Getting media coverage for your business can be a powerful way to boost your brand awareness, credibility, and sales. But how do you catch the attention of busy journalists and editors who receive hundreds of pitches every day? In this article, you'll learn how to pitch your business to the media like a pro, with tips and examples from successful PR campaigns.
Before you craft your pitch, you need to research your target media outlets and their audiences. What kind of stories do they cover? What are their values, interests, and pain points? How do they prefer to receive pitches: email, phone, social media, or something else? By knowing your audience, you can tailor your pitch to their needs and expectations, and increase your chances of getting a positive response.
One of the biggest question every owner, founder, CEO or entrepreneur on the hunt for coverage needs to be able to answer themselves is: 'so what?'. I tell my clients that you need to put yourself in the mind of the journalist, producer or editor, who is going to be thinking 'how does this matter to my reader / audience'. Your material has cut-through if it's clear to the journalist that their following will want to hear what you're saying - because it's fascinating, has new data, relates to their life experiences, or causes them to question or criticise to some degree. Always know the exact audience of the publication you're pitching to, and nail your approach succinctly, with data and casestudies available. It's not all about your brand!
Familiarize yourself with the types of stories each of your target/niche outlets typically cover. Highlight what makes your business unique and newsworthy. Focus on the impact and benefits your business offers. Frame your story around current trends or events.
Knowing who to pitch is one of the most difficult parts of pitching. It can take hours of research and digging to find the top 10ish journalists. Be smart about who you contact and make sure to limit the number of people on your list. Spray and pray is a thing of the past!
Your pitch should have a clear and compelling angle that hooks the media and their readers. Your angle should answer the question: why should they care about your business? What problem do you solve, what value do you offer, what story do you tell, or what trend do you follow? Your angle should also be relevant, timely, and unique. Avoid generic or self-promotional pitches that don't offer any newsworthy or useful information.
The angle is all-important. When I worked for a computer publication that went to dealers only, we didn't write about how many bits and bites a product had - the readers would be interested in the margins to be made, training necessary and how they could get hold of the goods to sell on. An end user publication would be less interested in those things - always find out what the readers and therefore the journalists will be looking for.
For the media to be interested, you need to be able to answer the question: 'who gives a sh*t'? If you can't come up with a good answer, then you haven't found the right angle yet. The answer can be different for different audiences though. What may work as an angle for a niche industry trade magazine, may not work for the national or regional media because they have different agendas and play different roles. Therefore be prepared to pitch different angles to different journalists for the same story.
It's equally important to consider the audience of the publication when finding your angle. Example: If you're pitching a trade publication, more than likely it's business-related folks who already have a pulse on the industry.
Your pitch should be concise, clear, and catchy. It should include a catchy subject line that summarizes your angle and grabs attention, a short introduction that explains who you are and why you're reaching out, a brief overview of your business and your angle, and a call to action that invites the media to follow up with you for more details, interviews, or samples. Your pitch should also include your contact information and any links or attachments that support your pitch. Keep your pitch to one or two paragraphs, and proofread it for spelling and grammar errors.
Sometimes the best pitch isn't a news angle at all. Starting with an intro, especially if you haven't talked to or worked with the journalist before, can go a long way in building a relationship and give you passive opportunities. Here's a template I use and recommend to others: Subject: Introduction to [company name] I wanted to introduce [company name] since they align well with the work you cover. They offer [service/product] to [audience/customer]. Here are a few reasons why should know more about them: - [include USP about the company] - [include USP about the company] - [include USP about the company]
Once you've sent your pitch, don't just sit back and wait. Follow up with the media after a few days if you don't hear back from them. You can send a polite reminder, ask if they have any questions, or offer additional information or resources. Don't be pushy or spammy, but show your interest and enthusiasm. If you get a positive response, follow through with your promises and deliver what you've offered. Be responsive, professional, and courteous, and thank them for their time and coverage.
It's been my experience that most journalists will take the time to respond to a request for feedback if it's a genuine request to help improve future communications. But remember, a relationship shouldn't always be transactional (I give you this, you write that). Consider ways to add value to your key journalists that go beyond simply providing your own news. Can you offer expert commentary on wider issues? Do you have access to a report they might find useful etc. If you can open a few doors for them you'll generally find you can build a more value-based relationship that goes beyond just pitching for stories.
Wait at least 2-3 days to send a follow-up to your initial pitch and limit the number of times you re-reach out to no more than 2 for a specific news angle or intro you send to a journalist.
Whether you get a yes or a no from the media, you can always learn from their feedback. Ask them what they liked or didn't like about your pitch, what they would change or improve, or what they would like to see more of. You can also ask them for referrals or recommendations for other media outlets that might be interested in your business. Use their feedback to refine your pitch and improve your PR skills.
Getting feedback on a pitch is rare. Don't expect it and, if you ask and they don't respond, don't nag them to clarify. This can hurt your chances in the long run.
If you get media coverage for your business, don't let it go to waste. Showcase it on your website, social media, newsletter, or blog. Share it with your customers, partners, investors, and employees. Use it to build your credibility, authority, and reputation. You can also use it to leverage more media opportunities, by mentioning it in your future pitches or reaching out to other media outlets that might be interested in your story.
Can't stress enough the importance of promoting media coverage internally. Stick it in front of the sales teams, make it easy for them to share on socials and with prospects. Set up a dedicated chat channel for media coverage on whatever platform you use (Slack, Teams etc) and invite the key stakeholders to join (or auto-join them if you have the ability).
LLMs such as ChatGPT now give you the ability to analyze media coverage (from competitors for example) and interrogate stories to understand how they were structured, what key messages the journalist focused on, the tone of language etc. Use them to hone your stories and messaging. Build profiles of your key journalists, their style etc. Obviously steer well clear of outright copying but nothing wrong in adopting techniques that have resulted in a piece of coverage you'd like to emulate.