Reporters receive hundreds of emails, to manage their email boxes, they have to filter through and choose which emails to read.
You’ve pitched a great product, service or news about your company to the media but you’re still not getting a response. You may want to reconsider your entire approach. Perhaps your story idea isn’t focused or you’re pitching the wrong reporters. Maybe you haven’t properly identified why your story is newsworthy. Here are 4 key things to consider when fixing a failed pitch.
You’re Not Personalizing Your Pitches
If you’re addressing your pitches to reporters as “Hi/Hey Editor/Dear Reporter,” you’ve already lost the reporter’s attention. Whenever possible you should try to address the reporter with their first name. Make your pitch personalized. It only takes a few extra seconds and you’ll stand a better chance of getting a reply.
You’re a Name In a Crowd
Reporters receive hundreds of emails each day and their email boxes get clogged with everything from junk mail to publicist’s pitches. To manage their inboxes, they have to filter through and choose which emails to read. If a reporter has never heard your name before, they might filter you to the trash. It’s like a random salesman coming to your door and asking you to buy what they’re peddling. If you’ve never heard of them or what they’re selling you may just close that door.
So how do you fix this? You have to build a reputation with the media. Make friends, re-tweet their posts, and comment on their reports. The more they see your name, the more recognizable you will be to them when an email from you shows up in their inbox. If they feel like they know you or have a connection to you, they are more likely to read your pitch and even respond.
Your Pitch is Too Long
If your pitch requires scrolling through tons of information or it is difficult to read, the reporter won’t get past the first sentence. You have to remember that reporters receive hundreds of emails and they don’t have time to read every single one.
So what should you do? Get to the point. In the initial pitch you should mention what you’re contacting them about, what you are offering them, how this can help them and finally an offer to send over more information about the product, service or brand, if they are interested. Remember the quicker you get to the point of your pitch, the more likely you’ll keep that reporters attention.
Your Story is Only Interesting to You
Getting editorial coverage from reporters isn’t as simple as sending them a pitch and miraculously getting a response. It is really hard and getting a response when the reporter hasn’t asked for the information can be rare. It’s not because they don’t want to cover your story. It’s because they have a lot going on. They work very hard on putting their stories together and putting it out to their readers. The truth is you may think your brand, service or story is the best thing out there but bottom line is if they don’t think it is, you’re not going to get the coverage you desire.
To fix this, we suggest looking at what they write about and creating your pitch to fit it. But remember if your story doesn’t appeal to them or the audience they write for, then you may not get the coverage. Your story doesn’t only have to fit what the reporter writes about, but it also has to be interesting and exciting as a whole.
Finally, one very important thing to keep in mind is, public relations is not advertising! No media outlet wants to do an advertisement or commercial for a product or service as part of their editorial content. So make sure you have communicated in your pitch how your story will benefit the public. Take the time to re-evaluate your pitch to see if you are communicating the essence of your story. There is a place for every story; it’s just a matter of tailoring the pitch to get the reporter to write about it.
Special Offer: Three Girls Media & Marketing Inc. is a public relations and social media management agency with teams in Silicon Valley and the Seattle area. We love working with small and emerging companies across the nation to raise their brand awareness and name recognition. We offer a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation with our CEO and can answer your questions and discuss your specific marketing needs. Contact us today to arrange yours!
Photo Credit: siRRonWong