Most PR people I know don’t like to pitch stories to the media. A big part of the problem is that the people doing the pitching are at a big disadvantage: they are essentially ill-prepared to be successful, and that drives the fear and anxiety.
So what can you do to prepare yourself better? Here are five keys to more successful pitching:
Do your homework: It’s just not that hard to do a little homework about your target before you pitch. Google their name, look them up in an online or printed directory, do a quick search of their media outlet’s web site. Then tailor your pitch to reflect the information you found.
Treat it like a sale: Do you think a salesperson, other than a dreaded cold-caller, tries to make a sale without a shred of preparation? Of course not! You are essentially trying to sell a story idea involving your company or client, with your payment coming in the form of a mention, quote or picture. For some great tips on selling, most of which also apply to PR and pitching, visit the Sales Machine blog by Geoffrey James here on BNET.
Pitch usable information: The media deals in facts. Are you pitching facts they can use? All too often, I’m seeing pitches full of adjectives like “leading” and “most” rather than facts that substantiate these claims. One of the most important sayings in journalism is “show the story, don’t tell the story.” That means facts and anecdotes, not adjectives.
Make the follow-up call: Yes, yes, most media will say “email me, don’t call,” but then your pitch gets lost in the haze of their inbox and they never even consider it. I can’t tell you how many times I have made the follow-up call, only to be told that the journalist barely remembers the email pitch but is, in fact, interested in the story once I explain it over the phone. Just be prepared to be dealt with brusquely and perhaps rudely as you try to get a few seconds of quality time to determine their interest in the story.
Don’t get down on yourself: Pitching the media is hard, not least of which because a lot of journalists can be, let’s face it, jerks when it comes to inbound pitches. But if you’ve done your homework and you’re pitching usable information, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Make the pitch, find out if they are interested and if not, move on to find someone who is.
