EP 68 - Ashleigh Gleeson
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Liz Nable: [00:00:00] Today's guest is someone I've been chasing for months, and trust me, she was absolutely worth the wait. Ashlee Gleeson is the National Health Editor for the Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, and Adelaide Advertiser. She oversees health content across News Corp Australia's state and community mastheads, and she's on a mission to make health journalism more relatable, more personal, and more digitally relevant than ever before.
Ashlee started her journalism career back in 2011, and has done a bit of everything; federal politics, courts, crime, and education, before stepping into this national health editor role. She's also been chief of staff at the Herald Sun and deputy chief of staff at the Daily Telegraph, so she knows exactly what it takes to get a story across the line.
In today's episode, we're talking about what health stories are trending right now, what Ashlee is actually looking for when a pitch lands in her [00:01:00] inbox, and the real insider tips that will help you get featured in one of Australia's biggest news mastheads. If you've ever wanted to pitch your story to a major newspaper, this episode is for you.
Let's get into it.
Hello, and welcome to Media Magnet, the podcast for female founders and women-owned businesses, startups, and side hustlers who want to learn how to grow their business leveraging the media and free PR. I'm Liz Nable, and I'm your host, personal publicist, PR strategist, and dedicated hype woman. My goal with this show is to give you a behind-the-scenes tour of how the media works, to break down the barriers between your business and the big mastheads, so you can see how easy it is to get featured simply by giving journalists what they want.
At Media Magnet, you'll also get access to the top [00:02:00] journos, editors, writers, and PR people in your industry and beyond, sharing their secrets and expertise on the how, why, what, and when of pitching and getting featured in the media consistently. I will share with you how to build your reputation as an industry expert so successfully the media will be knocking down your door.
When I first started in small business 12 years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. I had spent 15 years as a television news reporter working at several major networks in Australia, and then as a freelancer in the US and around the world. I spent years dividing my time between working long shifts on a news desk and traveling the world chasing stories.
It was unpredictable and exciting, until it wasn't anymore. I decided I wanted a life where I was in charge of what happened next, and where I was working to build my own empire, not someone else's. There was a lot I had to learn about running my [00:03:00] own business, but getting media and great free PR was not one of them.
I already knew what the media wanted. I knew the secret formula for what made news, and I knew how to leverage those media outlets to build my business, get more exposure, and ultimately make more sales. I was featured in every major media outlet in the country, and I never spent a single cent on PR. I took that knowledge for granted until it dawned on me one day that I could teach what I knew to other businesses, let them in on the secret, and they too could build their brands with organic media and PR.
Let me help you take your brand from best-kept secret to household name. This is Media Magnet, the podcast, and I'm pretty pumped to have you here.[00:04:00]
Awesome. Um, thanks, Ashley, for coming on the show. It's exciting to have you here. Thanks so much for having me here. I have been harassing you via email I don't know if you've realized, for the last few months because I've been so keen to have someone in the health space, like a health writer or journalist, on the show.
So I appreciate your time.
Ashleigh Gleeson: No, I'm so happy to be here. And, um, yeah, that you know Adela Vianni, who's a great reporter, very genuine. So I was, yeah, keen to come on.
Liz Nable: Yes. You were a strong recommendation from Adela, um, who's been on the show before, um, and who's been inside the course, which you are very excitingly gonna be a guest expert inside the next round of MMA.
So thank you for your time in that too. We're excited to have you.
Ashleigh Gleeson: Thank you.
Liz Nable: Um, tell us, let's start a little bit, um, with some background on yourself. If you could just share a little bit about who you work for, what you do.
Ashleigh Gleeson: Uh, yeah. So about 14 months ago, we launched this new health section across all the state and community mastheads for News Corp Australia.
[00:05:00] So it was about showcasing all the great health journalism that we're already doing, but also being very digitally focused with our health content. So we are really prioritizing things like affinity, um, to cut through to our digital audiences. Um, so that's things that people can resonate with, that they can relate to, um, that they might admire, or just that, in that space.
Um, that tends to click quite well for us. And just trying out new things in health that are really relatable and people want to read. Um, so we're very audience led. We look at analytics, and we are kind of guided by that. Um, and just trying out new things.
Liz Nable: Amazing. And I've noticed, um, so the, the Health Weekly is, like, a wrap-up of the week's health news across The Herald Sun and The Daily Telegraph news group.
Is that right?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Yes. So I send out a weekly newsletter every Tuesday at 2:30 PM, except if the RBA has an interest rate decision, then I move it to Wednesday just 'cause it will [00:06:00] be a clash. Um, and it's all the best health content from the week that people can get to their inbox and catch up on everything.
'Cause most of what we do now is, um, a lot of evergreen content, so it's, um, relevant throughout the year. It's not just a breaking news thing of the day to day.
Liz Nable: Yeah. Yeah. And were you always a health writer, or what, what's, uh, can you explain a little bit about your background and how you sort of came to be in this role?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Yeah. So I've worked in journalism since 2011, um, and I've worked in different newsrooms across the country. Um, I was chief of staff at The Herald Sun before moving into the role of national health editor, um, for the state and community mastheads. Um, before that, I did some federal politics. I was deputy chief of staff at The Daily Telegraph.
I did court, crime, um, education for a little bit. Uh, yeah, so I've done a bit of everything.
Liz Nable: Bit of everything. Um, it's always nice to sort of do a little bit of everything and then kind of settle somewhere. I've sort [00:07:00] of noticed from an outsider's perspective, 'cause I haven't been a working journalist for a long time, um- Health reporting has certainly changed a lot in the last, I mean, in the last 20 years, but particularly in the last sort of five years.
Can you explain a little bit about how it's evolved and what you're seeing from a journalist perspective and, like, from media?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Uh, yeah. I think, like, just with online, that's transformed everything to do with all types of reporting, and we need to work a lot harder now to, uh, resonate with the audience and get that cut-through.
Um, so health reporting's changed because people are kind of being bom- being bombarded, bombarded, sorry, online with, um, so much information, they don't know what they can trust. Mm. Uh, and so that's where we really prioritize that, having really credible health journalism. Um, and people are more proactively wanting to know about their health, um, than ever before, so they're seeking out that information.
So [00:08:00] we aim to be able to help them guide them to what they want for their health outcome that they're looking for. Um, and also just more of a focus on what I spoke about earlier, which was that personal connection. So affinity, having first-person pieces, things people can relate to, uh, and even experimenting a bit with the way that we tell stories.
So we do diaries, 'cause those can be quite interesting to read if you have, like, someone, for instance, um, one of the reporters on my team did, uh, quitting social media for two weeks and did a diary of what that was like with some videos and everything. Um, and that was really good. We had a Breaking Bad series where people did things like quit alcohol, um, they quit caffeine, like their energy drink addiction or coffee.
Uh, I'm trying to think what else now. Um, yeah, just all the bad habits that we all kind of sometimes have as our [00:09:00] vices, they quit them and did a diary of that, and that did really well, uh, also. So it's just like we're trying out new things constantly and just seeing what works, what doesn't. It's very test and learn with our new health section.
Liz Nable: Yeah. It's interesting, isn't it? 'Cause back when, I mean, I'm really aging myself here, but back when I was a news- TV news reporter, um, like, medical and health reporting was very clinical. So, you know, if it was a new diabetes drug or, you know, talking about cancer, there would be a really, it would be very, um, almost formulaic.
You'd have a case study, you'd have, you know, a scientist talking about the drug, and you'd have stats and those sorts of things. Whereas it seems, you know, obviously with the evolution of the internet and, you know, people-led content, it's really interesting to see that there is so much content now that's based on personal experience and, and people resonating with someone who- You know, has experienced something similar to them.
Uh, a- and an example of that that I see is, [00:10:00] at my age particularly, is there's so much talk now about perimenopause, menopause, HRT. And that was just really unheard of even five years ago.
Ashleigh Gleeson: Yeah. Um, I think that's a very good point. Um, menopause and perimenopause is one of our top clicking issues. Like, our audience can't get enough of it.
Um, they love personal stories that they can relate to. Um, and to your point about how it's transformed to be more those personal stories, I think, um, we're trying to focus on, a bit more on what people can do for themselves now, because people want to be able to take charge of their own health. So it's, um, you know, this change you have the option of doing if that's the outcome you want.
We're not telling them what to do, we're just giving them all the credible, trustworthy options that they can make their own decision based on all the information. Um, but the, the clinical stuff is still very important, and we still cover that. Mm. It's just, uh, [00:11:00] layering it with these extra, um, experiences for our audience.
Liz Nable: Yeah, real life stories. So what are some of the stories, I guess, that you're looking for on a daily or a weekly basis? Like you said, perimenopause and menopause are obviously, there's big demand. People can't get enough, or I guess women can't get enough of reading about that. Um, is there anything else that you can think of that there's just repeat themes perhaps from different angles or different experiences every week?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Uh, yeah. So I think it's just things that everyone can relate to. They tend to do very well for us. Um, so anything to do with weight loss, um, people enjoy reading about that because we all kind of have our s- our struggles in that space. Mm. Um, weight loss drugs are very big, um, because they're kind of an emerging area of health that's gonna change things.
Um, fertility is something that's very big with our audience. Um, we are particularly moving towards focusing on [00:12:00] families, um, as like the t- the target that we're trying to, um, appeal to. So yeah, fertility, IVF, that's something that we're very interested in. Um, and just e- every day things as well like, um, cholesterol, blood pressure, heart health.
Um, yeah, just anything that affects every day Australians that they want to know about. That's what we are interested in. And we're always open to new ideas as well.
Liz Nable: Yeah. What, what, what about some of the areas of mental health? That looks like there's big demand for those kinds of stories as well.
Ashleigh Gleeson: Yeah, mental health is a big one.
Um, so people sharing personal stories about how they've overcome a struggle in that space. They, um, are a big interest to us, and I think I saw something recently about how the most, the biggest thing people are interested in now is, like, their happiness. Um, I think that's often an overlooked area in health, and from speaking to [00:13:00] researchers and doctors, um, about that issue, like you think, "Oh, we have to eat the right things.
We have to exercise." But actually, like something that has a really huge impact on our health and wellbeing is, um, social interactions, enjoying life. Mm. Um, that's actually like a really big factor in, you know, how our health span, um, how we age, that we have those, um, connections with people, that we are enjoying life.
It's a, a very big area of health that's really important.
Liz Nable: Mm. I've also noticed y- uh, you just touched on it a little bit there, things like longevity, um, and aspects of different kinds of terminal illnesses. So we've always talked a lot about cancer, but things like dementia, which is now the biggest killer of, um, Australians.
I think it is the number one cause of death in Australia. I, I'm pretty sure that's correct, is dementia now. Um, so there seems to be a lot of articles, not [00:14:00] just in Your Mastheads, but just across the board about how to prevent things like that or how to spot the signs early and those sorts of things.
Ashleigh Gleeson: Yeah, that's, that's very big. People are very fearful of dementia and, you know, there's so many family members of, like people out there that have been affected by it, and it's absolutely heartbreaking, like to see a loved one go through that- Yeah ... um, and deteriorate. So yeah, people are very interested in, um, things they can do now to reduce their chance of dementia, um, and anything that gives hope in that space for people who are affected to slow, um, their progression of, of the disease.
Um, dementia is a huge, huge thing. Mm. Um, and we had the Think Again campaign run through the company, which was all about raising awareness about dementia.
Liz Nable: Yeah. That's interesting. So my dad is, uh, was d- diagnosed with early onset dementia 10 years ago, and so I think it's like that baby in the pram analogy, right?
I [00:15:00] see it everywhere now. Like, I notice it in the media. I notice people talking about it. There's so much talk about, uh, people are super fearful of it, including me. Um, and it's, yeah, it seems to be... You know, again, dementia was just not something I ever remember reporting on in the two, early 2000s. I- i- it's just almost like it's exploded or maybe that's just my age.
Is, is that, am I imagining that?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Uh, no. I think with online, like because we are guided by what clicks well, that is something that people are very interested in. So I do believe that we're writing about it more because we have that extra kind of guide of what people want to read about. Um, but we're also living longer now, so it's becoming a bigger and bigger issue.
Um, more and more people are affected, and I think we're just better at talking about- health now. Like, we just- Yeah ... we, like, it helps to talk about our health and things that we're all going through, and to demand something be done or to, you know, [00:16:00] have so- know someone else is going through the same thing.
That brings you comfort- Mm-hmm ... if you know you're not alone.
Liz Nable: That's so true. So what about the way you approach when people... You know, obviously there's a very specific way that, I guess, the Herald Sun or the Daily Telegraph would approach health stories. You know, you can, I mean, I guess as a journalist, I, I can sort of almost tell what masthead it is before I see what masthead it is by the way it's written or the headline.
You know, you can tell a Mamamia story from a- Yes ... AHPRA story and those sorts of things. If someone's coming to you to pitch their story or to pitch their experience, a health story in, in some way, shape or form, what are you looking for? 'Cause I have so many women particularly that do the, the Media Masters Academy program, um, who will pitch to you in the next round obviously, so you can give them their feedback then.
But are there things that you're looking for specifically when someone is emailing you a pitch for the first time about health in any way?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Um, I think having the [00:17:00] personal stories is really big now for us. So if there's strong case studies, um, who are available to interview, um, with photos and videos, um, 'cause videos is becoming more and more important in the totality of what we cover.
Um, and just, yeah, I think the relatable angles about, like for instance with menopause, if there were strong case studies to do with that that were open to speaking about things that maybe other people don't often speak about, like those things that people might be embarrassed about but shouldn't- Mm-hmm
um, that's kind of what would stand out to me- Right ... in a, a pitch about, um, the health space.
Liz Nable: Yeah, so some of the, a lot of what I see, um, and we haven't had a health reporter inside the course yet, um, but when we have been, you know, pitching to places like Mamamia and a lot of the time it will be personal stories, some of the mistakes I see newbies make is that they're trying to include [00:18:00] everything in their pitch.
They're trying to be e- you know, they might be, like, a life coach or they, but they also have a personal experience and they also have another area of expertise. Is that something that's confusing for you? W- when you're receiving these pitches, are you looking for someone to be very specific about what they're looking to be featured about?
Are you looking for all the details in one pitch or just the specifics so that you can glance over it and get the idea in an instant? Is there anything in those emails that you'll look, like, you're, you're looking for specifically so that you open the email for a start?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Um, w- usually I'm looking for, like, the hook that would make, it people interested in it.
So if that's just at the top of the email, I don't mind having everything in there and all the ba- like, the context and everything. Because with health journalism and us- Putting ourselves out there as a credible source of health news, I do like look at everything carefully and weigh up, you know, if there's any red flags with, um, our coverage because it's very important.
Um, but [00:19:00] yeah, just knowing the news hook maybe in the first two pars of the email would be very useful because I usually think in headlines now, 'cause I write a lot of headlines for a team of people. Um, so if I know the headline straightaway, um, that's gonna, yeah, make me think, "Oh, this is worthwhile.
We're going to like get huge interest in, in this story." So that would be my tip for pitching a story.
Liz Nable: And can you normally tell if someone... Like I, I think probably one of the other biggest mistakes I see, um, new students make when they're first starting out is that they haven't actually read the media outlet that they're pitching or watched the TV show or listened to the podcast, and you can kinda tell straightaway that it's a generic pitch that they may have emailed to 50 other journalists.
Can you tell that?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Yes, I can. And, um, I would say it's probably a bit of a waste of time because we will only cover things exclusively, so we need to be first. [00:20:00] Um, I don't really want everyone else to cover it also, um, because it, we are putting ourselves out there as a premium product, um, and, and source of news.
Um, and I do think it is worth just taking that extra time to have a look at what the journalist is covering and really tailor it to what they are interested in, um, and even just putting a point that you noticed, for instance, um, you know, another piece that really stood out or something just to show that you've read and been across what they're doing.
I think that makes a big difference in showing that you have taken that extra effort because we do get... Like I can't even keep up with my emails, and I know you've had other journalists on here say the same thing. Yes. Michelle was the winner.
Liz Nable: I think she had 28,000 unopened emails.
Ashleigh Gleeson: Yeah. Sometimes I go through and I like just go read, um, but I can't keep up with them.
They come through like 100 a minute it feels like. It's so much. Yeah. So if you have a strong [00:21:00] subject line, you take the extra effort to show that you've, um, actually thought about who you're sending it to, because we do get so many pitches from PR people who don't do that. Yeah. And it seems a bit strange to me.
Yeah.
Liz Nable: Completely mind-blowing, and I teach this all the time inside the course, is that so often journalists, uh, are getting pitched by PR reps or PR companies who also haven't done their homework. So if you can do some of those basics as a standalone small business owner, as a coach or expert in whatever you're pitching, and you've done some of those basic prep, sort of, um, ticked a few of those boxes like- You've read the media outlet or you've got some sort of idea of what they've covered recently, you know the journalist's name and how to spell it, you've got a good idea for a hook or a headline.
Like that, that makes a huge difference, right?
Ashleigh Gleeson: I would say doing that once is probably more valuable than doing, sending out 100 generic emails. [00:22:00] You'll get a much better result, I think.
Liz Nable: A- 100%. And for context for anyone who's listening, I think I emailed you four or five times. And, and this is no shade on you, 'cause I know you're so busy.
As a journalist when I, another journalist doesn't email me back, I never take it personally 'cause I understand they're under... You know, you've got a deadline, you've got priorities for that day or for that week. So I'm okay with following up. But I think a lot of newbies or, or s- new students in the course, if they're just starting out, they feel like they're annoying you to follow up or they're getting in the way or they're, they just feel a bit strange about the follow-up.
But I also feel like if you've got a great story and you've done your research and you know that you're onto something good, there's, there's no harm in, like, just a polite little one line of follow-up. Would you agree with that?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Oh, yes, I would agree with that. I did notice your email, um, because you mentioned Adela and that stood out to me.
Um, so I was always meaning to get back to you, but it does get so busy and I am stretched very, very thin. And I would say another piece of advice, [00:23:00] which I know other journalists have said, um, is that just be patient, um, because if it is an evergreen not, um, urgent story, it is something that if I am interested in it, it might take a few months or...
Like, I will let you know, but it might take me a while to get to it or to get a team member onto it, um, just because we do have so much. We don't have a shortage of stories, we just have a shortage of time to get them done. Yeah. And so, and we always wanna do them to a high standard with proper checks and, and- Yeah
so they work. It's no point just doing it quickly sometimes when you want it to, you know, get the most, um, reach.
Liz Nable: Yeah. No, I completely agree. And I think once you have been featured once, um, you know, you've, you've got a little... Like I mentioned Adela 'cause I knew that you had worked together and perhaps that would, you know, incentivize you to open my email.
And I think a lot of people assume that because I was a journalist, the guests that I have on this podcast or the experts inside the [00:24:00] course are like old friends who, you know, I- I've got this advantage. But I'm just pitching the same way that I would ask my students to pitch, and that's to, um, you know, to be, to be persistent, politely persistent, um, and to follow up.
And then once you've got... You know, obviously I've met you now, we're doing the podcast together, we're gonna do this session inside the course. You'll know now that I've got good sources of information, I know what I'm talking about. You know, would you say it's more likely that you would open an email from me going forward, like after you'd have established some sort of relationship?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Oh, yes, because then now your name will stand out to me, and I will always open your emails, and I think we do have that relationship now, so- Yeah ... yeah. And that- That's the, that hardest part is- Yeah ... just getting to that point.
Liz Nable: Completely. And I, you know, sometimes students are almost, like, a bit disheartened or, like, like, upset that this journalist that they don't know from a bar of soap, that they've emailed a pitch to, that they're expecting the journalist to [00:25:00] do something for them or cover the story, and it's really, like, just a matter of, like you say, being patient, following up politely, doing a little bit of your own homework, understanding who they cover, how they cover stories.
Um, and just I, I think s- you know, playing the long game can really pay off.
Ashleigh Gleeson: I would agree with that. I think playing the long game is a very good, um, strategy. And even if the first pitch doesn't work- Yeah ... if, if you did speak to the journalist and kind of got that rapport going, that's a win, and it's a step towards getting another story over the line next time.
Yeah. Or them knowing that if they need a case study or they need an expert in a certain space, that they will think of you and give, give you a call for a story that they're working on.
Liz Nable: Yeah, absolutely. I think, um... A- and, and you're right, because if you are, um... You know, I've pitched lots of stories that I've gotten a no [00:26:00] to, but I've al- al- also consistently followed up to say, you know, "I work with small business owners.
If you're looking for case studies and you ever need a small business owner in any of these areas of expertise, please, you know, pop me in your database, 'cause I can always grab great contacts for you." That's personally what I'm trying to be known for so that journalists like yourself or the guys from the Today Show or wherever will be like, "I know Liz will always give me, you know, a good source of information or help me find case studies."
But I think small business owners can be helpful like that too, in consistently sort of throwing stories your way. And maybe 9 out of 10 won't land, and then, and then the 10th one will be, you know, really timely, something that you're looking for, and you know that that person has given you great stories in the past, so you're more likely to say, "Hey, yeah, l- like, let's, let's do this one."
Ashleigh Gleeson: I'd agree with that. And I would say one of the hardest parts sometimes of being a journalist, it is, like, a lot of the time [00:27:00] goes into finding case studies. So if you do have a story that you have to do, um, yeah, it's not easy getting case studies. We don't have, like, a list ready to go. It's often, like, hundreds of phone calls, finding someone willing to pose up for a photo within the short timeframe, um, s- share their story, be open about it.
It's... So to have someone there that we know could be a case study or has contacts in that space is very valuable to journalists. And to be understanding that journalists are on tight deadlines, so- It's sometimes, if you said, "Oh, yeah, I'll get to that in two days." Uh, it sounds unreasonable, but we're under a lot of pressure.
So I would say if you can prove yourself as a reliable person that will be like, "Yep, I'll get onto that right away. I'll get it to you this afternoon." Um, that would be very, very much appreciated. Um, yeah. Yeah.
Liz Nable: I, I couldn't agree with you more, and more often than not, when you know that someone has moved quickly for [00:28:00] you to make your story happen, you know, you're so much more likely to go back to them.
I had a Today Show producer text me on Monday night because, um, we were doing a story on the fuel crisis and tradies. Um, and I had provided case studies for the journalists for the six o'clock news, and then the Today Show wanted to do a follow-up live interviews the next day. It was seven o'clock on Monday night, but I knew I didn't know this producer.
I hadn't worked with them before, and I just knew that I had to make that happen for them, because I know he will come back to me and say, "Who else have you got for me for the next story?" And that is part of what I do. And sourcing the case studies is the most time intensive, hardest part, and I have a database of them.
So I want people to, you know, journalists like yourself, to know that, and to know that I'm super keen to make that work for you so that you'll use me next time. And so it's the... I'm in the exact same boat as the students. Being helpful, working to a deadline with the journalist, making things happen fast.
Don't pitch a story and then don't check your emails for [00:29:00] three days. Uh, any other tips about that, that could help kind of sources become that go-to person that you would use time and time again?
Ashleigh Gleeson: I think, uh, what you said about, like, if it is an annoying time, like 7:00 PM with a next day turnaround, um, I would push through that and just do it, because it, it is very, very much appreciated and it'll make you stand out from everyone else.
Because, um, a lot of people wouldn't do what you just described. And, um, we're under a lot of pressure and, um, we don't wanna make people, you know, work to such tight deadlines, but we're on them, and that's just the reality of the business. So yeah, that's, that sounds amazing. Um, that is a great, great tip, and I would definitely say if anyone else could do that, um, yeah, journalists would never forget it, because- Yeah
yeah, it makes a- The case,
Liz Nable: the case studies is how you illustrate the story. 'Cause you can have data, you can have a, you know, a scientist or a doctor, but the case studies, in my opinion, is kind of what... is, like, the vehicle for telling the [00:30:00] story, right?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Well, as... Well, for TV, yes. And now with online, definitely.
Like, to get someone interested in the story, you need to have the personal connection, um, to make it, yeah, clickable and, and have a, a good digital audience. So yeah, it, it wouldn't click that well otherwise without a case study.
Liz Nable: Yeah, it's a bit dry, isn't it? Um, okay, amazing. I-- we're really excited to have you inside the course.
Um- Any top tips before we go? Any other sort of little tidbits of information or golden nuggets that you can share before we wrap up?
Ashleigh Gleeson: Um, I think just, yeah, building up the rapport with the journalist. Um, not taking it to heart if you don't hear back straightaway, and, and doing that gentle follow-up and understanding that we're very, um, yeah, busy.
Um, and thinking about what it is we cover and what's of interest to a lot of people, um, that's really good. And just being organized with it, so like laying out what [00:31:00] case studies you have, um, maybe saying when they're available. Um, that would probably be down the track if we said yes, but just, yeah, making sure people are available.
Um, because it's actually surprising, sometimes we do get pitched stories and they do put forward the case study, but then the case study isn't available for a while. Um, so checking things like the availability if you are putting someone forward, because we might want it quickly, quickly. Yeah. Um, yeah.
Liz Nable: It's interesting, isn't it? Because I grew up, I guess, as a journalist, I was so used to being really resourceful and knowing that, um, if I said that I was gonna do something, I had to follow through or a story wouldn't go to air, or a story wouldn't go to print, and it's a real journalist mentality. I think, um, looking back on that kind of career to go, I know that I have to make sure that all, have all my ducks in a row before I go forward because otherwise, you know, I don't wanna get a rep- The last thing you wanna get as a journalist is a reputation as [00:32:00] someone who's unreliable or who, you know, says they're gonna do something and they don't follow through.
And I think equally as a source or as a guest expert or whatever, as a, as a, you know, the go-to person in your field, you wanna build that reputation, right? With the journalists, with the media, that when you say you're gonna do something or you're pitching a story, that you, you know, you understand the importance of making it happen if you say you're gonna make it happen.
I think, yeah, that's, that's definitely
Ashleigh Gleeson: important.
Liz Nable: Amazing. Thank you, Ashley. It's been so lovely having you, um, on the show, and we're really excited to have you as our guest expert inside the May round of the course.
Ashleigh Gleeson: Thanks for having me. It was good to speak with you.
Liz Nable: This episode of Media Magnet was brought to you by my signature group coaching program, the Media Masters Academy.
The Media Masters Academy is a live online six-week course taught by me and designed to teach you how to become your own publicist and give you exclusive access to pitch the country's top [00:33:00] journalists and editors. Doors open just three times a year. Check it out at liznable.com along with a ton of free resources to help you get started taking your business from best-kept secret to household name right now.
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