

Ifrepparttar answer is yes to all three questions, you have a solid candidate for a threat that you can tackle inrepparttar 124451 news media.

To work as a news story,repparttar 124452 threat must be something that will worryrepparttar 124453 average reader or viewer. To work as a news source, you or your company must present itself as an expert aboutrepparttar 124454 problem.

Here’s a very important point to remember aboutrepparttar 124455 “expert” factor: It’s not necessary for you to have an immediate solution torepparttar 124456 problem. In fact, it’s usually better thatrepparttar 124457 threat not have an immediate solution.

Here’s an example from recent history:repparttar 124458 “energy crisis” fromrepparttar 124459 summer of 2001. For weeks,repparttar 124460 national news was dominated by soaring prices atrepparttar 124461 gas pump and by rolling electrical blackouts alongrepparttar 124462 West Coast.

Judging fromrepparttar 124463 intensity ofrepparttar 124464 coverage, one might have thought civilization was about to end. Behindrepparttar 124465 scenes,repparttar 124466 federal government took action to increaserepparttar 124467 supplies of both gasoline and electricity.

Prices fell. Blackouts ended.

Suddenly,repparttar 124468 story was no longer a story.

Isrepparttar 124469 problem gone? Of course not. The United States remains far too dependent upon foreign oil. Butrepparttar 124470 immediate threat was solved, andrepparttar 124471 news value was destroyed.

The threat remains news only as long as it remains a threat. A solution resolvesrepparttar 124472 on-going news story, and thus kills its news value.

However, as an expert, it is good for you to propose a solution that is:

1. Innovative. You identify a problem, then propose a solution that other experts are missing.

2. Inrepparttar 124473 works. You identify a problem, then propose a solution that is plausible, but that will require commitment from someone important –repparttar 124474 public,repparttar 124475 government,repparttar 124476 private sector, etc. – to develop and produce. If you can demonstrate that your company is takingrepparttar 124477 lead in discovering this solution, that’s even better.

The PR Rainmaker knows: When you choose a controversy, make sure it’s one with a long shelf life.

Copyright 2003 by W.O. Cawley Jr.

Rusty Cawley is a 20-year veteran journalist who now coaches executives, entrepreneurs and professionals on using the news media to attract customers and to advance ideas. For your free copy of the hot new ebook “PR Rainmaker,” please visit www.prrainmaker.com right now.


Why Reporters Like 'Bad' News

Written by Rusty Cawley


Continued from page 1

Then came Watergate, which gave Woodwardrepparttar opportunity to apply all his well-honed, field-tested skills to dismantlingrepparttar 124450 Nixon administration.

This is how a suburban beat reporter becomes Bob Woodward.

So:

If a reporter tours your job site before a groundbreaking ceremony, and sees a laundry list of OSHA violations, expectrepparttar 124451 violations to appear inrepparttar 124452 story.

If a reporter visits your headquarters to profile your CEO, and happens to view a layoff order on an assistant’s desk, expect to seerepparttar 124453 layoff reported inrepparttar 124454 news media.

If a reporter attends a preview of your newest product, and comes across a consumer advocate who believes your product is a threat to public health, expect to seerepparttar 124455 advocate’s comments prominently played inrepparttar 124456 article.

The point of Cawley’s Theorem is not to make you fearful ofrepparttar 124457 news media. The point is to make you keenly aware that there is risk as well as reward in dealing with reporters.

You cannot control whatrepparttar 124458 reporter reports. You must deal with this basic truth. Your CEO must deal with it. Your entire company culture must deal with it.

Likerepparttar 124459 rest of us, journalists are looking to advance in their careers. There’s no faster way to advance in journalism than by winningrepparttar 124460 Pulitzer.

And you winrepparttar 124461 Pulitzer with brass-knuckle reporting.

The PR Rainmaker always keeps in mind: The reporter is never your friend and is never looking out for your best interests.

Copyright 2003 by W.O. Cawley Jr.

Rusty Cawley is a 20-year veteran journalist who now coaches executives, entrepreneurs and professionals on using the news media to attract customers and to advance ideas. For your free copy of the hot new ebook “PR Rainmaker,” please visit www.prrainmaker.com right now.


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