The “Twitter” Approach to The “Twitter” Approach to Media PitchingMedia Pitching

Is It “Newsworthy?”Kevin Brett

May 7, 2013

Pitching the Media 2013Pitching the Media 2013

•3.6 to 1 flack-to-media ratio

•Stressed media

•Skeptical, adversarial

•Resistant to message

•You have 15 seconds

Pick Your BattlesPick Your Battles

Ask yourself why the story is newsworthy?

Does it pass the “giggle test?”

Never presume interest

To whom are you pitching to?To whom are you pitching to?

◦ Metropolitan dailies – Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NY Times, Washington Post

◦ Regional papers – Oregonian, Register-Guard◦ Electronic Media – CNBC, Fox News, CNN◦ Trade media – Red Herring, EE Times◦ Financial or Industry Analysts – Gartner Dataquest◦ Bloggers – Gizmodo, Silicon Valley Watcher, Tech

Crunch

Write the pitch to match your audienceWrite the pitch to match your audience

Think About Your End Think About Your End AudienceAudience

Embargoed Until Monday, November 15 at 8 am EST

This coming Monday, LFoundry, the customer-specific manufacturer of choice for analog, mixed-signal and specialized technologies, will announce additional options to the advanced 0,15µm process design kit ‘LF150’ to further enable their customers to build complex SoC (system on chip) designs.

In addition to the existing modules, LFoundry’s More-than-Moore strategy adds CMOS extensions such as High Voltage-CMOS, Opto-CMOS and CMOS-based MEMS to the standard LF150 CMOS process.

To serve the field of Optoelectronics, CMOS integrated photodiodes as well as CMOS integrated optical filters are being developed for the advanced 0,15µm technology platform, giving the customer the option to transition from 0,35µm to the next generation of 0,15µm.

To meet future automotive, industry and energy saving applications, LFoundry is now working on an extension to their high voltage LDMOS technology. The current industry leading process which is capable of operating at Vdd=40,60,80V will now be further extended by the inclusion of an additional LDMOS device offering a breakdown of up to 150V.

I will contact you shortly to arrange a time for you to interview Gerhard Spitzlsperger, CTO of LFoundry, to discuss the impact of LFoundry's 0.15-micron process design kit ‘LF 150.’ We appreciate that you will honor the embargo on this story. Talk to you soon.

““Twitter”-Style Twitter”-Style ApproachApproach

Dear Don:

Morris Chang, founder, chairman and CEO of TSMC is receiving the semiconductor industry’s highest honor, the Robert N. Noyce Award, on November 9 for his role in founding the $10 billion global semiconductor foundry industry.

Would you be interested in interviewing Morris before the dinner and attending the presentation?

I will call you soon to determine your level of interest. Thank you for your consideration.

WhoWho, , WhenWhen, , WhatWhat, , WhyWhy, , HowHow and and Who Cares? Who Cares?

• Dear Don:• Morris Chang, founder, chairman and CEO of TSMC is receiving the semiconductor industry’s highest honor, the Robert N. Noyce Award, on November 9 for his role in founding the $10 billion global semiconductor foundry industry.• Would you be interested in interviewing Morris before the dinner and attending the presentation?• I will call you soon to determine your level of interest. Thank you for your consideration.

• 

Don't Cry “Wolf!”Don't Cry “Wolf!”

•Is it better to pitch a non-newsworthy story or tell a client that their item is not newsworthy?

•Never cry “Wolf”

•Rewrite the pitch?

•Can you target the pitch for a more likely candidate: EE Times instead of WSJ?

Develop Your Relationships/Develop Your Relationships/Maintain Your CredibilityMaintain Your Credibility

Reporters, editors, bloggers, analysts are not looking for friends (and they are not your friends)

They are looking for news/information

Do you have a track record of delivering news?

Or do you have a track record of delivering fluff?

Make every pitch count

If not, then simply don’t pitch the “story”

Almost Forgot…Almost Forgot…

•Never raise the issue of an embargo

•Avoid using the word “pitch” in the presence of reporters/editors/analysts

•As a whole, rattlesnakes have a better sense of humor

The Best PR “Pitchers” are…The Best PR “Pitchers” are…•Respectful of media•Good news sources •Understand newsworthiness•Known for integrity; Avoid fluff; Get to the story•Understand the “Twitter” approach to pitching•Make every pitch count

Pitch Your Financial Pitch Your Financial ConferenceConference

• Write a Pitch to Don of the Wall Street Journal

• Invite Him to Your Financial Conference• Offer Him On-the-Record Access to the CEO