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Let’s be honest.  Media relations and the mortgage industry haven’t really gone together for a long time.

 

Many of the people I talk to in the mortgage and title industry would probably rather spend some quality time in a tax audit or third-world dentist’s office than in front of a reporter or editor.  There’s a certain secretiveness about the industry that doesn’t always lend itself to the risk of using public relations as a marketing communications tool.

 

Fair enough.  But remember that getting your story told by the media costs you only a little time and thought.  And it’s infinitely more credible when your story is told by a third party.  And, these days, what if I told you it’s getting easier to work with the media (local, national and trade) if you work with them? 

 

I remember my first brush with media relations.  I had just left my career as a trial attorney, and was doing some part-time work with a local art institution.  As my mentor made the rounds with me on day one, introducing me to various deans and vice presidents, I was identified as the guy who would be pitching the New York art critics in an effort to get coverage of a local show (in Cleveland).

 

Wow.  The looks on those faces could be described as grim.  Or maybe compassionate.  Was that pity or a macabre fascination with what lay ahead for me?  Dead man walking!  Who would dare to face the evil New York art media, with their (presumably) condescending world-view and hateful, harmful sarcasm?

 

What these folks didn’t realize was that no editor, publisher, reporter or writer could be nearly as nasty as some of the east coast litigators I had the pleasure of hearing from in my time as a member of the bar.  With a media pitch, one can prepare for the call. One might hear, at worst, a slightly sarcastic remark.  One might not get the coverage one seeks.

 

As a litigator, however, my phone could ring at any moment; an angry lawyer on the other end spewing details and barking arguments about a case I hadn’t even thought about for three days.  And anything I said or didn’t say at that moment could easily impact the course of the file’s life.

 

So no, pitching the media has never been all that scary for me.  But I’m pleased to say it’s getting even easier lately.  I’ve had several great conversations with trade editors and local editors recently.  It’s simple, really.  Budget cuts at publications of all sorts are making staffs leaner, editors hungrier for help, and everyone more open-minded about outside help.  You just have to work with them. 

 

I’ve talked quite a bit about this before (see my earlier blogs).  Recognize that the publication you target is not there to promote your product, but rather, to sell magazines or newspapers.   Realize this, and make a connection between your product or pitch and what they’re hungry to write about.  Try to be a little objective about your pitch.  Try to put yourself in the editor’s shoes. Ask them what they’re writing about.  Then tie your interest into their interest.  As I said before, it’s just another type of sales, really.

 

Folks, I know that using the media to disseminate your message is a bit scary.  We don’t have total control.  But it’s free.  It’s powerful and credible.  And it’s not as hard as you may think it is!