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PR pros: Avoid these common email pitching mistakes
By Beth Adan | Posted: May 19, 2017
Contacting journalists and getting your brand
placed in a story r
ely heavily on writing an effective pitch.
Crafting a strong, interesting message can be a challenge. PR
pros sometimes make several mistakes during the process. Check out these three
common missteps when
writing a pitch to members of the media and learn how to fix them:
1.
You hog the spotlight.
When
writing a pitch to introduce a journalist to your brand and share why he or she should
cover your story, don’t make it
all about you. Instead of touting all your organization or your brand’s recent
accomplishments, or introducing its great new product offerings, shape the
pitch around the journalist and his or her readers. Share why your story
will benefit them, and you’ll be more likely to catch the reporter's attention.
2. The pitch is too long.
Though it might take many paragraphs or pages to tell your full story,
remember that writing a pitch is about spelling out the basics and teasing the
journalist about the newsworthy qualities of the brand you represent. It’s best to leave
out most of the information in favor of a few key details; if the reporter
wants the full story, he or she will ask for it.
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Attend the Practical PR Summit, and transform your PR skills to
become more successful in the new media landscape.]
3. You only send press releases.
A
press release may cover all of the necessary information you are trying to convey, but it
will bog down journalists who are looking for news. Try
pairing a press release with a quick email introduction highlighting main bullet points and key
takeaways from the release. The reporter will appreciate your taking the
time to craft a separate message and
simplifying the story.
In addition, you should also get to know the reporter and become familiar
with topics he or she covers. Many pitches reach editors or assignment
editors who won't be writing the story. You can dramatically raise the likelihood of gaining coverage by getting the “right” journalist interested.
What other tips can you offer for writing a pitch that’s likely to get you
noticed?
Beth Adan is at senior publicist and graphic designer at
Three Girls Media. A version of this article originally appeared on
the agency’s blog.
(Image via)