Contacting media outlets directly can dramatically increase the chance of getting your story reported.
Consider making your next pitch persuasive by:
•Keeping it short and concise. The two essential elements in a pitch are what you are offering and why it will interest people. Ruthlessly eliminate anything else.
•Using urgency and relevancy. Connect your pitch to a deadline, well known upcoming event or tie it to a current trend. Alternatively position your story as a contrary or unexplored perspective on an issue currently being reported.
•Providing one or two links to relevant on-line material to backup your pitch. Think about creating a specific web page, blogpost or video as supporting resources.
• Whether pitching verbally or in writing indicate if you can provide an expert to interview, video or audio material, imagery, additional statistics or other information that will enrich your issue and bring your story to life.
•Maintaining a "pitch bank" of pitches that earned coverage and those that were less effective. Over time this database will help you improve as well as develop better pitches faster.
(Thanks to to recent article in PRSA's "Tactics" by Ryan Zuk for inspiring this post.)
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