My rant

It’s a weird thing to get frustrated about. It should have made me ecstatic – and it did – but then I got ticked.

On Wednesday of last week two of my Inner Circle members sent me huge hits they landed that morning.

Sarah Weston got not one, but two different clients in a WSJ story. She battles in the fiercely competitive property development market, where there are hundreds (thousands?) of well-heeled companies bludgeoning each other over the scarce attention of a shriveling handful of national real estate reporters.

Her proud email to me has a subject line of “WSJ!” and reads:

I’m so excited and so thankful to be a member of the Inner Circle! I just couldn’t wait to share with you! I’ve forwarded my pitch below … you’ll see some of your tips deployed here!

And Jane Putnam placed a moving feature about a grassroots movement involving her startup’s product on the home page of People.com. The story was 2^nd-most-read on the site, the writer is already doing a follow-up, and it spun off into 10 stories (and counting) on other outlets.  Most importantly, it sparked 3,000 applications to a new non-profit that’s donating Jane’s product to families who need it.

When she sent me the link, she wrote: I knew we had an incredible story to tell, and the Inner Circle helped me refine the pitch, as well as outreach methods, so that we could stand out from all the competing pitches. The response to the story has been incredible.

So why in the world did this great news – which arrived in my inbox only a couple hours apart – set me off?

Because if this can happen for two Inner Circle members on the SAME DAY, think how many MORE media relations pros could be enjoying this level of success and impact!

Top-tier media relations works, when you do it right. It’s not luck. And it’s not out of reach. As I read over these two pitches (which I’ll be sharing with the rest of the Inner Circle soon), I see enduring principles and best practices that can be replicated no matter the topic or industry.

But so few media relations pros are actually willing to put themselves in position for that level of success. The number one reason  excuse I hear from people about why they can’t won’t do what it takes to land big-time coverage is because they are “too busy.”

Taking the easy way out. Staying in reactive mode all day, answering emails and putting out fires, knocking out whatever someone ELSE hands them.

Real growth and real impact – like Sarah and Jane achieved – come when you take ownership of your schedule and stop letting other people set your entire agenda. You choose a grand vision and you carve out the time to do the work.

If that’s what you are about – if you’re not “too busy” to land career-changing media – then check out the Inner Circle and decide if you’ll be ready to apply the next time we accept new members.