Dan Janal

PR Coach Dan Janal

Many people make the mistake of thinking that if they get on the Oprah show, they will become famous and get rich.

That’s far from true.

In fact, unless you have a real blockbuster story that ties in with what Oprah wants to talk about, you’ll be headed for a dead end.

That’s the case with many people.

You might think that everyone wants to know about your news but that’s far from true. Only a limited number of people and a very limited number of media outlets give a hoot about your news.

If you try to pitch your story to reporters who don’t care, then you will waste your time and theirs.

You must accept the fact that you must target your message to a select number of media outlets or you will quickly go broke and burn out.

Fortunately, it is fairly easy to find reporters who do want to write about you. Here are four ways to find reporters who want to write about you.

1. Join a leads service like PR LEADS. Reporters who need to find sources send their requests to PR LEADS, which then sends the relevant leads to you. You send your answers to the reporter and if she likes the info, she’ll print it.  This system is very easy and very cost effective. There are several leads services, but only PR LEADS offers leads from the best media outlets and also provides hands-on training and customer support. For information, go to www.PRLEADS.com

2. Buy a media database of reporters in your field. These lists show the names, addresses, phones and emails for reporters in a given field, such as business, health or travel. The more specific you are, the better the list will be. For example, health is a big list. But cardiology is a smaller list and more specific. While some big companies want you to spend $2,500 or more on an annual service, you can find lists for as little at $197 for unlimited use at www.BullsEyePublicity.com

3. Find out what your prospects read and target those publications. Do some research among your buyers and you’ll find that they read only a handful of publications or websites regularly. Target those media and you’ll be able to create a time-efficient publicity campaign.

4. Once you find those reporters, follow their blogs and Tweets. Most reporters post online in several formats so it is easy to see what they are writing about. Better yet, you can respond to reporters and start to build a relationship with them. Compliment them on their stories. Add feedback and tips or ideas to help them and their readers. They’ll appreciate it and they might contact you in the future when they need information.

If you follow these simple free publicity tactics, you’ll find that you will build a great network of reporters who want to write about you.