How to Develop a Story Pitch to Promote Your Book– Part 1

Tips for Getting in front of the TV Camera

Before I became a full-time writer I spent six years working as a television news reporter. I worked in newsrooms around the country, from California to Florida and several places in between. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people, reporting on everything from murders to movie premiers. I’ve read countless press releases and for six years of my life, I pitched stories on a daily basis. In this three part series I will share some of my knowledge with you about how to develop a story pitch, how to reach the right people, and how to be a great interview subject. Let’s start from the beginning– how to get media attention by developing a story pitch. Then we’ll tell you how to use that attention to your advantage.

Become an Expert

You wrote a book– that stands for something. Whether it’s a book on parenting or the history of the Scots-Irish, writing a book makes you an authority on that topic. Position yourself as an expert in your field. Journalists are always looking for experts on certain topics. Why can’t that be you? Take some time to write this down so you’ll be able to clearly communicate what your expertise covers.

Know What’s Going On

I know a lot of people don’t watch the news– too much violence and bad stuff, right? Your local news is likely a bit different. It’s important to know what’s going on in the community you are a part of. Keeping tabs on the big stories of the day will let you know if anything is happening that you (as an expert) can offer input or commentary on. If you see a story that falls into your field of expertise, let the television station know.

Develop a Story Idea

While the fact that you wrote a book is great and all, that act in itself is not interesting enough to make the 6:00 news. I know we’re all busy, but honestly– news reporters are INSANELY busy. Most people could not handle the day-to-day demands and stress that a news reporter faces. Not only do you have to be ready to go each morning with several viable new stories to pitch to your team of producers, but once your story is set you must find the right people to interview, shoot a stand-up, write teases, write the story, log your video, do a live shot and develop more ideas so you can do it all over again tomorrow. Oh, and you have to make sure you do it better and faster than the competition or you’ll get in trouble. With that being said, you will be welcomed with open arms if you already have a great story idea ready to pitch. To be honest, I always found it a little difficult to explain to someone not in the news business what makes something newsworthy. Keep these three characteristics in mind: Timely, emotional, interesting. Your story pitch must always be timely, but if it’s emotional and/or interesting as well, you have a much better shot of getting noticed.

Delivering Your Pitch

Now that I’ve explained what the day of a reporter includes, you can understand that they often don’t have long periods of time to discuss your story with you. Send your idea in the form of a press release directly to a reporter. If at all possible, don’t e-mail it to a general station address. If it’s health related, find out who handles the health beat. Does it have to do with schools or education? There’s likely a reporter that fields those stories, too. E-mail the reporter directly and include your contact information. Follow up after a day or two with another e-mail and possibly a short phone call. If you reach the reporter on the phone, ask if this is a good time to talk before launching into your pitch.

Being Timely

As I mentioned, being timely is crucial for getting coverage. Television stations are about bringing you the news that just happened or is happening. What is the peg that makes your story timely? Are you approaching an important anniversary? Is there a big event coming up that you are organizing? Is there a huge national news story that you can add upon? For instance, the economy is big news. Are you a dental hygienist making extra money because you self-published a book? Then try pitching your story as a way other people can make extra income.

Be Exclusive

One strategy to get attention is to try working with only one station to begin with. Let them know that they are the only crew you are working with. Television producers love exclusive stories. Sometimes this is a good idea because it encourages them to broadcast your story. Other times it backfires because rather than all of the stations covering you, you’re only getting attention from one. If you decide not be exclusive, but you get the attention of one television station, try phoning up another station, and let them know that Channel 8 is doing a piece on you. This may seem like a flashback to 7th grade, but sometimes that tiny bit of pressure works.

Know Your Story

Everybody has a story, but no one thinks they do. Usually it’s the reporter’s job to find it, but in order to get some attention, you can help them along. What is your story? And I’m not just talking about the book that you wrote. Get to the heart of your personal story by thinking about what motivates you, what your passion is and where your emotion comes from. Pretty soon someone will want to tell your story.

Photo Courtesy of Laffy4k

Tags: Authors, Marketing, publishing, story pitch, television story, writers