5 responses to a reporter’s rejection

That would be a big mistake.

Pick yourself up. Brush yourself off. And move on.

That’s what I told an author this week when I presented a webinar for the Independent Book Publishers Association on “17 Story Ideas Authors and Publishers Can Pitch Tomorrow for Publicity.”

At the end of my presentation, she asked, “How do you handle rejection?” Here are five tips for doing just that:

1. Don’t take it personally.

The reporter who isn’t interested in your story idea probably doesn’t think you’re a bad person. It could be that the idea simply isn’t a good fit, or maybe he’s covering for somebody who is out sick and he’s too busy right now. Pitch it to someone else whose audience needs to hear what you’re offering.

2. Ask, “May I help with any other stories you’re researching or writing?”

Sometimes journalists and bloggers want to cover a certain topic, but they don’t have time to do the research, and the idea ends up on the back burner permanently. This happens to me occasionally. If a journalist knows you could be a valuable source for his next article, he’ll want to stay in touch.