Dear Publicists: Here’s What Writers Are Looking For In Pitches In The New Year

These almost two years have been life-altering for everyone. But, just like everyone else, writers had to roll with the punches. The media landscape drastically changed. Broadcasts were aired remotely. In-person interviews turned to Zooms and phone calls. Screaming babies and dogs barking in the background turned great interviews into an audio file mess. Monthly pitches received increased exponentially from 300 a month to over 1,500.?

Although working remotely is great, it became a nightmare from a writer's perspective. Everyone was home and tuned into the computer. It didn't matter what time of day it was or what day of the week it was. Pitches came in by the droves. Everyone started their own PR company or became their own publicist. It didn't matter if a writer covered the pitch topic or not. The pitch was on its way to an inbox or spam folder. People even had time to track down writers' personal email addresses.?

Now, one can argue, "Who cares? It's an email. Don't open it. Just delete it."?

Sounds good in theory, but these unresearched pitches, poorly put together angles and strange subject lines made it challenging to weed out the good stories that would make great articles. It came to a point where the delete button became a best friend and didn't matter what was on the other side of the email. So in the trash folder, it went. Over the past two years, people have started either a skincare line, apparel line or CBD oil line. For me, 60% of pitches revolved around one of those topics.?

In an effort to help myself and other fellow writers, and as we approach the new year with people still using outdated pitching templates and etiquette, I wanted to take a minute to share the top best pitching practices.?

Stop sending blanket emails!

A personalized email goes along way. It doesn't matter how great the pitch. The overarching theme of a blanket email is that you are pitching 500 other writers, most likely a handful from the same publication. For that reason alone, many writers pass on the pitch. Many publications don't allow for the same person or company to be highlighted in the publication by two different writers within a certain timeframe.?

Research the writer you're pitching!

We want to know you care. Yes, this requires some effort but will help you in the long run. Are they a contributor or a staff writer? A contributor is not a full-time writer for the publication. They do not have a team behind them. Contributors write on the side while having another source of income or job.?

What's their angle? Are they a beat writer or a features writer? If you pitch a features writer time-sensitive material, it most likely will go into the trash folder. Feature writers produce evergreen pieces. Beat writers cover the breaking news and events.

What publications do they write for? The story you are pitching does not fit every publication out there. Don't waste your time sending blanket emails to publications that would never cover the story you're telling.?

Be ready for top-tier media coverage!

Yes, everyone's goal is to land a feature in top-tier publications. But not everyone is ready for that type of press. Top-tiers want to see success in numbers. How much did your client raise in funding? What's the annual ROI? How many members does the platform have? How many units do they sell in a month? All these questions need to be answered with a significant answer to land in top-tier outlets.?

There's nothing wrong with local press coverage. The more you have to show, the better. If your client has zero press and you try immediately to get them top-tier press, it's going to be a hard sell. The more local press a person or company has, the easier it is for writers to pitch the story idea to the editors.?

For example, I received a pitch for a skincare line that was seven months old, making $13,000 a month. That's great. I'm happy for your company. Though from a media perspective, what makes your story stand out? There are skincare companies making $100,000 a month. So the pitch has to be unique.??

The media landscape can be overwhelming for new publicists and entrepreneurs looking to gain traction. That's why I teamed up with Stephanie Burns and Melissa Houston. We created the Media Accelerator to share inside tips and tricks straight from the writer's perspective to navigating the media landscape. To join us on this journey, check out our?Facebook group .

As we enter into the new year, keep the above in mind. Go that extra mile to be unique. It will pay off! Happy pitching!