I’m sitting on the plane heading to Perth and only hours ago I was attending the Melbourne #MeetTheMedia program which we hosted in that brilliant event space, Smart Artz Gallery in South Melbourne. What an amazing day it was!

The media in attendance included representatives from the ABC, 3AW, KIIS FM, The Project, Nine News and print. The sharing, open and honest nature of all media was very well received by the attendees of this unique event. Where else can you get media and experts to meet in a room and give them the opportunity to make a connection that might take over a year in normal circumstances?

So what did the attendees learn from “Meet the Media”?

1. Reach out and take control – Too often we are firing darts at a dart board and hoping like hell we hit something. There’s no control or direction. The media were very clear – if you have a story to tell get it right, don’t depend on others and make sure you take the time and effort to make sure YOUR message is heard.
2. Storytelling – The art of storytelling is quite unique and can be difficult for some. It is not a natural skill for the majority of us. It’s a skill that needs to be mastered, and if we don’t have it, then it’s difficult for any media to use your content. Get your story right; make it human, unique and make it stand-out.
3. Audience and research – Do your research around the medium, the journalist/presenter and the audience that might be interested in your content, stories and pitches. Failing to carry out these basic steps almost guarantees you’ll fail.
4. Pitches need to be varied – Every producer and media wants something different and has different boxes to tick when they consider running a story. The ability to identify what media wants from your pitches is a skill and with some help you will succeed.
5. Get to the point – Don’t waffle, get the pitch right in the first paragraph, a good subject line that matches the story and don’t send 14 pages! You have a limited opportunity get your story heard, don’t miss it because you’re bogged down in detail or are struggling to explain it.

One of the major issues that the media talked about was finding and having quick access to the right expert/commentator, with the right opinion or view.  Media Stable is fast becoming a resource that rivals that of a Google search or a quaint little black book of contacts – make sure you’re in the right space to be found.

#MeetTheMedia will be on sale next week for Sydney, Brisbane and Perth

Nicholas Hayes is the Managing Director of Media Stable and co-host of media and marketing podcast Brand Newsroom.