Media Request -- What to do now that you have media nibbling on the line


Congratulations! The door is opening a crack. What you get out of this opportunity is in large part now in your hands. So think about it and prepare accordingly to act so that you get the most out of this. Take a day or so, think this through, and prepare a quality package.


Don't knee-jerk and send just the book, unless you are going to trust the book on its own with no additional help.


My advice is to first do some research on-line at the magazine web site or at the bookstore magazine rack and study the magazine and even the reviewer/journalist.


Identify your opportunities. Study how they write, what they write, and how they publish. identify the four or five possible things that can happen. Then prepare and submit those facts and story lines and angles that can make it easy for the media to produce what you are asking for.


You take aim at providing the journalist with whatever he or she needs to create the best possible feature story or article or review.


At a bare minimum you can send the book and a bio.


But IF YOU ARE AIMING HIGH, you want a feature story so you must provide the information in your media kit, so that the journalist or editor can do their job easily and quickly. You send other information that you have and put it into a *media kit*, depending what you are aiming at, and what you have to offer.


A media kit is a package of information specifically designed to capture the media's attention. The specific information you include is communicated in a strategic way to encourage newspapers, radio shows, magazines and trade journals, and television shows and stations to cover your story.


Your media kit toolbox needs to contain the effective materials you can use to reach persuade media to create and publish your newsworthy stories.


A good media kit toolbox can contain any number of items:


· Several Articles
· Backgrounders
· Fact Sheets
· Key Person Bios
· FAQ’s
· B&W and Color Pictures
· Interview Questions and Answers
· Marketing Plans
· Media Clippings/media history coverage
· Testimonials
· Quotes
· Review copies - autographed
· Cover letter
· Idea Proposals
· News angles
· Interview topics
· Myths & Legends
· Brochures
· Tour schedules
· Success stories/case studies
· CD Rom or diskette with information and materials
· Video
· Tips
· Tests
· Tools


You must place these materials into an attractive and distinctive folder or holder of some kind. Some people use a glossy paper and glue the cover of their book to the cover. The goal is to be noticeable and to stand out from the stack of other materials the media may receive and have on their desks.


Each one of these can be one to two pages single sided or back to back. You can do it yourself or hire a graphics designed to create a color laser printed set of materials the sky is the limit, but your pocket book will determine how you prepare these materials. Some media kits are very modest but still effective. Some media kits will easily cost $5.00 per set plus the book. You can be quite imaginative when it comes to your media kit.


But the bottom line is to just be realistic and relevant.


A proper media kit contains the materials you need to be persuasive with your media. It must support your goal getting publicity. It may be that some media need more, some need less. Others may want this, while others need that. If you find that the materials you send don't produce, improve them till they do. Use what works, get rid of what doesn't work. Improve constantly.


So you pick what you need based on what you believe your media will want. And by all means be generous. Remember the goal is persuasion, so content, and quality counts.


Your goal is to have enough information readily available to supply the media with at least five completely self-sufficient, stand alone articles or story angles. You do this to allow media choice, and also to demonstrate your adaptability and the diversity of your newsworthiness.


Photography is worth special attention. Make sure you include both black and white and low and high resolution color photography. Low resolution can be 72 dpi. High resolution should be either 300 or 600 dpi.


You can and should offer photography in a variety of sizes, and indicate that it can be either downloaded immediately, or delivered via e-mail as zipped jpegs (up to ten MB) upon request.


The high resolution color photography in particular will attract the most attention to your book, (or product or service) if it tells a human interest story, highlights a local news angle, and provokes strong deep feelings or
intense desire.


Forget the boring straight headshot. Look at those MTV video's our kids are watching day in and out and realize that the sexy and provocative is what editors and producers are looking for.


The human body in motion is a visual experience. For many it's a visual turn on. The photography can't be boring if it is to be successful. It must sizzle. Sure sex sells. But you don't have to go there if you don't want to. You can explore the visual aspects of a book, product or service in all sorts of professional or action oriented settings.


In one of my questionnaires to the media, high-resolution color photography was most often cited as the sole distinguishing feature of a press kit or media kit. It was this that got the editors attention more than any other piece of offered information. If you make the file available on-line, make sure you have a crisp clear picture of it for the media to see.


Add a one line Title, which describes the photograph. Then write and post a 50 to 100 word descriptive caption. Make the description have high interest and high impact.


Know your media, know your goals, create and transmit what you need to be successful.


Once you create a media kit, you also should put *Put Your Media Kit On-line.*


Create your media kit toolbox, and place it at your web site. On the front or home page, identify it prominently and a news room or media center and make sure you have a prominent and easy link that goes straight to the goodies. This media center will make it easy and entertaining for media to write articles about you while you sleep.


Pack your on-line media kit with oodles of information and ready to use data. Make high resolution color and black and white pictures available via e-mail upon request or via instant download.


Photography in your on-line media kit is crucial. The photographs will often be the single factor that stimulates editor interest and drives them to make a decision to do a feature story.


The story is built around the picture. With your book, you can select and offer photography that suggests or parallels what you would like to see in a feature story. You can actually create a feature story and provide the picture that complements the story.


Add to your press center regularly.


FINALLY


Send the package US Priority Mail. Don't send it media mail or even First Class. You don't have to over do it with overnight delivery, but don't under power it either.


You may want to send it with confirmation so you know that it arrived safely.


Now what you don't want to do is then call up and harass the media person about the book. Typically, it will take two to four weeks for them to get to the project.


You may want to include a stamped mail reply card, and let them send it to you.


If you wrote a personal letter, then you can ask them to send the reply card along with any review comments.


You should wait at least two weeks before you make a phone call to follow up.


Your call should not be to ask "did you get my package?".


You should call and say that "what can you do to help them?" and then pay close attention to see if they've identified some specific need that you can fulfill with more information.


Think a few steps ahead of them, and anticipate their needs.


This question: "Can I send you some high resolution color or black and white jpegs of the book and the author?" works wonders and keeps the door open to better coverage. Then ask for an email and transmit immediately.


You can and should use media kits at each stage in your book publicity plan. They must serve the desired purpose and be written to achieve that goal. You transmit them in advance to key media and immediately after receiving a request.


REMEMBER - when you send a book and a media kit to a journalist who has made a request, you are establishing a personal and professional relationship. if you do a little homework and you tailor the presentation, you nail what they need to do a great review or story, and you distinguish yourself from other publicity seekers. You deliver ready-to use individualized materials specifically for an identified editor.


This is simply the best way to be successful with media. Working with them one on one.