How to Be a Guest on The Today Show with Christina Nicholson

Working Successfully in the PR Industry Without Any PR Experience

In this week’s episode of the Garlic Marketing Show, Ian sits down with Christina Nicholson, the owner of Media Maven- a public relations agency based in Florida.

Christina and Ian discuss Christina’s methods and tips for a successful pitch. She also discusses some of the best mediums to gain exposure on as well as how to be a better interviewee.

After spending ten years as a news reporter and anchor, Christina wanted a job that allowed more flexibility to spend more time at home with her family. She quickly realized, from her experience in television, that a lot of business owners lacked the skillsets to successfully pitch to television stations.

This started Christina’s career as a self-titled ‘professional freelancer’ where she helped clients gain media exposure. Before she knew it, she had a solid team built up and created Media Maven. At Media Maven, Christina and her team are dedicated to helping people and businesses earn media exposure without spending any money on advertising.

 

 

The Method to a Successful Pitch

When creating a pitch, the most important part is finding the current stories and making them relevant for you. With social media and the internet as widespread as it is, trends are constantly changing. That includes on news stations and other mediums you might be trying to get featured on.

As somebody who worked in television, Christina completely understands how television stations operate when looking for their daily stories. Every morning, journalists have meetings to discuss the stories they have found. First, they look at large stories happening in the world. Then, they investigate any big events happening locally. If they can’t find anything, then they turn to pitches.

You have to remember that when you’re pitching local television stations, you’re competing against these big stories. Don’t try to beat them, instead use them to your advantage. When pitching, ask yourself: What is already happening in the industry? What are people talking about? How can I make it relevant to myself? By tying in yourself to what is currently happening, you’ll be much more likely to get the media coverage you’re craving.

 

The Medium with Faster ROI

PR can be a huge boost for a business or brand because it helps build authority and make you the expert in your field. You are becoming known, liked, and trusted by the people within your niche. When this happens, the sales process becomes ridiculously easy.

Out of all of the mediums, podcasts are Christina’s favorite because they are great lead generators. Christina even explained that the last three clients that reached out to her agency first heard her in other people’s podcasts.

It can be difficult to figure out which podcasts to go on since there are more and more being created. That’s why Christina’s company created the first ever podcast database, Podcast Clout, to help you locate the best podcasts for you.

Christina’s first suggestion is to figure out what your audience is listening to. Another piece of advice is to start small. You want to get practice being on podcasts. If you start with one that has thousands of listens, you could mess up and ruin future opportunities. When pitching, make sure to reach out to people one by one and make it personal. Do your research and mention something personal about that person to get their attention. If you go the lazy route and BCC hundreds of podcasts in hopes of somebody responding, people realize that and are less inclined to respond.

Once you are featured on somebody’s podcast, make sure to share it on your own social media! That’s where you profit the most from being on a podcast. So many people forget to do PR on their PR, but that’s the best way to build your brand.

 

The Biggest Media Referral

Earning media is the biggest media referral you can get. It doesn’t have to just be traditional media, like television or radio. There are so many mediums out there and so many methods you can use to build your brand but remember to stay authentic.

Share what you want to share. Be honest about who you are and what you know. As a business owner, you have to remember not to worry about what others might think. There is always going to be somebody that is offended or doesn’t like what you’re doing. You need to get over that. Continue to pitch, put yourself out there, and get the publicity that can help build your brand and authority. 


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