Can Media Make You the Go-To Local Expert and Star?

Once your content consistently comes through your blog posts, occasional media articles and social media channels, you’ll find that other media and marketing specialists will be interested in what you have to say about your local/regional housing markets and your advice for housing consumers.

Need a little help on how to maximize these opportunities and interest in what you have to offer? Here is a snapshot of an interview Christy Murdock Edgar, a real estate consultant, did for Inman News with Christine Daves, best selling author of Leveraging the Media – 100+ Ways to Easily Create Buzz for Your Business.

Daves encourages every agent to bring her/his own unique history, experience, target market and expertise to a journalist and that journalist’s audience. All of this uniqueness is of value.

Daves has a 3-step system she calls Get PR’s Famous Formula. These three steps include…

1. Being Newsworthy
   1. This means “nitch your pitch” in Daves’ words.
      1. Be short and concise
      2. Narrow your expertise by being specific
      3. Use bullet points and/or statistics
      4. Use a great quote by you
      5. Use a short bio
      6. Tease your audience with “drip bits” of information.

2. Creating a good “hook”
   1. Have a great/WOW subject line they can use in their publication or on their video/TV show
   2. Rehash good ideas, phrases and words – if those ideas/phrases/words got your attention, they’ll get other people’s attention.
3. Finding the “right” journalist and the “right” media outlet.
   1. These people need content and they need experts.
   2. “Right” means the real estate writer/editor/specialist for that publication and/or program.

When a media outlet/journalist contacts you, be your own megaphone. They will share your expertise with their audience and you will benefit. As importantly, make sure that you let your own and potential clients know about your appearance and/or content on this media outlet or journalist’s column. No one wants to be out of the loop when their best friend, ie. their real estate agent, was or will be “all over the media.” Make sure your clients are “insiders” to your exposure. They in turn will let all their friends/family/colleagues know that you’re a star.