Zak Parker
It’s easy to get caught up in what you feel is so exciting about your product or service, company launch, event, etc. – but the reason you want media coverage can’t be the driving force behind your pitch. The way to get a journalist’s attention is by focusing on their perspective: what will make this a good piece for them and their audience.
What makes a pitch good for the media? A concise, strong hook that is applicable to their area of expertise – not a one-size-fits-all approach – written in a voice that would be appropriate for their audience. This lets the journalist / editor / producer / blogger / podcaster get the message immediately (they have zero time to waste) and visualize it as a finished piece. (Some may even use your pitch as their article, depending on the outlet.)
What makes a pitch good for their audience? Think about share-ability. What would make their readers / viewers / listeners want to tell others about the piece, either verbally or digitally? These days, that’s a strong factor for consideration – and if telling your story can make that happen, it’s probably a good fit. Many of the standard good business practices of PR remain the same. What’s different these days: more people have access to more outlets, so there are more pitches received. Taking the time to think it through from their perspective can have an enormous ROI!
Contributors: Denise Blasevick from The S3 Agency
