PR is a grind. It involves constant rejection--or even worse, silence. If you are having trouble trying to master your media pitches, follow these eight curated tips for Pitch Perfect PR.
PR is a grind. It involves constant rejection--or even worse, silence. If you are having trouble trying to master your media pitches, follow these eight curated tips for Pitch Perfect PR.
1. Do your research. Make sure that the writer you are contacting is relevant to what you are pitching and the pitch related to what they typically cover. We recommend taking time to read something that your target recently wrote and make sure to include a little detail pertaining to that, as it helps to build a relationship immediately.
2. Avoid clickbait or pushy titles. The subject lines should be descriptive and to-the-point, avoiding hyperbole, buzzwords and excessive capitalization. Using titles like this will make the writer think you’re a bot. Instead, try phrases like “Exclusive” or “New Study” as they have been shown to have great success.
3. Provide structure. Include in your pitch, relevant links, photos and videos, and offer ideas for other images. And always highlight the value you are providing the publication. Some questions you should answer are:
• Why will my audience be interested in the story?
• Why will this story attract traffic and interest?
• How will this story help me reach my target audience?
4. Data does not lie. The use of data from your content in the subject line is more reliable than a prediction or claim. If you can’t fit it in the subject line, include it in the pitch itself.
5. Be straight and get to the point. Do not make your email or pitch super long. Make sure the reader knows why your story is important within the first sentence. Let’s face it, no PR professional is pitching just for the fun of it – so being upfront and honest will get you instant respect.
6. Say your pitch out loud. It is important that your pitch is authentic. Saying your pitch out loud will help ensure your pitch is considerable and has no grammatical errors.
7. Make sure you have a call to action. Motivate the reader to respond by prompting a proper question. Asking questions with a proper call to action like “Could we schedule an interview?” are more likely to generate a response.
8. Be prepared to follow up. Many of your pitches are very likely to not receive a response. In a follow up email, restate your pitch briefly and offer another fresh idea. In some cases, it might even be appropriate to give the writer a phone call.
With these tips we wish you all the best of luck in formatting your pitches!
If you need additional help and would like to hire our team of PR professionals at The McRae Agency, please contact us at (480) 990-0282 or beth@mcraeagency.com
Hyperlink for above: https://www.mcraeagency.com/
