Day-to-day, I spend a majority of my time pitching media and securing placements for our clients – and I love it! This is partly due to my background in journalism and my love for current events, but more so because of the accomplished feeling you get when I secure great coverage for our clients. They don’t come easy – there is a lot of writing and research that goes into it and you also need to factor in timing when pitching reporters.
Here are my 10 survival tips for engaging with reporters to save you before you even get started:
Assume everything is on the record.
The last thing you want is confidential information getting out. To avoid this, imagine everything you communicate to a reporter will soon be online for millions of eyes to see. This will make you think twice before you speak!
Make it personal.
Reporters get thousands of emails each day, so what makes yours so special? My best advice here is to do your research – know what each reporter tends to cover and correlate a past article they’ve written to the story you’re currently pitching them.
Follow up.
Newsrooms can get a little chaotic, especially when breaking coverage comes out. The reporter may open your email and consider getting in touch, but quickly get distracted by something else. Utilize a follow up email to get back on their radar and show them your strong interest in working with them.
Pick up the phone.
This isn’t always my favorite part of pitching because it can prove difficult to get reporters on the phone, but it’s so important. Even if you can talk to them for 20 seconds and they just ask you to resend an email, you’ve made huge strides in producing a lead. You are now on their radar and they’ll be anticipating your next email.
Timing is everything.
Studies have shown reporters prefer to be pitched between 9am and 2pm. I’ve tested this and agree – I receive higher response rates when I stick to this time frame. Don’t forget to factor in time zones as well!
Reporters are busy.
News breaks and they run! Crafting your emails to be short and sweet will make them more effective. Get to the point and your pitch will leave reporters wanting more.
Know what’s happening.
Know what’s going on in the news. If they are a financial reporter and you’re calling them when the stock market drops, you’re definitely not going to get their attention. By staying up with the news, you’ll be more likely to pitch reporters at the right time, resulting in a higher response rate.
Move fast.
When you do get in touch with a reporter, assume their deadline is sooner rather than later. The last thing you want is to put in the legwork to get in touch and have the story fall through because you missed the deadline.
Get to know the journalism world.
Take the time to understand the differences in print, television and digital. Each operate individually and tend to have different deadlines, needs and turn-around times.
They need us as much as we need them.
We serve up intriguing stories on a silver platter. By connecting reporters with our clients, we help them do their job, all the while accomplishing ours. It’s a win-win for both parties involved.
What are your best practices when it comes to pitching reporters?
Photo Credit: M M
