Best practices for media pitching
Posted on 02. Sep, 2009 by Creatwood in Media
The relationship between PR professionals and journalists is a delicate one. On the PR side, we need journalists to get our client’s name and reputation in the news and to the public. As for the media, it is impossible for journalists to publish every story and consider every pitch that fills their e-mail box. This relationship has become even harder in the last several years as newspapers have reduced their staff to accommodate shrinking budgets. News hasn’t become less frequent or important, but with fewer journalists at media outlets, space for new pitches has become sparse. That is why it’s important to deliver your pitches in a way that will make journalists want to include your stories in what little space they have. The following tips should be considered best practices when pitching to the media. They will help you to get your story across to the right publication, in the right way.
- Know the publication. Think of the publication as your audience. Why would they be interested in your story? You should think of news outlets as journalists think of their readers. If your story is not newsworthy to their publication, then it won’t be newsworthy to them.
- Keep your pitches brief. Journalists receiving numerous pitches a day do not have time to read a 500-word pitch. Keep it short and include only the most important information.
- Be assertive, not obnoxious. It is important to follow up because many pitch e-mails do get lost in the mix. However, if you are not hearing back from a journalist after several weeks, odds are they are not interested, and you should move on to the next pitch.
You don’t need to take my word for it. This blog post gives journalist opinions on pitching. Although it is somewhat dated, it still holds truth today.
