Full-Day VIRTUAL CONFERENCE!

Presented by PR News Conferences and Ragan Communications.

• Agenda
• Schedule
• Speakers
• About Registration
• Pricing

We know your training budget has been slashed so PR News and Ragan Communications have come up with a solution...

Our new Full-Day Virtual Conference: The Perfect Pitch: Tactics for winning media coverage everywhere - in print, on air and in the blogosphere on December 11, 2008 provides all the training of a regular conference at a fraction of the cost. For one low price your entire team can gather in a room and gain all the valuable tips and tactics to pitch the media.

• 10 a.m.-11 a.m.: What you need to know now about today’s journalists and how to pitch them successfully.
• 11:10 a.m. - 12 p.m.: How to pitch a general assignment reporter.
• 12 p.m.-12:40 p.m: Lunch Break
• 12:40 p.m.-1:30p.m.: It's called “earned” media for a reason - learn how to earn it!
• 1:40 p.m.- 2:30 p.m.: What journalists really want.
• 2:40 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.: Getting ink in the blogosphere.

10 a.m.-11 a.m.:
What you need to know now about today's journalists and how to pitch them successfully

We're all accustomed to being hammered by reporters for bad pitching. And for good reason: Most pitches are dreadful. They're poorly targeted, they lack drama and they destroy credibility. But it doesn't have to be that way. Our opening panel will look at today's media landscape and show you how to grab the attention of the new multi-media, web-savvy journalist. Get all of your questions answered:

• Why is the traditional press release no longer effective and what can you do about it now?
• How can I write an e-mail that is so perfectly customized for the reporter that it lands instant coverage?
• What does today’s harried multi-media trained reporter want from me and how can I make his or her life easier?
• How do I get inside the mind of reporters I’ve never met and tailor my messages to their needs?
• Special case study and video interview: What technology critic David Pogue of The New York Times considers a slam dunk pitch (hint: it’s simple and it’s obvious-but only a few media pros know how to pull it off).

Today’s media landscape is not only different from your father’s-it’s different from the one you knew two years ago. Newspapers, television news, cable and-yes-even the blogosphere, are struggling to survive in this economy. Editorial staffs are being slashed, and reporters are being asked to do three times the work of their predecessors. How do you match your pitches to this new reality?

Speakers:

• Mark Ragan, CEO, Ragan.com
• Don Clark, Deputy Bureau Manager, Wall Street Journal
• Kevin Allen, Reporter, Chicago Sun-Times
• Courtney Barnes, Editor, PR News
• Richard Laemer, Bad Pitch Blog

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11:10 a.m. -12 p.m.:
How to pitch a general assignment reporter

Are you afraid your pitches end up in the trash-or even worse, don’t even get read? Steven Gray, who covers the Midwest for TIME will tell you how he likes to be pitched and what you need to do to get any reporters’ attention. During this session, you will learn:

• Best way to pitch: Why email is always better than phone and snail mail
• Idea development: how to create pitches that connect the dots, show evidence of broader emerging trends, and show sharp ways of digging into relatively old local/regional stories.
• Backgrounders: Why you should always be willing to put your executives/analysts on the phone to shape a journalist’s thinking on various trends/issues.
• The key to building a good relationship with a journalist: It may not lead to a specific story or quote this time, but you can build capital for the next story.
• Fact-checking: It pays to be available to a reporter when he/she's on deadline to make sure all points in the story are accurate.

Speaker:

• Steven Gray, TIME

12 p.m.-12:40 p.m: Lunch Break

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12:40 p.m.-1:30p.m.
It’s called “earned” media for a reason – learn how to earn it!

Paid media is just that, advertising. You pay for the right to run your message unfettered. Earned media, once called “free” media, can be a slippery slope. You create the message but you have no control over how it is received, how it is used and most importantly, how it is played out. Journalists have also been affected by a slow economy. No longer are there “beat” reporters who know as much about your subject as you do. Now, a general assignment reporter covers you, so the pitch has to be done in a way that it “helps” the writer do the story. We will take a look at the current climate between PR folks and the media. The truth is both sides need each other, but the rules have changed. Getting a media outlet to pay attention to your client is no longer an easy task. The pitch and how you pitch it is everything. However, once you hook them, you have to be ready to get them in the boat!

During this session, you will learn:

• What you need to know about today’s climate between PR agencies and the new Media outlets
• What is a good pitch
• To whom do you pitch
• The makeup of a typical newsroom
• Why the elevator pitch is still king

Speaker:

• Charlie Caudill, former CNN Producer and current President of Caudill Media Management

1:40 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
What journalists really want

With the huge amount of material being sent to journalists, much of it via email, and the immense demands on their time—how can you be certain that your stories make it through the clutter? How can you sharpen pitches to be assured that you are not wasting your time and that of the intended journalist? There are specific things that you can do to improve your chances of getting your story told.

You'll learn:

• Three things that all reporters want
• How strategically relevant SWAG (stuff we all get) can boost the chances of your story being told and how it can generate stories about your client that you haven't even pitched
• The right time to approach journalists (should your pitch come days, weeks or months before an event?) to assure that your story will be written
• How to best do your homework regarding what journalists and their publications need and want to satisfy their editors and readers
• When and if you should supporting materials, like press kits, screeners and review copies of products and books
• How to improve your electronic press releases to help them break through the clutter
• When, if and how to make follow-up phone calls; and who should make them
• Whether or not to spend time, money and effort on preparing elaborate press kits

Speaker:

• Seth Arenstein, CableFAX

2:40 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Getting ink in the blogosphere

Blog readership has exploded and an increasing number of people are turning to the Web instead of the mainstream media to get their news. There are a different set of rules when it comes to pitching a blogger and you need to know them. It all comes down to communicating the way they do and understanding the art and science of blogger relations. Brian Solis, who blogs at PR2.0, bub.blicio.us, TechCrunch, WebProNews and BrandWeek will tell you what it takes to get a bloggers attention.

You’ll learn:

• Why it’s important to know your blogger’s niche and build a real relationship
• How to walk the fine line between acceptable unsolicited pitches and spam
• The right approach for your outreach efforts
• What information a blogger needs to write a story that’s different from traditional media
• Why it’s important to be transparent

Speaker:

• Brian Solis, FutureWorks

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Unlike other traditional training options, we offer you the utmost flexibility. Bring your entire team to the table and learn during a live presentation for just $795. Can't make the date and time, but want to experience the Webinar? We've got a CD option for you that includes PowerPoint presentations, handouts and question and answer sessions for just $795. OR, sign up for both for just $70 more (there's nothing like building a library of training CDs for current and future employees).

So choose the option that's best for you and your team:

To register by phone, please call 312.960.4140 or 800.493.4867.

Note: Your fee includes toll-free access (one dial-in per registration). If you are calling from outside North America, you will need to call a different phone number and will incur long distance charges.

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Questions?
If you'd like to register by phone or have questions regarding the program, please call please call 312.960.4140 or 800.493.4867.

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