Creating Your Foolproof Strategy – Pitching To Reporters
If you’re like most people, you probably shy away from the idea of approaching a complete stranger in the hope of getting media coverage. Believe us. You’re not alone. Fortunately, there are several foolproof strategies to pitch an idea to reporters. Try these to see how well they work.
Keep It Brief
A pitch should be long enough to pique interest and short enough to leave them wanting more. Aim for 3 to 6 sentences or 1 to 2 short paragraphs.
Keep It Factual
A pitch is not an ad or sales letter, is a story that should be newsworthy.
Target The Right Audience
Market the needs and wants of your ideal customers. This allows your messages to highlight the issues and solutions that hit their hot buttons. In the same way, trying to target every single journalist makes you look desperate, ill informed, and unprofessional.
Do Your Research
Do your research. Find the best matches or your pitch in terms of journalists and publications.
Read What They Write
Once you have a shortlist of journalists, prominent bloggers and so on, take the time to read several of their most recent articles or posts. This helps to confirm whether they are a good fit.
Add A Personal Touch
Even if you blind carbon copy an email, believe us, journalists will know if you are churning out press releases by the score. Include their name. If possible, also mention one or two items that they have written recently which you think would tie in nicely with what you have to offer. Use your research.
Offer Images
Images are a great way to liven up the story. Include one and offer others if needed.
Offer Video
Think Vine rather than YouTube. Make your videos short, sharp, interesting, and memorable.
Embrace The Phone
Phoning can often garner more attention than a pitch in an already-stuffed email Inbox. Many journalists are on tight deadlines. If you manage to get through on the phone, keep it brief. Explain that you would like to pitch an idea to them but DON’T start blasting with both barrels. Instead, ask, “Is this a good time to talk?” If they say yes, be brief. If they say they’re pushed for time, ask when it would be a good time to call back.
Follow Up
If anyone does respond favorable to your pitch, act like a true professional and follow up promptly. Reporters are always looking for reliable people and have no interest in time wasters.
Be Honest
It’s always the best policy, and everything should be able to hold up to fact-finding or else you will get a bad reputation with journalists and the public alike.
It may take some trial and error to come up with just the right formula for success, but the more pitches you make, the better they will become. You should soon be able to develop a foolproof strategy for pitching to reporters that will get you the kind of press coverage that can take your business to the next level.
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