The success of a pitch is in the power of the hands typing the pitch itself. You might have a unique and timely topic or story angle that is a great fit for a specific news outlet, but if you don’t write a compelling pitch, the likelihood of it getting picked up or even keeping it from landing in the recipient’s trash folder is slim to none. The trick to a response-worthy pitch? Read on to learn 6 elements of creating a good PR pitch.
1. Do your homework
Personalization and research are key to the strategy of developing a PR pitch. It is imperative that you do your homework on the writer, the publication or news outlet, and learn they types of stories they are covering and topics that are trending that may be a good fit. Research makes all the difference. Before crafting a PR pitch, here are some things to research:
- Read the publication, online news site or check out the news station. Get familiar with the types of news stories they are covering. Familiarizing yourself with previous work helps you learn what types of stories they are interested in, their style, and any personal interests an editor, writer or news producer may have that could be relevant to your pitch.
- Personalize each email. Most editors, writers or news producers will know if a pitch is generic.
- Ensure your emails are properly addressed or targeted. This might seem obvious but double check that you are sending the pitch to the right person and that you have their name spelled correctly.
- Tailor it to the publication or news outlet. Not only do you need to personalize your pitch to the person you are sending it to, but it is also essential that it is targeted to the right publication, department or news column.
- Don’t send mass emails. If you follow one tip from this blog, let it be this one. An editor or writer will put your email directly into their trash or spam if it is sent to a bunch of other emails.
2. Make it unique and timely
For a journalist to be interested in your pitch, it needs to grab their attention and contain something that they and their readers, viewers or followers are interested in. Simply put, if their readers won’t care, neither will they.
3. Keep it simple and concise
We live in a world where we are constantly barraged with messages and most individuals have the attention span of a gnat. (studies actually show this to be true). To get a pitch read, it is important to keep your pitch concise. This means, one to three short paragraphs with a clear ask. A brief overview should grab them in the first sentence and then further details if needed in the paragraphs to follow.
4. Create an attention-grabbing subject line
You can have a well written pitch that’s relevant, unique and timely but if your subject line falls flat, chances are your pitch won’t even be read. The first thing you need to do is get them to open the email. Craft a subject that highlights the topic or how it is relevant and if appropriate, write a fun or clever subject line that is fitting. If you’re sending a news brief, identify info that’s relevant to the news outlet in your subject and keep it factual and short. While creativity is good, don’t send a misleading subject or headline just to get them to open it – that’s considered click bait and will land your email in the spam folder.
5. Proofread before sending
As it goes with all writing, remember to proofread. A sure way to make an editor or writer to stop reading your pitch is poor grammar and typos. We suggest downloading Grammarly to your computer for a second pair of eyes.
6. Follow up
A journalist’s email inbox can be an overwhelming place. If you don’t hear back, it could be that they are not interested, or it could also be that your pitch got buried. Don’t be afraid to follow up once or twice, depending on the relevance of your pitch. Persistence can pay off.
If you’re in need of professional assistance with PR and getting pitches out in front of the right audience, we would love to chat. Please feel free to contact us to schedule a complimentary meeting.