One of the biggest challenges for companies doing Public Relations is the magic of successful press pitching. My PR heroes and our firm’s more valued staff have included some of the great media pitchers of our day. What’s their secret sauce? Below is another review of the magic. These pitching tactics have landed our media relations clients in hundreds of major media outlets from the Wall Street Journal to CNET, from KSL to FoxNews to Bloomberg TV. Case Studies.
5 Tantalizing Tips:
1. Give background first – Those less experienced with the press may be tempted to launch into their news pitch without any context. First take a sentence or paragraph or 20 seconds to build background and context for the editor before talking about how cool your news is.
2. Avoid a ”we do stuff” pitch – Editors care more about what you have to say if you have a newsy angle that relates to their area of interest. If you use multiple examples or sources to establish a timely issue or trend, you also increase editor interest. Using metrics, research, or surveys related to current events further ensure successful pitching.
3. Know if they are on deadline – Some may disagree that this is a blunder, saying you need to find out if you are interrupting when you call to pitch. If we have done our homework we will know the publication’s news cycle and hence know ahead of time if the editor is likely to be on deadline. In addition, we should always assume they are busy and be prepared to quickly deliver powerful, well thought out messages that engage the editor and leave them wanting more – even if on deadline.
4. Don’t rely on emotion and emphasis – Raising our voice, increasing intensity, or using adjectives like “biggest, coolest” won’t impress media veterans. Get facts straight, do your research and deliver powerful messages if you want coverage of your news.
5. Focus on the journalist and their audience– Know your journalists and focus on what interests them. This shows you have done your homework when you call and that you genuinely want to help them.
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About the Author:
As founder of PilmerPR, John Pilmer, APR serves as a PR and marketing communications advisor for both emerging and established companies. He offers customers more than 20 years of results-driven business PR and marketing experience. John and the firm have provided PR consultation and campaigns for clients such as Mozy, Novell, AdvancedMD, Certiport, NextPage, ElectraTherm, Altiris, Avamar, EmergeCore Networks, FSLogic, INVISUS, 10x Marketing, MWI, Project Insight, REIC, Seastone, US Synthetic and Funding Universe (now Lendio), among others.