How to use editorial calendars to increase your chances of media coverage

Every year, in the summer through fall time frame, publications begin releasing their Editorial Calendars for the coming year. This is the time to research your target publications and find out what topics have been scheduled to run starting in January. The stories that appear to be a natural fit for your company, product or service are those on which you will want to focus your placement efforts. Since monthly publications can have a six-month or greater lead-time, it is not too early to start pitching involvement in stories now.

Here's the process:

1. Make a list of the publications that reach your best audiences/potential customers.
2. If you have a media research service or product -- such as Cision ( http://us.cision.com/ ), MEDIAtlas ( http://info.prnewswire.com/mediatlas/logincontent/pro duct_info.shtml), or the like -- the next step is easy. Enter your search terms and a list of opportunities will be shown on your computer screen.
3. If you do not have such a service, you need to do a little legwork yourself.
4. Enter the URL for the publication you are targeting. If the URL is not intuitive (for instance, The Wall Street Journal's URL is www.wsj.com), use your computer's search engine to find the publication. Once you're on its home page, search for the section "About Us," "Media Kit" or, if you're lucky, "Editorial Calendar."
5. Once you've located the Editorial Calendar, scan it for entries that are a match for your market focus, product or service. Note the issue in which the story is scheduled to run, and the deadline date for submitting information and/or materials for that story.
6. Repeat this process for each of your target publications, until you have a list of all scheduled stories for the coming year that look like they have potential for your company's involvement.
7. You may find it easier to keep track of your Editorial Opportunities list if you enter all the information into a spreadsheet, such as Excel, so you can easily add, subtract, and sort opportunities as you act upon them.

Now comes the hard part! You've got to customize your pitch/approach for each editorial opportunity. One size does not fit all.

Step One
Make sure you are familiar with the publication and writer you will be contacting for each editorial opportunity on your list. If you can read an issue or two, that is ideal. If not, at least get to know it better from the information on their website. Try to find past articles the writer has done, to get a sense of his or her main areas of interest, so you can angle your pitch to those areas.

Step Two
Write down the key reasons why the information you have to offer the writer will be of value to the story. Answer the question: How can I make it easier for the writer to write an interesting and informative story that will engage and benefit the audience for whom it is being written? Write a short pitch that can be used in an e-mail and on which you can base a phone conversation.

Step Three
Line up real-life examples that support the key points you have put together in your pitch, such as customers who will say how they have solved a problem and achieved success using your product or service. If possible, also provide a third-party expert who can objectively speak to the topic of the story.

Step Four
Respect the writer's time when you contact him or her. Keep the call short and get to the point immediately. If the writer decides to include your company, product or service in the story, make it a top priority to get him or her the materials and schedule requested interviews as quickly as you can.

Repeat for each opportunity on your list. Yes, it's time-consuming, but it will pay off with quality visibility in some of your most-desired publications.

Remember, there is symbiotic relationship between PR practitioners and journalists that benefits everyone in some way: Through writers and editors, PR people get their clients or customers valuable editorial coverage in target publications. Through PR people, writers and editors get useful information, contacts and content for their stories.

And, you get the credibility that only a media placement can impart.

Shock PR publicized the launch and kick-off meeting of the EntreTech Forum, sponsored by Northeastern University in Boston. The first meeting attracted 100 attendees. The Forum is designed for those interested in technology innovation and marketing collaboration and networking with fellow entrepreneurs, business and government executives, investors, and technology researchers. www.entretechforum.org

Christine Shock was invited to participate in a panel discussion at Boston University's College of Communication (COM) on Oct. 17 as part of the kick-off of the Harold G. Buchbinder Entrepreneurial Media Studies Competition, which presents full-time BU COM graduate students with an opportunity to create, research and develop a business plan supporting innovative products and services in the communications field. Christine will continue to be involved in the competition as a mentor and judge. http://www.bu.edu/com/index.shtml

When researching editorial calendars, keep in mind that you could provide an informative sidebar to accompany a main feature article. A sidebar can be a listing of resources, tips, or survey results -- little nuggets of valuable information that editors frequently welcome. Even if you're not featured in the article, getting press in a sidebar is great visibility.

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