Media Pitching Best Practices Guide
What is a Media Pitch? A media pitch is a letter t an editr r jurnalist t get yu media expsure. Its main bjective is t catch his r her interest enugh t want t call yu fr an interview, prduct demnstratin, r whatever call t actin yu ve indicated. It has all the mst imprtant infrmatin, but nt all the details. It isn t a cmplete stry. Rather it s a teaser fr a stry. Yu can be mre creative and less frmal in a media pitch than in a press release. A media pitch has a purpse that is defined by a Call T Actin (CTA). A media pitch can be the perfect cmplement t a press release that requires that newswrthy angle. The release is the supprting dcumentatin f the pitch, nt the pitch itself. Ht industry news ccurring nw als makes fr a great media pitch. Indicate why yu wuld make a gd fllw-up t a stry they re already cvering, r share data they haven t fund yet. The media als lve experts with an ppsing view.
Why Send a Media Pitch? 1. Expsure- One media placement can pen yur business up t a whle new wrld, expsing yur cmpany name, prduct/service t hundreds (r mre) f ptential custmers. 2. Enhanced Sales- Media cverage drives peple t want t learn mre abut yur business and what prduct/services yu have t ffer which in turn drives sales. 3. Expert status- When yu are quted by the media, yu and yur business build authrity as an expert within yur field r industry. This carries a lt f weight with yur current and ptential custmers. 4. Unbiased reviews- Objective reviews frm independent third parties d wnders fr yur credibility. Wrd f muth is the mst trusted surce f recmmendatins and gets yu much further than a pay-fr-play ad ever culd. 5. Search Engine Optimizatin- If yu include an inbund link within yur email media pitch, yur website SEO/ranking culd imprve if the reprter uses that link within an article.
HARO Help A Reprter Out (HARO) is ne f the fastest-grwing scial media services in Nrth America. Every day, HARO brings nearly 30,000 reprters and blggers, ver 100,000 news surces and thusands f small businesses tgether t tell their stries, prmte their brands, and sell their prduct/services. HARO vs. Standard Media Pitches: With HARO, jurnalists have a stry in mind and are lking fr experts t share their infrmatin. With standard media pitches, jurnalists may nt have a stry in mind and s it s YOUR jb t give them a stry idea. Hw t Get Yur Pitch Selected: 1) Never pitch ff tpic 2) Read the query carefully and fllw all directins set frth 3) Respnd quickly 4) Keep it shrt and sweet 5) Be plite 6) Becme a pint f cntact by referring ther experts yu knw persnally 7) Respect the reprters and blggers yu cntact
D Yur Hmewrk A few minutes f diligence will set yu apart frm the crwd. Read first, pitch secnd. Reprters regularly receive requests t reprt n prducts/cmpanies that have nthing t d with the news they cver. T avid this, read at least 6-8 f the reprter s blgs/recent articles t see past tpics the reprter wrte abut s yu d nt duplicate tpics and waste the writer s time. Engage. Befre yu even pitch, fllw targeted reprters n scial media and add them t a list. Watch and read what they Tweet abut. Start interacting and engaging with them n scial platfrm. Subscribe t their blg and leave thughtful/meaningful cmments n interesting articles. Yur first email t them shuld be an intrductin ffering t be a surce fr them the next time they write an article abut yur industry. Knw the Reprter s Reader. Yu shuld cnvey hw yur business will be relevant t the reprter s readers. Research the reprter. Prir t reaching ut t them, research the reprter and see hw they wish t be cntacted. Mst reprters will mentin their preference n scial platfrms r n their website. Keep in mind that reprters have deadlines. Mst prefer emails and many f them d nt want t be pitched via phne. If yu knw fr a fact the reprter wuld be interested in yur pitch, try ther utlets like scial media.
Subject Lines Matter Grab the Jurnalist s Attentin: A striking subject line must cmmunicate yur pitch instantly and cnvey why the cntent is new and interesting. DO NOT USE ALL CAPS. Dn t be Generic. Always tailr each pitch t the specific reprter. The best subject line is shrt, catchy and clever. Start by writing several subject lines and then cmbine the best f each, re-wrk and simplify s what remains is n lnger than ne sentence. Be Specific: Dn t pitch ff-tpic. Tell the jurnalist exactly what they can expect frm reading the email. Capture their interest with numbers / facts with which they can relate and see themselves benefiting frm.
Email Bdy K-I-S-S -- Keep It Shrt and Sweet. By keeping nly the mst imprtant infrmatin, yu wn t lse yur pitch t the pile f ff-tpic pitches. The pitch shuld be n mre than 3 paragraphs. A jurnalist can tell after the first sentence whether t keep r tss the pitch. Be sure t quickly explain what yu are pitching and why the media utlet s readers will care abut the infrmatin at this pint in time. Use bullet pints as it helps the reprter read quickly withut missing anything. Prvide a call t actin. If yu want a respnse, a CTA is essential when making yur pitch t a jurnalist and it must be clear and t the pint. After explaining yur prduct, service r situatin, ask a questin r set up a clear actin step. If yu want the jurnalist t cnsider reviewing yur prduct, ffer a sample. If yu want them t speak with a custmer wh might qualify as a third-party surce, request it. It s essential t be clear and t the pint. Develp angles. Find and develp 3 r 4 stry angles that yu can pitch cmfrtably fr a variety f situatins. The media strive t be unique and different. If everyne is cvering the same stry, the media utlet needs smething t set themselves apart s they dn t lse readership. Offering each utlet an exclusive aspect is preferable. Prvide All the Infrmatin. Dn t make a jurnalist hunt dwn additinal infrmatin. Add a link t a website r vide. Prvide the names and cntact infrmatin fr surces. If yu have images, let the reprter knw that yu can send them (but d nt attach them in the pitch). Avid prfessinal jargn. Jurnalists are human beings, and mre imprtantly, s are their readers. Dn t stuff a pitch with vercmplicated ling that will nt appeal t jurnalists readers, s it will nt appeal t them. Only use wrds like exclusive, when it is, in fact, exclusive. These wrds are ften misused and can break yur relatinship with the reprter and ensure yur emails will nt be pened in the future.
Pitch Offerings When pitching t the media, it is imprtant t keep the medium in mind. Bradcast relies n high-quality visuals (images/vide/graphics) and sund, Radi relies purely n high-quality sund, and print/nline editrials require experts they can qute. Exclusives r at least a unique angle YuTube vides Phts Graphics Case Study Fact Sheet Interview Opprtunities Prduct Sample/Images Bylined Articles Links where mre infrmatin can be fund
When s the Best Time fr Distributin? Mst reprts will say, If it s a gd pitch, it s always a gd time. S really, there is n best time t pitch. Sme reprters prefer pitches bright and early. Thugh an eroi survey states, almst 50% f respndents reprt sending emails at midday (10 t 2 p.m.) is best. Every industry and media utlet is different. Make sure yu knw the media cntact s title. Fr instance, sending an email pitch t an evening assignment desk editr at midday wuld be the wrng time. Newspaper - Pitch 2-3 weeks in advance fr an investigative stry Newspaper - Pitch 2-5 days in advance fr a breaking stry Radi- Pitch whenever relatable t breaking news r buzz Bradcast- Pitch 1 week in advance Magazine- Pitch 4-6 mnths in advance r earlier if they can prvide submissin dates n an editrial cntent calendar n their website Tuesday-Thursday wrk best fr email pitch distributin. Take int accunt where the media cntact is, and d nt pitch during a Natinal emergency unless yur pitch deals with the situatin.
Try t Avid: The number ne mistake peple make when pitching is straying ff-tpic. Knw what and wh yu are pitching s yu can quickly get t the pint. Other pitching mistakes: 1) Making yurself the news 2) Pitch a prduct rather than a stry 3) Mass media pitch emails 4) Launching int yur industry histry 5) Opening with an icebreaker line 6) Making false claims 7) Making a reprter dig fr mre infrmatin 8) Setting unrealistic expectatins Stay humble 9) Prviding attachments 10) Fllw-up calls
Pitching TV When pitching lcal TV news, be sure t find a lcal angle tying the stry t their lcale r regin Find a lcal persn r lcal business that is affected/helped by yur stry If yu can ffer up real peple (nt just CEOs) fr them t interview, that will help the jurnalist - that's research they dn't have t d They might still find ther peple but it's nice t give them a starting pint Example: Yu are trying t get the wrd ut abut a prduct designed fr restaurants r bars, find a lcal bar r restaurant near them that uses the prduct Dn't expect the reprter t make any cnnectins r any leaps abut why yur stry wuld be gd fr them t cver tell them directly Dn't be afraid t mentin ther stries the reprter has cvered t tie it int what yu are pitching it lets them knw yu watch the statin (r at least yu have dne yur research). If yu think they cvered that previus stry well, yu can cmment n it psitively D nt use the wrd pitch t TV peple, they usually d nt understand what yu mean Call and pitch the assignment desk Sure, it sunds like it makes mre sense t pitch a reprter since they actually cver the stries but the assignment desk ften is the final decisin maker in stry cverage fr the day At many statins, the assignment desk chses the stries and set them up fr the reprters Email the assignment desk and then fllw up with a call. If the statin has a futures/planning editr, they are great t talk t as well They set up stries fr the future and ften have mre time t review a new stry
Wrap Up Research first, pitch secnd. Media pitches must answer the jurnalist s questin -- why wuld my audience care? Headlines must be shrt, catchy and clever. Fcus n KISS Keep It Shrt and Simple. In mst cases, yu are nt the news. Yu are prviding additinal infrmatin n what s happening in the wrld.