Posts Tagged ‘media pitching’

Zero in on one great pitch at a time

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

Take the public relations pro who starts off her email: “I have some timely story ideas that your viewers might have interest in hearing more about. Any of the story ideas listed below can work well for in-studio interviews or packaged segments.  Please let me know if you have interest in booking.  Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.”

She goes on to list six topics from flu to insect bites. Her press release’s email signature doesn’t make it clear who she is or where her marketing agency is based. She sends the email to an Arizona journalist, but for all he knows, her marketing firm could be based in New York or Illinois.

Journalists welcome story ideas, but publicists should focus their communications skills on one topic at a time especially when time-deprived reporters rest their trigger fingers on the word “delete.”  The marketing strategy should zero in on one great pitch, not a series of generic ideas that make a press release wallow in mediocrity. If your goal is to ensure journalists see your agency as a hub of experts and place your contact information in their iPhone favorites, that relationship will build itself naturally with one or two great (and specific) pitches.

Whether in the worlds of old or new media, too much of a good thing can miss the target.

Subscribe via email to our blog, join us on Facebook & follow us on Twitter.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Media Relations, Public Relations | No Comments »

A Pitch to Ditch

Friday, October 1st, 2010

A timely topic these days involving children is bullying. Stories of bullying leading to tragic circumstances seem to be appearing on a regular basis across the country. This is an important issue and many experts, from many different points of view, could address it.

A recent email pitching bullying experts to the media missed the mark. After introducing the experts in the first few lines, paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 were quotes from those experts. Then came some background information, which explained the experts worked in four areas in the Northeast. (I read the pitch after it was made to someone in Arizona.) The pitch went on for a total of 18 paragraphs.

Where’s the compelling story about the parents whose child was bullied? If you offer the media that, you wouldn’t need three paragraphs of quotes to persuade a journalist to put the experts on air. If you explained how these experts assisted these parents through a difficult time they never expected when deciding to have children, someone wouldn’t need to type out 18 paragraphs most media won’t finish if they get past paragraph two. And if these experts are well-established leaders in their industry in states in the Northeast, why spend time pitching them to journalists in the Southwest? If there’s a good reason to do so, then spell it out.

There’s actually lots to talk about on bullying, especially with how social media, texting and the internet make it easier and more complicated. PR pros have a solid opportunity to pitch a client plus address a key issue important to families. So why slap together something that likely won’t get the job done? If these experts really have something important to share, why should we miss out on that because of a pitch that should be ditched?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Media Relations, Public Relations | No Comments »

Improving Lives One Pitch at a Time

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

photo

Some pitches hold more significance than business or the bottom line. Groups often send emails to media to raise awareness about health issues. It seems many months are called an “awareness month.”

Pitching these stories effectively may be most important of all. Lives are at stake, not necessarily money. Unfortunately, too often, the emails are no more than electronic fliers.

There’s no doubt these “Walk For …” emails inform more people about an event and how to get more information. But if you want media coverage to spread the word to thousands more, you must approach journalists differently than you would taping a flier on a corner telephone pole.

If the story is about prostate cancer, don’t start with “press release” and “National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.” Start by telling a story about someone who is battling or survived prostate cancer. Make sure that person is available for an interview and available at their home, not in some sterile conference room. Find several survivors so media isn’t profiling the same person over and over. Then offer an expert to discuss the issue’s bigger picture.

Also consider the audience the media is trying to attract. If you’re pitching to a publication whose audience belongs to AARP, the reporter probably doesn’t care how old the survivor is. But if you’re pitching to media that covets a younger demographic which supposedly spends the dollars advertisers crave, don’t offer an interview with a survivor who is in his Medicare years. If, in this instance, you can’t find a younger prostate cancer survivor for someone to interview, find his son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter. Show the impact an older generation’s disease might have on a younger generation.

Don’t worry. All the flier’s pertinent information will find its way into the story.

For a walk raising awareness, taking a few extra steps can go a long way. This is about health not business. If any pitch takes priority, this type does.

Subscribe via email to our blog, join us on Facebook & follow us on Twitter.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Media Relations, Public Relations | No Comments »

Hello, is it me you’re looking for?

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

“Hi” and “Hello” are some of the most powerful words in language. Say them with emotion, you express how excited you are to see an old friend or relative. Say them just the right way to strangers, you just might open up a new channel of communication with someone who might otherwise be hesitant to talk with you. In the world of hellos, email is not much different than real life. If someone starts an email to my reporter husband by writing “Hi Keith,” he’s ready to read the next line. Someone took the easy step of at least learning his name before presenting a story idea. If it’s so easy, why do so many communicators skip this step? Here are some examples of how marketers start their emails to reporters:

  • Attention Journalists
  • Hello (without the reporter’s name)
  • Greetings!
  • Media alert
  • Media press statement
  • For Immediate Release
  • Supporter

Some communicators top their emails with a Las Vegas approach: big, bold colorful headlines as if they are working at a major media outlet (or tabloid). Reporters get lots of pitches every day. They try to read pitches while also working on the day’s assignment. Give reporters an excuse to delete your email before reading it and they will. If a communicator can’t take the time to address a reporter by name, why should a reporter take the time to read the email? This is such a small step, but taking it can make a big difference. You probably wouldn’t walk up to someone and say “Greetings!” or “Media Alert!” Keep it personal. Get them at “hello” and don’t forget their name.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments »