Episode #51: Learn the Psychology of Persuasion with Domenica D'Ottavio
“All things equal, if you’re pitching something that’s equally as high quality and newsworthy as somebody else, who are they going to choose? [...] Unconscious bias plays a huge role in picking between 2 equal things. By building relationships with journalists and utilizing these tactics and understanding how people think and work, you get an edge in our really competitive PR industry.”
-Domenica D’Ottavio, on the power of the “Mere Exposure Effect”
We all know that relationship-building outside of the inbox is important. In theory, we should be interacting with our contacts via social on a regular basis. For some, this is the best part of the job. For others, the worst part. Our guest today is a follow publicist whose passion is building rapport outside of the inbox. She shares real psychological theories that demonstrate why being intentional with your online presence and putting in the work to be seen by journalists, maybe the tie-breaker that earns you the only ‘yes’ a journalist sends out that day.
In this episode, you’ll learn…
The psychology behind why being active on social platforms gives you an edge over the competition
Guidelines for sprucing up your personal brand on social and email
Ways to connect with a reporter on social media that feel both natural and effective
Our guest is:
Domenica D’Ottavio, associate director of Digital PR at Journey Further, a performance marketing agency. Over the past 8 years, Domenica has done PR across every niche - like finance, sports, and tech. Her research and advice have been featured on Moz, Marketing Land, Search Engine Journal, PR Daily, and more.
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Show Notes:
:00– Jackie introduces the episode and our guest.
1:44– Jackie talks asks Domenica to explain the “mere exposure effect” and its relevance to digital PR.
3:44– Britt asked Domenica what she studied in college. Britt goes into her experience with school.
5:18– Domenica dives deeper into the mere exposure effect.
8:54– Jackie asks Domenica how to choose an appropriate profile picture and how often to change it.
10:20– Domenica talks about repetition and authenticity in relation to consistency.
11:45– Jackie asks how often a publicist should be interacting with a contact via social.
13:18– Domenica talks about how competitive our industry has become.
14:45– Domenica covers another theory– anonymity and the identifiable other.
16:56– Jackie asks Domenica to how to move forward when you don’t get a response on Twitter.
19:33– Britt remarks that different journalists have different preferences. She shares what we’ve learned from the podcast along with her thoughts regarding social platforms in general. LinkedIn is mentioned and discussed.
25:09– Domenica remarks that these theories really work well offline– in person.
26:45– Domenica talks about “all things being equal,” and how authority, scarcity, and social proof can help.
32:12– Britt asks Domenica how she pitches exclusives without upsetting a journalist.
37:18– Jackie mentions the power of email introduction as a tactic related to persuasive psychology. This turns into a conversation about phone calls.
41:48– Jackie mentions the importance of realizing that those principles Domenica shared are as old as the beginning of time.
43:37– Shout-out time! Domenica gives a shout-out to Beth Nunnington at Journey Further who gives some epic talks on the importance of relevance in digital PR. She also gives a shout-out to Tamara Sykes at Stacker, who has introduced Domenica to the idea of community over competition. She also shares legendary advice on her Twitter.
Connect with Domenica D’Ottavio
Connect with Jackie & Britt
