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Currently at this panel on pitching to the media with @dianewinston @AntheaButler @bobsmietana and @SikhProf Should be great!
First question is advice about pitching stories to editors
@bobsmietana: realize that if you want to do this it’s a side hustle; also you’re not pitching “the media” you’re pitching someone, it’s a people business
@bobsmietana: editors want clear ideas that don’t need a lot of work on their end
@bobsmietana: as a scholar of religion we love you and we want your expertise but it has to be in a framework we can use
Jain now introducing @ConversationEDU. They are not traditional op-eds but explanatory journalism drawing on research.
@ConversationEDU has a republishing model where stories can appear in various publications including local news publications
@kalpanajain: the relationship with @AP means that the stories get much further reach
@bobsmietana: the @RNS sends stories to a variety of print and web publications around the country through @AP wire service
@dianewinston: she is an example of the reach of @ConversationEDU because her story on Game of Thrones became quite popular
@dianewinston: the next step is pitching to outlets that aren’t just religion coverage, you have to have a clean pitch that grabs the editor’s attention from the get-go. What are you telling this person that is new and exciting and show the story is important?
@dianewinston: just having the expertise isn’t enough, how can you tell the story in a way that will attract readers?
@AntheaButler: sometimes pitching is about being in the right place. You have to be in the right place. You need to be found easily. Have your own website. Find out how you’re going to be seen.
@AntheaButler: know who to pitch to, pitch somewhere you already read, style is important, YOU NEED TO BE READING SOMETHING OTHER THAN JOURNAL ARTICLES
@AntheaButler: know what you know, write about things you know so you don’t have to do a lot of leg work. Be able to pitch in two or three sentences with something interesting.
@AntheaButler: you have to pitch immediately on things in the news cycle, that’s not for everybody
@bobsmietana: we are competing with other forms of information and trying to get stuff out there as quickly as possible. You have to be visible you have to have a phone and you have to answer it. Have some form of easy communication: email, dm, phone, something
@bobsmietana: it’s a fast business and you need to have relationships to move quickly
@dianewinston: points out that there are second day and follow up pieces that can be written with a little time .
@SikhProf points out that @bobsmietana and @kalpanajain represent different types of publications with different timetables for their stories
@dianewinston you have to do a cost benefit analysis for how long to wait to hear from an editor you don’t know versus contact and editor you know who will get back to you sooner. You need to think about how to build a relationship with an editor who will know you and your work
@dianewinston: you need to build a brand so editors know you and you have a brand as the person who thinks about and writes about your research interests
@bobsmietana: you want to make friends with people, it’s about making friends with editors, you get to know people and build a relationship, reporters are professional learners and we need new people to talk to
@bobsmietana: compares it to couch to 5k, incremental steps—meeting with people, start at lower level (local and regional paper) and keep growing so you’re ready when the call comes
@bobsmietana: and be a nice person, if you are a nice person and you can share what you know you’ll go far, also take the money if they offer it to you
@dianewinston: uses example of colleague who studies medieval Christianity and wrote story about St. Valentine as example of using what you know to write a story.
@kalpanajain: you can build relationships through email, doesn’t have be done in person
@AntheaButler: you have to build a Rolodex of relationships.
@AntheaButler: there was a time on Twitter from 2011-2015 when journalists would reach out to you if you said I something interesting, gives example of story on Charleston shooting where journalist came to her because of her tweets
@AntheaButler: it took a long time to get to where she is, she started in 2005 writing for @RDispatches and honed her style of public writing
@AntheaButler: be prepared to be edited, you need to know that you may be a good writer for the academy but not for public and you need that editing
@SikhProf: what would you advise people not to do?
@kalpanajain: you need to remember that people do not know all that you do and you have to pitch to people at a simple and clear level
Let me add, that this is a skill you also need on the job market when pitching yourself to job committees that aren’t in your subfield. Pitching clearly is a skill you can use a lot places.
@bobsmietana: don’t be afraid to be smart! He compares it to teaching. The public is smart and wants to learn just like your students do.
@bobsmietana: don’t get mad if people say no and you should say no if you need to, you don’t have it say yes. If you don’t know just say so and if you don’t know and know someone who does know then that’s even better—you get credit for that with the editor
@AntheaButler: don’t be aloof. Don’t adopt an attitude that you can’t talk to someone if they call you.
@AntheaButler and @dianewinston discussing a panel about 10 years ago on whether scholars should talk to the media. Winston points out that now we can take control and publish our own words either on social media through publications. Mentions using Instagram
@bobsmietana: please do talk to the media, don’t miss the opportunity to teach when you talk to a reporter
I find @bobsmietana connect between working with the media and teaching really helpful. We have the skills to do this work if we approach the media pedagogically.
@bobsmietana says we should keep track of how often we talk with media and get credit for it as part of our public scholarship. I love that idea.
@bobsmietana: if someone messes up, tell THEM, not all your twitter followers. Teach them!!
@AntheaButler: be sure you know who you are talking to. Google who is reaching out to you. Have a trust level with who you are working with.
@SikhProf: you should ask questions to find out more and buy time while you figure out who is reaching out to you
@SikhProf asks @AntheaButler about the risks of public writing
@AntheaButler describes a story that was caught by conservative campus watch dog and then went up the conservative media food chain leading all the way to death threats. Everyone needs to remember you are public—if you teach you are public. Some are just more public than others.
@AntheaButler: you have to calibrate what you’re doing and know if you have support in your department, institution.
@SikhProf: Relationships with colleagues and administration can be protective when you do public work.
@SikhProf: how do you build relationships?
@AntheaButler: Be on Twitter. Be a researcher. Research who is writing about your topics and where. Talk to people like her and @bobsmietana.
@AntheaButler: If you see something that touches your work tweet something. Facebook is closed and useless. Don’t rely on the comms people at your institution. Find places that can take short pieces quickly. Medium is also good if you have a social media following.
@bobsmietana telling a great story of how it’s all about relationships. His whole career has relied on building relationships and going step by step. He says start small.
@dianewinston encourages folks to reach out to reporters and not be intimidated by reporters at big outlets. “Those places are people.” Think of them as people.
