[Podcast] Prenup Book Author Emily Bouchard on Landing Media Interviews

By Dave Goetz and Melissa Parks

Tenacity. It's what you need most when landing media interviews after your book is published.

You simply can't be passive about book promotion. 

Emily Bouchard, author of Estate Planning for the Blended Family and Beginners Guide to Purposeful Prenups, has unlocked this not-so-secret code to landing spots on TV shows like the Today Show and getting published in publications like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.  

And guess what? You don't need a fancy-pants (and often expensive!) PR agency for landing media interviews.

Here is Emily's three-step approach to going after the PR you want:

1. Identify your niche. There's nothing revolutionary about this. But too many people believe being general will make their idea more appealing. The opposite is true. Reporters aren't looking for generalists. They are looking for specialists.

When Emily started her consulting practice as a family dynamics coach, she built her website content around specific categories in her space, specifically blended family estate planning. Emily recalls a story that shaped her thinking about niche marketing.

When a plumber named his business "Just Toilets," someone asked, "Why Just Toilets?"  

"When I was just one of the plumbers, I didn't get any calls," he said.  "Now I get tons. All of my equipment and supplies are equipped for just toilets. I'm an expert in just toilets. When people have just a toilet problem, guess who they call?"

What topic do you want to be known for that people will call just you for?

"Going niche" is the best way to reach the audience (and the reporters) who will benefit the most from your expertise. Lean into your expertise. Create content specific to that expertise. When publishing digital content, use key words that people researching the topic would use.

Emily's first big-time exposure came about this way. When Rudy Guliani was running for mayor and his stepson wouldn't support him, New York Times reporters were looking for insight into the complications of blended families. Emily's site popped up, and they contacted her for an interview.

That one interview put her on the map and led to more interviews.

2. Nurture relationships with reporters and writers. You have to have a long view of media relations, if you want to establish yourself as a thought leader.  This means you have to cultivate relationships long before you ask for anything--and even when your initial ideas are rejected.

Emily researched reporters and writers who specifically wrote on her areas of expertise: blended family and wealth; women and wealth; and, family success family. She created a master list and began connecting with each of them, introducing herself as an expert on the topics. Her goal was to make the job easier for reporters by providing insight they didn't have to dig for.

Often times, the connection was just an introduction. And it led to nothing immediate. But Emily's name became familiar.

If you have a warm relationship with a reporter, when you pitch your book (or an idea related to your book) your ask isn't cold.

After her first engagement with the New York Times, Emily remained in contact with the reporter. Though the reporter went on to a new publication, she introduced Emily to the new reporter when Emily was pitching a new article idea.

3. Find a hook and create a press release. Emily doesn't have a marketing background, But she knew from her previous experience with the New York Times that to catch the attention of reporters, you need a hook.

Following James Gandolfini's untimely death, the big news story was the complications of passing on his estate to his son from his first marriage and his daughter from his second marriage. As a blended family expert who specializes in estate planning, Emily knew she had something to say on the topic. It was a hook into the media.

She got busy and researched, "How to write a press release" and "How to create a media kit" and quickly wrote a press release that used the Gandolfini story as a hook. The Wall Street Journal picked up the press release, and used the majority of it for the foundation of a multi-page feature article.

When it comes to media relations, don't let what you don't know stop you. Do your research. Do the work. And be persistence. You too can create a promotion plan from scratch, like Emily did.