Adrienne Mazzone
VP Arts & Entertainment at The TransMedia Group
West Palm Beach Florida Area
Speaking to journalists as a publicist, you may sometimes feel they are looking for the “spin” in what you are saying. The pitch for a story angle is told for a particular client and then comes the question, “what makes them different from the rest.” We always have to be ready for that answer, as most publicists would be.
For example, talking about professions such as a therapist, fitness trainer or a product inventor we have to be savvy. What makes them different? The “angle” of the story should make them stand out and sound interesting.
How about a child therapist that comes onto a TV show as a guest and asks the host for his wallet, keys, money and anything else they have in their pockets. A child therapist such as Meredith Walt, www.bagoftricksparenting.com, shows the host that this is what a child feels like when they are told they have to share. Instead, Meredith has a system that enables children to feel better about sharing, what’s meant to be shared. She gives them a bucket to put their special toys in that they don’t have to share for that day. This teaches children that some toys are just meant for them and others they can share.
A fitness trainer that goes on a show and demonstrates as part of their routine that eating certain foods or using a sugar substitute such as Susta, a natural sweetener, in their baked goods as part of their routine to healthy and fit living. Or an inventor of weighted cutlery known as the Knife and Forklift that started as a novelty and has proved with testimonials that a person with cerebral palsy actually benefits from using these utensils.
Is it a Spin? Not really, just a creative angle from a publicist. Always thinking like a journalist helps a publicist get their clients stories told, in many different ways.
