Research Your Audience
Any media outreach campaign should start with audience research. You should establish media contacts with publications that have a good overlap with your own target market, but keep in mind that each publication might only reach a small portion of that market.
If you wrote a book on high-performance motivating psychology, for instance, you might submit ideas to podcasts that aim to:
- Business Executives
- College Athletes
- Medical Professionals
- Competitive Gamers
- Entrepreneurs
They all aspire to be the best in their respective fields, making them excellent readers of your book. However, you would make a different pitch to the media that cater to these sectors. When learning more about each media outlet, consider:
- who the audience segment is
- where they live (how wide is the media coverage?)
- what their common interest is
- what they need
Of course, you also need to perfect your pitch angle on the medium. Are you making a podcast pitch? a magazine on the web? a well-known figure on LinkedIn or another social networking platform? Make sure to customise your strategy for each audience you identify.
Brainstorm Your Pitch Deck
Begin formulating perspectives once you are certain of your audience. If you’re unsure about where to begin, try asking yourself:
- How does the content of your book relate to this audience?
- What stories or examples from your book would they find most interesting?
- Is there a certain chapter that’s more relevant?
- What value does this group need from you specifically?
- If you could leave everyone in that audience understanding one concept from your book (one that could make the most difference in their lives), what would it be?
Choose the greatest angle for that audience after brainstorming your top 5 options. Separately complete this activity for each audience you intend to pitch to.
PRO TIP: Remember your overall content marketing strategy in coming up with pitch angles, and be sure to include any SEO terms you’re trying to rank for.