This means the better you are at storytelling, and in particular, knowing how to focus on the parts that they find interesting, the more likely you are to get regular media coverage. Bridget realizes that bad-boy Daniel Cleaver is no good for her, that he is not serious about her, and that she would far rather be with Mark Darcy instead. Stage 4: Bridget tries to resolve the problem. In fact, if you've ever read a book or watched a film that takes too long to get to stages 2 through 4 -- where things go wrong, drama happens and the problem is being resolved -- you simply lose interest. His feedback was, “The film was slow to start and took some time to warm up, but once it got going it was really good.” He liked it best during stages 2 through 4, which is what most people look for when they watch a film or read a fictional book. The good news is that the media are not only interested in stories where things have gone wrong, they are also interested in quirky, different and out of the ordinary stories, too. The media also like stories about how you're doing things differently and how you're solving people's problems; such stories are educational and entertaining to their audience. These are the type of stories to pitch. The how wonderful I am or how great my business is or my life rocks type of stories -- not so much. And remember, just like any good book or film, you need to bring your media pitch to life.
Good press is born of drama and conflict, struggle and victory. When you conceive your publicity pitch, make it epic.
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The important thing to know about journalists is that they are professional storytellers. This means the better you are at storytelling, and in particular, knowing how to focus on the parts that they find interesting, the more likely you are to get regular media coverage. The good news is you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, you just need to follow the same format the experts do when they write bestselling books and produce blockbuster films.
The art of storytelling.
You may not have realized it before, but what all great films and exciting novels have in common is that they are written in five stages. The best way to explain what I mean is to take a film that made millions at the box office and highlight these five stages.
So let’s take the film Bridget Jones’ Diary. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve seen the film or not; I’ll briefly explain what happens and how the five stages are incorporated.
Stage 1: Things start out pretty bland and uneventful. Bridget Jones is a single woman working in a good job with a bunch of friends to hang out with in the evenings and on weekends. Life plods on without too many ups and downs. Stage 1 introduces the main characters and sets the scene.
Stage 2: Something happens to upset the apple cart. Bridget meets two very different men. One of the men, Daniel Cleaver, is a so-called bad boy whom she finds irresistible. The second is Mark Darcy, who is strong, solid and dependable. However, she feels him to be a little boring and less interesting.
Stage 3: Realization happens. Bridget realizes that bad-boy Daniel Cleaver is no good for her, that he is not serious about her, and that she…
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