Firm Shui (A Fancy Way We Say "Blog")
Pitching: the bread and butter of what we do. Cultivating and maintaining relationships within the media is critical to staying top of mind. Whether writing a release, setting up an event or delivering another vital mechanism to your PR efforts, it may mean nothing unless accompanied by a compelling pitch.
But what exactly goes into pitching? Lucky for you, we consulted the most badass PR professionals around (the folks in our office) on some of the key elements to help your standout in a pitch:
1. Attention Grabbing
Do you enjoy sifting through emails every day, multiple times a day? It comes with many industries and businesses, but few truly enjoy it. Receiving hundreds of emails a day (some may even get thousands), reporters may delete a message before opening if it doesn’t grab their attention. Whether in the subject line or body of the email, set a pitch apart with engaging language from the get-go.
The Firm pro tip: We know that journalists receive oodles upon oodles of e-mails… and we don’t want to add to the clutter. To help cut through it, we’re always thinking “how can I frame this so it’s not a snooze-fest and won’t get deleted like that 5 percent off an oil change weekly spam e-mail?”
2. Newsworthiness
Newsworthiness adds great value to a pitch. Utilizing meaningful (and hopefully localized!) data, an eye-catching photo or offering an enthusiastic spokesperson can be that strong hook that skyrockets a pitch to the top of the response list. Stay on top of what reporters are covering, actually read their stories. It is the best way to ensure your pitch is up their alley and isn’t coming way out of left field. Be authentic and organized with outreach; it will only benefit you.
The Firm pro tip: We want to help our media friends get to the core of what’s newsworthy. Working with our clients, we want to answer the vital questions of “what’s new?” and “why is this important?” as robustly yet concisely as possible.
3. Short and Sweet
Have you ever run into someone at the grocery store, and the entire time they were talking, you just really wanted them to stop? We don’t want reporters to think that about us (or our emails or our clients). Get to the point by avoiding over-promotional and fluffy language. Speaking of fluffy, be sincere with a pitch and sometimes there’s not a need for paragraphs of pleasantries.
The Firm pro tip: We realize that our journalist friends balance multiple deadlines, assignments, meetings and much more each day. Time and energy are incredibly valuable and we’re always looking to show that we respect theirs.
These three tips only scratch the surface of the art of pitching. Through our years in the business, we’ve learned what makes many of our go-to media members tick. And, as with most things in life, everyone has their own preferences/needs/objectives. To maximize a media relationship, those preferences should be kept top-of-mind to empower your pitch that much more.
When you’re ready to discuss a powerful pitch that will resonate with the media and, ultimately, your audiences, contact us today at 702.739.9933 or newbusiness@thefirmpr.com.
