What are the important factors of persuasion? Explain any four?
Answers
1. Reciprocity
People feel an obligation to give when they receive. Favors and partnerships abound in the business world. The key to reciprocity is to be the first to give, making sure it is personalized and unexpected. In the PR realm, this can manifest in many ways. For example, you could share contacts with a media outlet to help them find the story they are searching for. When you do get some juicy media coverage, put some money behind it to help promote the piece socially and be sure to let them know you’ll be doing so! This type of converged media can go a long way toward building a relationship. If you can help the piece reach a larger audience, you’ll not only help your client but the media as well. And they will remember that the next time you get in touch.
2. Liking
People say yes to people they like, and we tend to like similar, complimentary and cooperative people. Before you start pitching to the media, take a moment to research them. Read a couple articles, learn their voice, identify a few similarities you may have and compliment them on recent posts. But don’t be creepy about it! No one wants to feel like they’re being stalked. And most importantly, be sure you are genuine with your compliments.
3. Scarcity
Simply put, people want more of the things they can’t have or have less of. In media pitching, the classic “First Look” approach takes advantage of those feelings. When pitching the media, identify your “home run” sites, the ones that will be the most beneficial. Contact them personally before any other sites and offer your product or story ahead of schedule. The key is to make them feel special. The following formula is a good communication strategy: Benefit + Uniqueness + What they stand to lose.
4. Authority
People follow the lead of experts. You won’t always be authoritative in your client’s field, so let others prove your worth. For example, contact some influencers or thought leaders in the space and get their thoughts to include in your pitch. Better yet, if your client employs a well-known authority in the space, pitch an exclusive interview. Become the outreach specialist who links the media to those in the know and use their authority to your advantage.
5. Consistency
In this case, consistency is looking and asking for commitments. If you’re asking for something big, try an incremental approach: score small commitments, stay consistent and move toward more voluntary, active and public commitments in the future. For instance, if you’re trying to gain coverage for a overlong and boring white paper, first ask the media if they would be interested in seeing it instead of flooding their inbox with a 37-page attachment. Once you have the go-ahead, send the white paper with the request to have it covered. They will be more willing to act on your request because they have already committed in some fashion.