It’s easy to get in the holiday spirit and as many of your colleagues take time off, you too take it easy.  But if you’re a PR professional, now can be the best time to pitch stories.  As a former TV journalist, I’ve seen it time and time again.  Morning show guests in particular are very hungry for good content!   So many people are busy this time of year that there is a shortage of guests.  So if you have a client who is a “newbie” in front of the camera, now can be a great time to pitch them. Especially right now as many producers are about to take time off, they’re looking to fill holes before they leave.  Help them while helping your clients get some great publicity!

I’m working with an author right now who is getting a ton of local and national press from his new book.  He has useful advice on “how to save money and get rich.” This is the perfect holiday pitch!   Everyone wants to get rich and save money…especially in these tough economic times. It’s not brain surgery.  The media loves stories before Christmas on “how to make that holiday list and stick to it.”  After Christmas, it’s all about New Year’s resolutions.  Sound familiar?  It should.  He’s playing off both of those formulaic story lines.

Make sure to give the producers a “holiday hook,” like I just suggested to make it relevant. Keep the content simple and focused.  Maybe even suggest a few on-screen bullet points for the graphic and you’d be surprised at who bites.  Of course, you want make sure your clients are camera ready before you throw them to the wolves.   But this is a great time for them to get some experience if they haven’t done much media in the past.

Greg Phillips

Greg Phillips has done it all in TV news – from Investigative Reporting to Anchoring and Hosting Talk Show’s to General Reporting. The last 10 years, he’s worked at television stations in San Diego (7 years at XETV) and Los Angeles (3 years at KCBS/KCAL) as an Anchor, Host, Investigative Reporter and General Assignment Reporter.

A graduate of the prestigious University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, Greg has won more than 50 awards during his 18 year career for News Performance, Journalistic Enterprise, Specialty Reporting, Writing as well as a host of Investigative and Feature stories. He’s garnered 13 Emmy’s from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (more than 20 Emmy nominations in all) a prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting and 3 “Best of Show” Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists.

As much he enjoys interviewing, Greg enjoys teaching the skills and secrets of the media behind the scenes.  ”There’s nothing more thrilling and gratifying for me than seeing someone improve their on-camera skills dramatically — often in just an hour or two of media training.  People who at first doubted their abilities are suddenly killing it on camera!  It’s powerful stuff and awesome to watch!”   Greg’s passionate about making sure his clients are prepared for the media in every way when they come knocking. For Greg, “Helping to tell your story” isn’t just a catchy tagline.  It’s the core philosophy and mission of Greg Phillips Media.