Episode #24: Hunt Down A Good Story (& Beauty Trends!) with Mara Schiavocampo
“Life is a contact sport. It’s about your contacts. Maintain those relationships-- be in touch with people, check in, and remember little details about them. That’s what’s going to build a foundation for a successful pitch.”
-Mara Schiavocampo on why building relationships in media matters
In this episode you will get an up close and VERY personal look at how Mara Schiavocampo, celebrated TV journalist, podcast host, comes up with story ideas. While we learn she may not necessarily need to see your basic pitch come into her inbox, we still have a lot of fun learning what it does take to collaborate with her on stories.
In this episode, you’ll learn…
How reporters generate their own story ideas
Why digital footprint matters with guest sourcing
What other tactics that are more influential than a cold email
Our guest is:
Mara Schiavocampo is a celebrated TV journalist (currently on Dr. Oz), podcast host, digital content creator, and best-selling author. She is the host of the The Trend Reporter and the Run Tell This podcast.
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Show Notes:
:00 -- Britt introduces our guest.
:26 — Britt introduces a Trend Reporter episode and how the story came to be.
3:30 — Britt mentions the role of the influencer in that story coming to be.
4:18 — Jackie asks how she met this influencer.
6:24 — Jackie asks what kinds of stories she’s looking for for the Trend Reporter and if she ever gets pitches (spoiler: she gets too many!).
8:32 — Britt asks Mara to go through the brainstorming process.
10:58 — Britt asks Mara how she stays on the pulse of what’s relevant.
12:11 — Jackie ever asks if Mara uses Reddit and raves about it.
13:10 — Jackie asks how Mara comes up with segment ideas for the Dr. Oz show. (Spoiler: 85% are assignments from producers.)
15:27 — Mara mentioned that she downloaded reddit. Jackie recommends some subreddits. Jackie then explains her skincare routine (spoiler: this turns into a Trend Reporter story!)
19:40 — Britt asks how Mara finds the perfect guest.
21:55 — Britt asks if she prefers to find her own guests or if she welcomes pitches from guests.
23:58 — Britt asks what information Mara needs to consider a guest.
25:55 — Jackie mentions the Rand Fishkin episode and why it’s relevant to this episode.
27:26 — Jackie asks if Mara has any pet peeves regarding guests and publicists.
28:45 — Britt asks Mara to give a shoutout. Mara gives her a shoutout to Rachel Noerdlinger and Cheryl Crowley.
Things We Talked About
Connect with Mara Schiavocampo
Connect with Jackie & Britt
