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Paying for PR—and Other Myths of Pitching the Media Mat t S iege l

m a t t @ m a t t s i e g e l m e d i a . c o m

w w w. m a t t s i e g e l m e d i a . c om

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L e t ’ s t a l k a b o u t :

Earned Media MythsD e b u n k i n g f a l s e b e l i e f s a b o u t o r g a n i c p r e s s

Earning media isn’t about waiting for

influencers to discover you in your own

habitat; it’s about the strategy of reaching

out and making connections.

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Wa r m - u p M y t h :

90% of editors wear vintage glasses.S

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Ok. That myth is true. Wa r m - u p M y t h :

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You have to pay for press.The belief: advertorials and sponsored posts are your only

hope, your money is greener than your content, and you

have to pay (see also: bribe) your way into the game.

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M y t h # 1 :

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You don’t—and probably shouldn’t.Money can buy exposure, but it can’t buy interest. And if

you haven’t captured the interest of editors, you’re not

going to capture the interest of readers—not unless you

plan on paying them too. The best results come from

valuable content, not expensive content.

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You have to rely on the kindness of strangers.The belief: covering your brand is akin to charity work, so

you have to find some young and benevolent editor willing

to take a risk by writing about you.

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M y t h # 2 :

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Nope. It’s the other way around. Editors go to sleep at night worrying where their next story

will come from; if you can help remedy that, your content

becomes an asset rather than a liability. It’s all a circle, just

like in The Lion King. Stop worrying about bothering

editors—and start offering them free meal tickets.

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You have to know the right people.The belief: the media runs on personal connections and

secret handshakes. If you don’t have name recognition,

you might as well go home.

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M y t h # 3 :

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No, though it helps to say hello.Cameron Crowe started writing for Rolling Stone when he

was sixteen. If you’re in this room, you have more clout

than he did. But who couldn’t use a little more?

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Other people’s PR teams.S

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L e t ’ s t a l k a b o u t :

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TrackMaven-ing publications.S

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L e t ’ s t a l k a b o u t :

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Editorial calendars.S

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L e t ’ s t a l k a b o u t :

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Questions? matt@matts iegelmedia .com

www.matts iegelmedia .com

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