The Colab Brief - 115: When the Hits Aren’t Hitting

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Author

Ash + Lizzy
April 20, 2024

So you had an interview with that top-tier publication, and you knocked it out of the park (or, at the very least, bunted it ⚾), but the reporter still hasn’t written. 

What gives?

Today, we’re diving into what goes into a successful hit and how to bring your opportunity home. 

Read Time: 3 minutes. 

Let’s examine the reasons your piece may not have been successful and discuss what you can do in the future to ensure a higher media hit close rate. 

Why it didn’t hit: You bombed the interview. It’s a bummer, but it happens - even to seasoned executives. Most of the time, it’s not the calamity that you imagine (although if we ever get cocktails, we can tell you some ✨stories✨). The most common interview screw-ups include droning on too long and not letting the reporter get a word in edgewise, or being squarely focused on what you want to say vs. what the reporter is probably looking to hear. We also see executives not wanting to misstep, so much so that they avoid providing any real or valuable information whatsoever. 

What you can do next time: Improve your interview skills. Most reporters will be kind about this. They’ll tell you at the end they don’t have any more questions (because, in these scenarios, you probably didn’t answer any anyway), and let you carry on about your day. But they probably also won’t ever call you back. Next time, know the three points that matter most for the discussion and practice reciting them ad nauseam. Make sure you have your company backgrounder and descriptor on lock and that it’s no more than 15 seconds. And know how to land the plane. Say what you need to say and be done with it. 

Why it didn’t hit: You didn’t give the reporter enough to work with. This isn’t a rare occurrence. When you don’t know the full scope of the story, it can be tough to provide valuable information that will end up in a final piece. In this circumstance, some executives will shy away from perspective or speculation and only provide details that they know to be true. 

What you can do next time: Do more homework ahead of the interview. A reporter won’t always show their cards. But you can typically glean what the story is about and what their perspective may be by researching the publication, the specific reporter you’ll be chatting with, and what stance they usually take in their articles. Do they cite companies or executives, or is their content mostly high-level without specific mentions? Are they skeptical of the topic you’re discussing, or have they expressed outward support in their articles and on their socials? Is there recent or pending legislation that they’re likely to tie into, or is this the only beat that they cover? Is there any new or novel stats or data you can provide for the story, or is the topic mostly qualitative in nature? By answering these questions ahead of time, you can typically frame your answers in digestible soundbites that reporters will want to use. 

Why it didn’t hit: It just hasn’t hit yet. There were 21,400 layoffs within the media in 2023 alone. For context, there were fewer than 4,000 layoffs in 2021 and 2022, so this is an impactful shift. With fewer reporters expected to write the same amount of content, they’re going to need a little slack. Stories are taking longer to turn around, and there’s really not much anyone can do about it.

What you can do next time: Be patient and follow up mindfully. Respect that the journalist you’re working with is probably doing the work of 1.5 - 2 journalists - so give them some slack. But if it’s been a week, feel free to follow up, offering stats and figures mentioned in the call, and any new data you can provide that would aid in publishing the story. Ask the reporter for their timing and if there’s anything else they need to publish. Keep a weekly cadence until you get a response, one way or the other. 

Let’s face it. Not all hits are going to hit. However, with a solid interview and follow-up strategy, you should be sitting at about a 90% close rate when it comes to published articles. If you’re not, then you need to examine the value you are providing and assess the overall landscape, making adjustments as needed.

Until next week,

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