PRfect Pitch focuses on interviewing media and key event managers who PR agencies pitch regularly on behalf of clients. As the name implies, successful pitching is a key ingredient in achieving results as a public relations professional.
The podcast discusses how and when to pitch a story to editors and producers who in turn learn which PR sources can be trusted to bring them interesting stories that resonate with their audience.
Our tenth guest was Splash Magazine Writer, David Rabadi. In this episode, you’ll hear about how Rabadi discovered his love for listening to someone’s story and decided that journalism was a career path he wanted to follow, the inspiration behind his book, How I Lost My Mind And Found Myself, and more. Here are a few takeaways:
Everyone Wants to be Interviewed
Whether you’re a famous celebrity, struggling to find your way, or the average Joe, everyone wants to be interviewed. This was one part of journalism that Rabadi loves. No one turns down interviews and it gives him the opportunity to learn more about people in the industry that he wouldn’t have learned previously.
One story that particularly stood out to Rabadi occurred with the first assignment he received at Splash Magazines. He was assigned to write about New York Fashion week, but for him, it was boring and didn’t give him the opportunity to make an interpersonal connection with someone participating. This led him to branch out and lock in an interview with Nigel Barker. Here started the rest of his amazing work for the magazine.
Never Be Ashamed of Who You Are
“Don’t ever be afraid to show who you really are because as long as you’re happy with yourself, no one else’s opinion matters” — anonymous
Being who you are is an important part of life. This is something that Rabadi’s book, How I Lost My Mind And Found Myself, focuses on. Not everyone is dealt all the easy cards in life and Rabadi was no exception.
However, even after being diagnosed with a mood disorder and coming out with his sexuality, he felt empowered to keep moving forward and surround himself with the people who will accept him for who he is.
In both his personal life and professional career, Rabadi never forgot who he was and that opened the doors for more opportunities for him to grow.
It Doesn’t Matter Which Media Outlet Has Your News, It Matters Who Breaks it First
We’ve heard in previous PRfect Pitch interviews that reporters love exclusives. Rabadi believes the same. Seeing an exclusive interview opportunity increases the chances of a reporter not only opening your email, but actually covering your story.
Exclusives provide the chance for reporters to tell a story before anyone else. For Rabadi, he sees this as an exciting challenge.
Media are Humans Themselves
Media have taken a beating over the years. We’ve all heard of fake news and this is the first term that people think of when they think of journalists in the U.S.
While it’s a common term, it doesn’t show the truth of the value that reporters bring to our news. As PR professionals, we are able to see a different side to them than others.
Ultimately, they’re just humans doing their job and without them, we wouldn’t be informed.
Do you have tips and tricks for PR professionals that you want to share? Whether it be about pitching, media relations, podcasting or more, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Drop a comment on this interview with David on YouTube, which can be found here!
You can also listen to this season of PRfect Pitch via Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform.