If So, Don’t Miss This Window of Opportunity for Media Coverage

I know, I know…the holidays are upon us. And we are all scrambling to get everything done at this busy time of year – professionally and personally.

But there are important actions that you need to be taking now to ensure the New Year starts with a really big bang for your company (if you’re a CEO), your service (if you’re a professional consultant) or your book (if you’re an author).

This is the time of year when the media is lining up its expert guests for January. That is traditionally when radio and TV hosts talk about New Year’s resolutions and “new year, new you” advice for their audiences. If you’ve got a book, product, or service that ties into resolutions that people are making to improve their personal or professional lives in the New Year, you’ve got to start right now in order to be considered for one of the coveted expert guest slots!

And the competition is fierce. PR firms and publicists around the country are all pitching their clients now for this valuable exposure. And keep in mind that, not only are there a limited number of interview opportunities, but producers and journalists are only going to choose one expert to interview for any specific topic. Topics that get a lot of play at the start of each New Year include:

• Health – does your product, book or service help people get more healthy?
• Fitness – can you help consumers do more to tone and strengthen their bodies?
• Wealth – do you help individuals and families understand strategies to improve their financial position?
• Debt Strategies – will consumers who are facing creditors and/or bankruptcy be interested in your information or product?
• Home Improvement – lots of people plan for major expenditures on their homes at the start of the year. Make sure your message is the one they hear as they consider their options.
• Charitable Giving – if your foundation relies upon donations from corporations to fund your projects each year, this is when.
• Or Any Other Topic – that you can tie in with the start of the New Year, and the goals people are making for themselves.

In order to take advantage of this seasonal opportunity, you need to figure out how to tie your message into the New Year’s angle so you can be considered for one of those coveted interview slots. The next step is to identify the media in your area with an audience that would be interested in your message. How do you do that?

• Newspapers – Read through and find the column that most suits your message. For example, if your message is about getting a new job, find out who the career or jobs editor is in your local daily paper. The contact information will be either in the paper itself or on the newspaper’s website.
• Talk Radio – Scan through the different shows on your AM dial. When you hear a show that matches your message, for example, finance, health, politics, etc. listen for the name of the host, go to the station’s website, and you’ll find contact information.
• TV – Watch your local morning news shows. Be aware of the types of guests they interview, or segments that they do. Most morning news shows are light and fluffy and require some kind of visual. As with radio and newspapers, seek out the right contact off the station’s website.

In each case, make sure to develop your pitch to meet the format of each specific media outlet. Offer the producer or journalist a New Year’s resolution topic idea that ties into your expertise and message and will allow you to show how what you offer can help people achieve their New Year’s goals. With print, you want to pitch a story idea. With radio, come up with an interesting interview idea that would be about 10 minutes long and would enable you to get your sound-bite message out. With TV, present the interview concept, but make sure to include what the visual will be.

This is a great window of opportunity and you don’t want to miss it!

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