Exposure

Felicity Cowie is a media relations coach who has helped some of the world’s leading organisations gain extensive news coverage. Having been pitched at least 100,000 story ideas as a journalist she has an insider’s view on what breaks through and why. Her mission is to get early-stage businesses media-ready.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword by Eileen Burbidge

Introduction



‘Why wasn’t that us?’
What is media relations?
How can media relations help YOUR business?

Chapter 1 You need scrutiny, not ANOTHER strategy

Media relations starts in the guts of your business.



Can you articulate what you do in 50 words?
What are your key business objectives – are there holes and conflicts and how to use holding statements and key lines to take
Where’s the proof – case studies

What Journalists Think When You Pitch (A-F)

Chapter 2 Demystified: How you get media coverage, end to end

Journalism is not a dark art. It’s a long-established and hierarchical industry with strict rules and non-negotiable deadlines.



The main rules which journalists are bound by: Time
The main rules which journalists are bound by: Teamwork
A timeline of how the pitching process all works

What Journalists Think When You Pitch (G-K)

Chapter 3 Business first, story second

Never fall in love with your story over your business.



Matching your core business objectives to stories
Timing is everything: When do YOU want this coverage (and why)?
Finding the right journalists

What Journalists Think When You Pitch (L-P)

Chapter 4 Tomorrow’s chip paper or the feeding frenzy

Success! You get your coverage. But this immediately leads to two new challenges. Your coverage is over before it starts, or it accelerates. And you need to plan for both before you start out.



Amplifying all media coverage
Planning for and coping with intense media interest: For the business owner
Planning for and coping with intense media interest: For the business and its wider relationships

What Journalists Think When You Pitch (Q-U)

Chapter 5 Implementing infallible processes

Most businesses don’t know where to put media relations.



Embedding tried and tested tools
Briefing to recruit the right skills – in house
Briefing to recruit the right skills – agency

What Journalists Think When You Pitch (V-Z)

Media Relations Toolkit



How to write a press release with the only template you will ever need
How to find the right journalists cheat sheet
How to pitch your story to any journalist in 7 steps (with script)
Critical housekeeping to avoid knowledge loss and reinventing the wheel/How to store media contacts and coverage
How to create a job description/invitation to tender/request for proposal to get the right skills
Method to describe your business concisely using a 50 Mighty Words quadrant to check/keep everybody is on the same page through opportunities and risks

Key terms

Acknowledgements