How this life coach gets into the press
Pervis Taylor III is a NYC based life coach, author, and speaker. Over the last several years, Pervis Taylor has been featured in over a dozen media outlets, including Essence magazine, Black Enterprise, Fox News, The Today Show, Vibe Magazine, BET, Centric and Arise 360 to name a few
We asked Pervis to walk us through the steps he took to get one of his first features in Black Enterprise.
HOW TO GET INTO THE PRESS: PERVIS TAYLOR
Pervis’s Steps
Identify the media outlets that you want to be featured in
Research the editors that cover your industry
Create and pitch your story via email
Be persistent and follow up.
Land the write-up
Maintain the relationship
Secure more write-ups
Pervis’s Resources
G-Suite email service
Twitter
Google
Skills: research, copywriting, followup, persistence.
1. Identify the media outlets that you want to be featured in
To build brand awareness and attract more clients, Pervis set a goal to either be a contributor or be featured in a national media outlet that his target customers reads and trusts. His first step was to make a list of all the media publications that he wanted to be in. One of the names that he added to his list was, Black Enterprise, because many of his followers on social media shared articles from the publication.
2. Research the editors that cover your industry
Whenever his followers on social media shared articles from Black Enterprise, Pervis studied them to see who the editors were. Pervis then researched the contact information of one of the Black Enterprise editors on their website who wrote articles that aligned with his work.
3. Create and pitch your story via email
Pervis created a short and to the point email that outlined, 1) who he was 2) what he did as a life coach 3) the impact his work was having on his clients and communities 4) links to his other media features, mentions and testimonials 5) his ask of being a contributor for Black Enterprise 6) At the top of his email he referenced and complimented the editor on her articles.
“Publications like Forbes, Huffington Post, and Black Enterprise are always looking for niche contributors. Pitch your Niche.
— Pervis
4. Be persistent and follow up
A few weeks passed by and pervis had not heard back from the editor, so he followed up with a second email, where he asked if she had a chance to review his email and if she had an interest in learning more about his work and story.
To his surprise, the editor responded to his second email with wanting to learn more.
5. Land the write-up
After Pervis’s first conversation with the editor, he was referred to another writer at Black Enterprise, who loved his story and eventually wrote a feature on him in the magazine, entitled, From Diddy dreams to helping teens: Pervis Taylor III Story.
6. Maintain the relationship
Pervis maintained a relationship with the editor who he reached out to initially at Black Enterprise. He followed her on social media, engaged with her content and even attended several of her events.
7. Secure more write-ups
Because of the relationship that he built with the editors at Black Enterprise, Pervis was able to secure additional features and his own column, including, passion to purpose and his contributor column
Pervis 5 tips to pitch the press
Be as niche as possible when deciding what to pitch to the press.
Be an expert in your field. Believe in your expertise and remember they need you.
Invest in having someone help you pitch. 3rd party pitches are better than doing it yourself in most cases.
Know what publications you want to be in and why. Is the publication in alignment with your market, story and work?
Don't be afraid to reach out. Be bold and persistent.