“Pitching is simply learning how words relate to people…” says Ed Zitron, author of “This Is How You Pitch.” As a PR pro it is our job to utilize language and paint a picture that attracts the attention of journalists and explains why it is important a story is told.
According to PR Pro, Michael Smart, if you begin by issuing the press release then pitch your story afterwards you’re probably doing something wrong. His research and industry insight show that PR pros who use the release at the end of their media outreach generate more success. While we find this to be true, it isn’t that simple. There are a few steps involved in executing a story pitch and research plays a big part.
A well written pitch should present the journalist a persuasive angle that relates to their audience, while answering the “who, what, where, when and why” questions. It needs to paint a picture, catch attention and connect how a story idea fits with the editorial coverage for a particular publication, podcast or news show. Keep in mind, pitching takes practice and practice makes perfect. Developing various story angles is the best way to maximize your PR efforts. Whether you work with a PR agency or handle PR in-house, following a few simple practices can boost your media coverage and image.
Boosting opportunities for successful story pitches
- Communicate with your PR representative on a regular basis. Plan to meet at least once a quarter face-to-face and maintain regular contact through email and phone monthly or weekly to keep an open dialogue and share what’s new that may be worthwhile to report
- Make sure your PR plan aligns with your business goals and is addressed as agreed upon
- Integrate PR with marketing. If your company has an in-house marketing department, introduce them to the PR team, and have them meet regularly to strategize and coordinate. Working together can help maximize the overall marketing efforts and increase opportunities for media coverage. Collaboration is essential to achieve optimal results
- Provide your PR team with a calendar for the year. Include information on special project deadlines, product launches, speaking appearances, and community outreach events. Lead time for planning can help your PR team leverage this information for pitching purposes and find ways to align the information with editorial calendars for local and national publications
What does a PR pro need to craft a successful pitch?
- Provide Statistics, when applicable provide numbers indicating industry trends or issues that your product or service may address. Stats are an excellent tool to back-up points – it also helps the PR pro to paint the picture
- Share photos and video. Visuals add value to a pitch and can help attract more attention. For example, if your company is in the design or architectural industries, editors will want images; the same holds true if you are sending an event related pitch. Sending high-res photos or video will increase the chances of landing press coverage
- Share news. You are working in the trenches and know what is happening. Remember to loop your PR team in – tell them about new product developments, services, new hires, milestones – anything and everything that could be newsworthy
At marketingworx we champion a collaborative work environment and approach all our businesses relationships in the same way. If you are interested in collaborating with us and have an interesting story to tell about your organization, we’d love to pitch it. To learn more call (480) 874-1524 for a business consult.