Our second Take 5 Live on LinkedIn Live with Heather White found us discussing pitching tips for radio and so much more.
1. According to our 2020 State of the Media Report, distrust in the media has declined for the 4th year in a row (in the eyes of journalists). Do you see signs of this in your own work?
The key to trust is building a real relationship with your audience over time. There is no quick-fix or substitute for real human connection.
2. What is the most helpful thing PR and communications professionals can do for journalists in the current environment?
First: Do your homework! Don't pitch a classic country station something about reggae. If you send enough completely off-base pitches, your emails will be ignored because it will be assumed that they're irrelevant.
Don't be the "boy who cried wolf" but for pitches.
3. What are some better pitching tips for PR and comms pros who are pitching radio?
Keep the format in mind; something completely visual obviously isn't going to work for radio. And the most important thing is to make sure you're sending something to the right person. Getting an email for someone who hasn't worked at a station for 15 years is both absurd and demoralizing.
4. What do you wish PR and comms pros understood about radio?
Like television, radio has really short amounts of time. Understand that you're working within this parameter when you're crafting a pitch.
Also consider that radio is often in the background of someone's morning routine, so how can your story really stand out and grab attention?
5. Also in our 2020 SOTM report, many respondents said one of the biggest challenges to their jobs is changes in social media algorithms. Do you see this in your job?
Yes; while our audience isn't on TikTok every day, we are still trying to grow our morning show audience on social networks and every time a post gets lost in the ether it's frustrating. It feels like as soon as you get it down, they change the rules.
