“So, I can’t pitch my book coming out to a journalist?” This is a common question I get from founders about how to use the media to get the word out on their book. The answer is… no.
A book can be a fantastic marketing tool—in fact Dan Janal thinks every founder should write a book. Unless you’re JK Rowling or LeBron James, giving an interview opportunity, which journalists can’t resist, you can’t pitch your book and expect to get any coverage at all.
A journalists job is to drive traffic
A journalist’s job isn’t to publish “news” or research everything that comes to their attention. Their job is to drive traffic and subscriptions so their paper, magazine or publication can sell ads and be profitable.
Journalists drive traffic and revenue for their publication by finding great stories their readers, viewers, listeners, and audience will love.
So, don’t pitch your book. Instead, research their audience and understand who they are. Now, imagine ten of those audience members or readers are in a hotel lobby with you. What idea from your book can you pitch in 5-10 seconds to keep them from leaving?
What will cause them to sit down for an additional 5 min while they wait for their Uber?
THAT is your pitch.
Hi, I’m Justin Brady. I amplify inventive companies (and their people) to new audiences by identifying and utilizing their customer’s trust channels. I wrote for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post and I hosted the founders of Starbucks, Hint and Ancestry.com on my podcast.
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