Before you pitch a story idea to a journalist, you need to know who they are, what they cover, and how they prefer to be contacted. You can find this information by browsing their social media profiles, reading their previous articles, and checking their bio or contact page. This will help you tailor your pitch to their interests, style, and format. It will also show that you respect their work and value their time.
You should know, at the very least, who you're targeting. What's their story beat? What are the best times to contact them? How many emails/messages are they reading per day? Do they play certain favorites in terms of coverage? The most important question you should ask yourself is, "Why should this person care?" You're fighting through a wave of noise to get their attention. Think about the idea you want to convey, and make it shorter, easier to summarize and snappier... you've got 5-15 seconds, max, to make an impact. I'd suggest keeping the first paragraph of your pitch to 15 words or less.
In addition to the usual advice of understanding the journalist's beat to increase their interest in your story, there are two important tips to enhance your pitching strategy:1.Providing journalists with the opportunity for exclusivity or offering an embargoed release can add significant value to your pitch as you make them feel special and increase their interest in covering the story. 2.As the name suggests, "Media Relations" emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong relationships with journalists. Even if your initial pitch is not successful, continue to engage with their work. Following journalists on social media platforms, liking, commenting, or sharing their articles when appropriate, can further strengthen these relationships
Dans un monde idéal, cela se passerait ainsi. Dans la réalité, nous recevons trop souvent des sollicitations tellement éloignées de notre réalité que de guerre lasse, je poubellise.
You should also research the media outlet’s target audience/demographic, and make sure it matches who resonates with you and your message. Tailor your pitch keeping the journalist *and the audience in mind.
Ideje szakítani az unalmas, egyen k?zleményekkel, az újságíró személyiségére, érdekl?désére szabva kell kínálni a mondanivalót.
Once you have identified your target journalist, you need to craft a compelling pitch that grabs their attention and convinces them that your story idea is worth pursuing. Your pitch should be concise, clear, and relevant. It should include a catchy subject line, a brief introduction, a summary of your story idea, and a call to action. You should also provide some evidence or data to back up your story idea, and explain why it is timely, newsworthy, or useful for their audience.
Tailor your pitch: Craft a personalized pitch that aligns with the journalist's interests and the publication's focus. Highlight why your story idea is relevant to their beat and audience. Show that you've taken the time to understand their work.
Vender un tema a un medio o a un periodista no es difícil. Lo difícil es que el periodista le encuentre hueco en su programación o en su calendario. Por eso, es muy importante, no sólo facilitarle la info, al portavoz y unas fechas más o menos cerradas para entrevistas si lo desea, si no una percha informativa que le ayude a encajarlo dentro de la línea editorial, calendario editorial o escaleta de su medio. Y ahí, nadie sabe hacerlo mejor que tú. Si vas a hablar de plantilla, de crecimiento, habla de creación de empleo y de profesiones más demandadas en el sector (empodérate como voz experta). Si tienes que hablar de un producto, no cuentes el producto, sino qué aporta a la sociedad o al público, en qué le ayuda.
You should contact the journalist on time, which means you need to know their workflow and deadlines. Journalists need enough time to do the research, talk to their editor(s) and actually do the story.
Here's my magical take on crafting a compelling pitch: Picture it as a spellbinding invitation, much like Harry Potter's Hogwarts letter. Your pitch, a captivating charm, begins with an attention-grabbing subject line. The introduction is your opening spell, drawing the journalist into your enchanting story. The summary, a magical incantation, unveils the essence of your idea. Conclude with a call to action, a wizardly command to embark on this journalistic journey. Offer evidence or data akin to potions, fortifying your pitch and explaining its timeliness, newsworthiness, or benefits. It's the key to unlocking the journalist's curiosity and securing a spot in their magical quill. ??♂?????
Remember one thing above all: journalists at any given time are juggling multiple stories, projects, and deadlines. The easier you make their job, honestly the better the chance you'll catch their eye. Think of it like this: you want to give them an "add water and stir" setup. Do this by letting them know your talking points, an emotional hook, and letting them know you have the exact person/people to talk about that subject, a great place to shoot it, and a unique angle on things. Bonus points if it's related to something springboarding off a current trending story on a national or international level. Leverage those tie-ins and connections.
After you have sent your pitch, you should follow up with the journalist in a professional and respectful manner. You should not spam them with multiple emails or calls, but you should also not give up too easily. You should wait for a reasonable amount of time, depending on the urgency of your story idea, and then send a polite reminder or a follow-up question. You should also be prepared to answer any questions they might have, provide additional information or sources, and negotiate the terms and deadlines of your collaboration.
1-2 days after initial pitch for first follow-up, followed by a reminder email once per week up until the event/initiative concludes. Make sure to personalize your pitches/follow-ups to acknowledge the journalist - you'll be surprised how far that goes in terms of readability.
Pitching a story idea to a journalist is not a one-time transaction, but an opportunity to build a long-term relationship. You should aim to establish trust and rapport with the journalist, by being honest, transparent, and helpful. You should also show appreciation and gratitude for their work, and give them feedback and recognition. You should also keep in touch with them, and offer them more story ideas or insights in the future.
When it comes to pitching successfully with great results, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of building strong relationships with journalists, editors an TV news producers. They all get inundated with emails and phone calls every day. If you have a strong relationship, it will make you stand out from the crowd, and your pitch is liked to have a better chance to get the attention it deserves. Make every effort to build mutually a beneficial relationship and you will notice a big difference in how your pitches are evaluated.
This is so important! While I am a big fan of a pitch that knocks ‘em dead (I once sold a story cold to TechCrunch in 3 minutes!) much of your focus should be on building relationships! One of the practices we do at my agency, is connect with reporters separate from pitching. Support their work on LinkedIn, jump into social media conversation, shoot them an email if you loved something they wrote. If you rep clients they would write about, chances are you have a whole lot of industry stuff to connect on! Do that separate from pitching!
If you want a good relationship with a journalist, this should also include - answering their call/mail/message, not leaving them hanging - being available for a chat even if it will not bring you any coverage (for example, to help them clarify something from your industry, brainstorm story angles and resources) - never over-promising content or deadlines. The basis of a good and professional relationship with journalists is to be honest, respectful and useful/valuable.
The best way to create a good relationship with a journalist is position yourself as someone who pitches stories their audience will find interesting. To do this you must take the time to understand what their audience wants and/or needs. Then, tailor your pitches accordingly. Even better offer the journalist a good exclusive and you'll win big points!
When pitching a story idea to a journalist, it is important to be aware of common pitfalls that can hinder your success. These include pitching an irrelevant, outdated, or self-promotional story, one that is too vague, complex, or boring, or one that has already been covered by other outlets or sources. Additionally, it is important to ensure that the story is based on accurate information and not false or misleading claims. Finally, make sure to avoid being disrespectful, rude, or offensive in your pitch. By doing so, you can increase your chances of getting a positive response from the journalist and avoid damaging your reputation and credibility.
As a former TV news reporter, these are the top 3 mistakes I saw people pitching media make: 1. Not respecting the reporter's time. Reporters are busy. Be succinct. If you don't catch the reporter's attention in 10 seconds your pitch is in the trash. 2. Not spelling out the reader/viewer benefit. A reporter doesn't care how great your business or new product is if no one else cares. Make me care about what you're pitching and your story will be on the news. 3. Not making a timely pitch. Your attempt to attract media attention will be more successful if you provide a news "hook"... tie it to something already happening in the news.
Too many PR people "spray and pray" -- sending pitches to scores of journalists in hopes they get a bite. That wastes the time of the journalists and make them less interested in your future pitches. I recommend sending fewer pitches that are targeted. In my 23 years with BusinessWeek, I got dozens of useless pitches every day. One peeve: PR agencies pitching a local startup doing something that tech companies in Silicon Valley were already doing. What's unique, I'd ask? "They're the only company in Atlanta (or Washington DC) doing this." My answer: "Call the local newspaper. BusinessWeek is a global magazine and I only write (wrote) about the global leaders or true innovators in a sector." ceospeechwriters.com
Prepare for your media appearance by reviewing your talking points and the latest updates to the topic you’re speaking about, conducting mock interviews, etc. Investing in a media trainer is helpful.
The mobile phone has made communication across distances and and virtual barriers very easy. This has brought the "too much going on" in a day kind of noise. For stories/projects that need physical participation of a journalist it helps to contact the Journalist way on good time for them have ample time to prepare .
Finally, you should learn from the feedback that you receive from the journalist, whether it is positive or negative. You should thank them for their response, and ask them for any suggestions or advice on how to improve your pitch or story idea. You should also analyze what worked and what didn't work in your pitch, and apply the lessons learned to your next pitch. By learning from feedback, you can improve your skills and confidence in pitching a story idea to a journalist.
Pitch to media that focus on diverse audiences, including Black-owned outlets. Too often, these outlets are overlooked, but they have long histories of covering diverse communities, and therefore, should be included in your regular pitches to journalists.
Crafting effective pitches involves adhering to some simple rules: 1) Understand the readers of your target newspaper. 2) Familiarize yourself with the type of content they typically publish. 3) Follow journalists who cover topics relevant to your company/client. 4) Develop a pitch that intersects with your company's messaging, aligns with the journalist's focus, and resonates with the readership. Additionally, ensure your pitch includes hard facts supported by data, leading into discussion points or story hooks. A strong closing paragraph can significantly enhance its impact."
Algunas ideas para tomar en cuenta. Lo que nos emociona, porque es nuestro día día, no es el día a día del periodista. Para que ella o él lo entiendan hay que darles contexto, y, muchas veces compartir esa emoción. Otro punto interesante es el equilibrio entre los números y el entendimiento. Los números dan confianza, pero, muchos números, solo confunden.