Throughout my lengthy profession in public relations, I’ve at all times ignored most of the primary tenets of PR which might be taught in communications faculties, written in books and practiced at businesses.
Many of those conventional strategies can hamper, not assist, PR staff from receiving optimistic outcomes. I got here to that conclusion primarily based on my expertise as a reporter and editor at New York Metropolis dailies earlier than becoming a member of the PR trade.
One tenet that that I consider is mindless is at all times sending a journalist a brief pitch with a handy guide a rough headline. The reasoning behind this observe? The idea that journalists obtain so many pitches that they don’t have the time to learn all of them, notably lengthy ones.
My opinion? Conserving the pitch brief means PR folks will come up brief.
Right here’s some methods an extended pitch can entice the eye of even the busiest journalists.
Extra Element Yields Extra Outcomes
A pitch of few phrases is ineffective to a journalist as a result of it doesn’t present sufficient info. Exceptions could be discovered when pitching a widely known celeb or a narrative relating to a reputable, ongoing information occurring, like Boeing’s issues or trending exhausting information topics.
Make It Fascinating
Journalists might ship pitches on to an task desk in the event that they don’t embrace explanation why it would make a great story. After all, when writing a pitch, it have to be crafted so it doesn’t waste the recipient’s time. Meaning producing a pitch that’s intriguing sufficient so the recipient will proceed studying it whatever the size.
Write Like a Journalist
Pitches ought to be written with a great exhausting information or characteristic lede, the best way a journalist writes a narrative, followed-up with subsequent fact-filled graphs.
The actual cause many journalists is not going to take the time to learn a prolonged pitch is as a result of the primary two paragraphs don’t include something resembling a abstract of the story or how it may be developed, not due to its size.
The good majority of my pitches are about 500 to 700 phrases, and I’ve by no means been instructed that they’re too lengthy. Actually, many instances a number of the verbiage leads to a narrative.
Supply Story Recommendations
At all times embrace one other part on the finish of the pitch that comprises a number of totally different ways in which a narrative could be developed, both as a tough information or characteristic story. It takes just a little extra work, however busy journalists will respect it.
Develop a Relationship
After all, the easiest way to achieve a reporter’s, editor’s or producer’s consideration is for the PR particular person to be conversant in how the person approaches a narrative, and tailor the pitch to that journalist’s model.
Edit. Re-read. Edit Once more.
And another bit of recommendation. Some journalists will mechanically toss a pitch or press launch if it’s crammed with typos. Make sure your pitch or press launch doesn’t.
Arthur Solomon, a former journalist, was a senior VP/senior counselor at Burson-Marsteller.
