How To Get Press forYour Skillshare Class

Potential Obstacles

• No reputation• No budget• No time• No PR experience

Strengths

• Interesting topic• Passion• Reviews

1. Invite Press

• Is your class easily coverable by a reporter?• Is the subject area easy to understand and translate into

written word?• Is there a sizable audience that may be interested?

– If so, what type of media do they read?– Which reporters at those media outlets should you pitch?

Lifehacker Needs You!1. Invite Press

Ari Meisel

Scott Britton

Mashable Needs You!1. Invite Press

Lukasz Dmowski

Avi Flombaum

Dan Kozikowski

Entrepreneur Needs You!1. Invite Press

Steve Schlafman

Scott Pollack

Carla Lynne Hall

Pitch It Like You’d See It

• Pitch the story in the way you’d expect the journalist to cover it– Don’t expect journalists to be all-knowing

creatures. You’re the expert!

1. Invite Press

Formulas That Work

•How-Tos•Tips•Studies•Data•Top Lists

1. Invite Press

Understand Coverage Area & Audience

• Try to avoid this sentence:– “I read your recent post called ‘XYZ,’ and I think you’d be interested

in covering my Skillshare class.”

• Instead, be personable and welcoming

• Explain why your class is a fit for his/her audience

• How to find journalists: Google, Twitter, MuckRack.com

1. Invite Press

Customize Your Pitches

• Journalist’s name• Mention of his or her publication• True interest in recent coverage / coverage area• Details on why your class is relevant

1. Invite Press

Avoid Press Releases

• 95% of press releases are useless• If you use one…

– Be informative, not sales-y– Omit quotes (good publications don’t use them)– Attach or copy-and-paste it below the email– Embed a link to the press release– Or offer to send the press release later

• If you don’t use one…– 1 sentence defining your Skillshare class– 2-3 sentences explaining the relevance of your class

• EMAIL SUBJECT LINES ARE VERY IMPORTANT!

1. Invite Press

Composing a Subject Line1. Invite Press

• How To Learn To Program In 120 Minutes (Event Invite)• 30+ Life Hacks for Being Awesome (Pitch)• Top 10 Social Media Branding Tips for Small Businesses

(Story Idea)

Have Useful Assets Available

• Useful assets include:– Link to your Skillshare class– Class photos– Video recording of your class– PowerPoint deck– Class reviews

1. Invite Press

Follow Reporters on Twitter

“It’s amazing to me that I get a MUCH higher response rate when pitching reporters via Twitter than email. I would actually go as far as to say that every time I’ve pitched a reporter via Twitter, I have gotten some sort of response (often resulting in a story for my client). Via email, I have maybe a 50% response rate. The phone call response rate would be my lowest.”

- Nicole Denton, PR, Pyxl

1. Invite Press

Reverse Pitch with HARO & NewsBasis1. Invite Press

helpareporter.com newsbasis.com

Stories I’ve Written with HARO

• 13 Branded iPhone Apps That Enhance Their Company’s Products• 13 Ways to Improve Your International SEM Strategy• 7 Unique Eco-Friendly Company Transportation Alternatives• 6 New & Innovative Social Media Campaigns to Learn From• 7 Twitter Marketing Campaigns to Learn From• How The iPad Is Helping Businesses Go Green

1. Invite Press

2. Write Guests Posts

Tips for Guest Writing

• Research who manages a publication’s guest writing program• Submit a pitch, not a full story

– Different publications have different procedures

• Understand the terms of the deal.– Byline or no byline? – Paid or unpaid?

• Either way, you’re building your reputation.

2. Write Guest Posts

Final Tips

• Be concise.

• Have a very clear message.

• Think like the reader.

Questions?