No matter how strong your story pitch to the media, you may get pushed aside if there’s:
- Breaking News: Local media outlets are machines built to cover breaking news. You might argue your story idea impacts more readers and viewers, but breaking news, even if it involves a small fire in an area you couldn’t find with your GPS, is king. Media outlets will let you know when they first hear of breaking news, when they’re heading that way, when they arrive, when there’s an update, when it’s over and, on the following day, what else you need to know. Trying to weave your client or your business into the news when the media is dashing after breaking news is usually as exasperating as writing your pitch on an old fashioned typewriter.
- Big Event: The gigantic story in Phoenix on the day I wrote this was the U.S. Supreme Court hearing on Arizona’s SB1070, the contentious immigration law. Media outlets sent journalists to Washington, D.C. Those who didn’t make the trip Tweeted questions about the law to generate discussion. Other journalists covered demonstrations or interviewed experts for insight. On days such as this, the media covers other news, but not as much as normal and they may likely squeeze out your great story idea. The good news: We’re not talking breaking news here. We’re talking big events most people know are approaching. Keep up with current events and don’t pitch on big news days.
- Scary And Bizarre News: On the same day Arizona media covered SB1070, the story I heard about second most was teens drinking hand sanitizer to get drunk. That’s scary and strange. You can’t usually compete with that. It’s not you. It’s the media. Don’t take it personally.
- Self Promotion: Once upon a time, TV shows were simply TV shows. Now some media outlets portray TV shows as news. You expect this from entertainment news shows. But, for example, Fox stations might cover local tie-ins to American Idol and ABC stations might cover local tie-ins to Dancing With The Stars. We can debate for days whether these TV shows should truly fall under the category of news. (What’s clear is local TV stations rarely recognize the newsworthiness of a show on a competing station.) The bottom line is this: On the nights of these shows, the journalist you want covering your story may instead cover a successful, local contestant on a reality program. Consult your TV directory when deciding when to pitch your story.
- Cute Pictures and Video of Animals: And the story I heard about third most: the dog who ended up in the cactus. Most people love animals especially when they’re acting cute or facing adversity. I once watched my former newsroom captivated by the live coverage by a national network of rescue workers in another state trying to rescue a dog from water. And, on another day, when a traffic camera showed us live pictures of a dog trying to safely maneuver through highway traffic, all eyes were glued to the TV screens. Your story idea will live for another day. Follow up!