Ever send information to reporter and feel like all you’re getting back is the sound of crickets?I recently caught a friend’s stand up performance at Flappers Yoohoo room in Burbank. After the show, I recognized some similarities between stand up comedy and media relations. Getting people to laugh and getting a reporter to write your story isn’t as easy as it looks. Here are some quick tips.

Don’t Pander

A couple comedians pulled the “tough audience” card when jokes bombed. Reporters/producers can be tough too. In comedy, the audience’s job isn’t to laugh. It’s the comedian’s job to make us laugh. Same with the media. The media’s job isn’t to cover our story. Our job is to give them a compelling story so they feel compelled to write.

TIP: The better the story, the more likely they’ll cover it. What makes a story better? How many “What Makes A Story Newsworthy?” elements does it have? The more elements it has, the more likely they’ll write.

Tailor Pitches

There were a couple “this joke killed elsewhere” and “I’m really funny on YouTube.” Just because it worked for one place doesn’t mean it will work in another. Same goes for the media. It may interest Inc. but not Entrepreneur. Or they may be interested in your company, but want to cover a different product.

TIP: Review the outlet and tailor your pitch to speak directly to what they cover and why they cover it. If one magazine is writing a story, offer up a different angle to its competitor.

Refine, Refine, Refine

It’s ether “A” material or it isn’t. It’s either being delivered properly or it isn’t. Laughs don’t come easy. Stories don’t either.

TIP: If the outlet isn’t biting, go back to the drawing board. Find new supporting points. Package the information differently. Try a couple different, smaller outlets first to see what works and what doesn’t and refine your pitch for the big boys.

What tips do you have for getting your story covered?