How to Pitch Superman
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s the next great influencer!
Superman, or when he’s in the newsroom, Clark Kent, shook up the media world this week after resigning from his beat at the Daily Planet to become a full-time blogger. USA Today covered it here.
Why is this news? Well, apart from being the Man of Steel, he’s been at the Metropolis daily for 72 years.
Forget Lois—he’ll spend more time pining over his Klout score..
This is an historic move by America’s favorite alien, one that illustrates where the media business is heading. Embracing that for a moment — now that Clark has been deleted from your “traditional media list” and added to your “blogger media list,” g, let’s think broadly about how we’d pitch him.
1. Kryptonite – It’s a mineral from his home planet of Krypton that is his only known weakness. We want to disarm the guy. We want him to let down his guard long enough to get him to listen and, hopefully, buy what we’re selling. . No matter what application you employ to slice and dice his influencer ranking, he’ll be somewhere near the bottom of the pack. He’s not low hanging fruit, but he is in that sweet spot of bloggers who are more apt to listen to you because as they are new to the medium.. A big part of getting the attention of the right blogger is to understand that it doesn’t always make the most sense to go right for the top of the influencer list. Work the middle to bottom of the pack. They need you most.
2. Sourcing Sidekick – Most super heroes have a No. 2, an almost equal on whom they can rely no matter the circumstances. Be that person. Wear tights if you must, but know that focusing on how to fill that credible sourcing void he now has as a new blogger. There is an old adage in the news business – journalists don’t have friends, they have sources. And bloggers, who are in fact journalists, need sources that are trustworthy and accessible. Be the conduit to those voices for Kent.
3. Faster Than A Speeding… – In the blogosphere, little else sells better than timely and topical pitch material. Relevant information delivered post haste to a reporter has always been a key tenet in PR business, but the stakes are much, much higher now.. Seconds matter in blogging . Timing means ownership, page views and ultimately, influence. An editor at a major newspaper said recently that he left his office to check out the activity in the news pit and every one of his writers was parked at a desk. Why? Not because they were lazy, but because they were fearful of getting scooped by a Tweet. That’s not the way it should be, but can you blame them? If that’s what Kent can expect, be his feet on the street.
In other words, if you want to be the Superman, help Clark Kent become an influencer.
To Connect with Matthew:
Email: matthew@blisspr.com
Twitter: @kirdahy
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