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What you missed at the May 2007 meeting
The
perfect pitch for print
Steve Helling, People Magazine contributing
reporter, dispelled a myth about love-hate relationships between
reporters and public relations professionals at the May Florida Public
Relations Association Volusia County Chapter meeting.
Before he knew public relations practitioners, he was
missing some good stories, he said. Twelve percent of his time is spent
looking for stories, including "fast forwarding through Oprah" on his
TiVo.
"When (People Magazine reporters) come to you for
a story, it's usually damage control," said Helling. He advised the
public relations professionals listening to make a short statement to
the media, then say they won't say anymore, rather than "closing up and
saying nothing."
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Steve Helling,
People Magazine
contributing reporter |
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"Always say something," he said. "Or it becomes a game of
chicken, where we'll find anyone who'll talk."
People Magazine covers "extraordinary people doing ordinary things, or
ordinary people doing extraordinary things," according to Helling. Some
of the celebrities he's interviewed include Tiger Woods, eBay CEO Meg
Whitman, NBA star Grant Hill, and Dolly Parton. Each of those stories
originated from public relations tips.
Celebrities aren't the only bread and butter for this
freelance reporter. He wants PR people to "pitch our angels, our
crusaders and our local heros."
In addition to his work for People, Helling
freelances for more than a dozen magazines and wire services, including
TV Guide, Fusion, the
New York Post, the Associated Press, and Men's Fitness. He
is also a regular entertainment correspondent on iVillage Live, NBC's
syndicated television talk show. His work has been reprinted in Reader's
Digest, Time, Sports Illustrated, and on CNN.com.
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Helling's tips for the
"perfect pitch for print"
P
- Print oriented
A
- Appropriateness (to
the medium's audience)
R
- Relevant (timely, hot
topic)
T
- Targeted (pitched to the
medium's demographic)
Y
- Yeah!! You're done.
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