When you're trying to persuade a reporter to do a story about you or your business, you're much more likely to succeed if you know how to "talk
talk"No reporter will expect you to act like an insider, but you'll get a lot more respect - and attention - if you can speak language of newsroom.
It’s not like learning Mandarin. In fact, all you need to do is sprinkle your pitch with a couple of catchwords and phrases. For instance:
Newshook - Connecting a story to something that’s already in news makes it more interesting. For instance: a hot topic right now is airline security. A story about a company that’s developing a retinal scan or a handprint identification device would automatically appeal to news decision-makers.
Local Angle - Events happening on a national or even international stage still can have local impact. Most obvious example: when U.S recently began bombing Afghanistan, many local reserve units were called up. That offered a variety of possibilities, including:
Human Interest Stories - We all saw video of destruction at World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Somerset, Pennsylvania. Stories that followed about impact on families who lost loved ones in attacks were human interest stories.
Such stories appeal to everyone because - among other reasons - we all ask ourselves, "What if it were me?"
Follow-ups - If you’re disappointed because a reporter talked to your competitor about something, but not to you, you can probably get your turn by offering a follow up.
