Hey Reporter!  Look At Me!

By Matthew S. Gosselin, author of My Blue Goose

In a recent interview with the Boston Globe I was able to turn the tables and ask the real estate reporter some questions.  It confirmed much of what I already knew but was interesting to hear first-hand.  (Since her comments have not been approved by the Boston Globe, she asked to keep her name anonymous) 

Matt:  How many real estate-related press releases do you receive a day?

Reporter: Between 5-10.

Matt: How many of these are truly newsworthy?

Reporter:  Almost none. The only newsworthy press releases I receive are the monthly sales and price reports from two sources.

Matt: How do you find a real estate agent to interview for a story?

Reporter:  I interview some that I've interviewed in the past or if I want to know about what's happening in a specific town, I'll do a Google search for an

agent.  I try to call agents from a variety of companies.

Matt: What are your pet peeves when it comes to real estate companies and agents?

Reporter: Some agents do not talk about how the market really is.  They talk about how they want it to be.

Matt: What kind of stories are you looking for?

Reporter: Unique things that happen with respect to a specific property, a market, solid trend stories, fraudulent activities, unfair practices, news. Stories about what buyers and sellers are doing differently.

Matt: Which way do you prefer that an agent contact you?

Reporter: Email is easier. I can't answer every call.

Matt: What kind of information do you find yourself looking for most often?

Reporter: I'm constantly trying to find agents who will help me by asking a client - either a buyer or seller - to talk to me. That's the toughest part, especially buyers.

Reporters are inundated with unnecessary calls from real estate agents with story ideas that really aren’t newsworthy at all.  You’ll also notice that reporters are looking for very unique stories.  Something that is different then what the public is used to hearing about.  One thing I like to do before I call a reporter for any paper is try to predict a headline for the story that I am trying to pitch.  If I know I can’t create a clever headline that sounds interesting, chances are it may not be the a good story to pitch.  What story would you rather read? “Judy Salesperson Sells Her Third One Million Dollar Home” or “Luxury Market Takes Off Despite Housing Sales Slump.”  The real trick is that you need to present a story that affects as many people as possible.

Building a solid and informative relationship with a reporter can be very valuable to your business.

Matthew S. Gosselin is the northeast regional manager of Xpressdocs and author of My Blue Goose, Exploiting The Wow Factor In Real Estate Marketing due out October of 2007.  Matt can be reached at mg@mybluegoose.com or MyBlueGoose.com