Craft pitches this way to make a journalist’s job easier

For PR pros, pitching journalists can feel like shouting into the void.

That’s not too far from the truth, said Jennifer Strong, host of the Shift podcast and former executive producer at Poynter.

“My inbox gets so overwhelmed, like all journalists,” she said during a panel at PR Daily Conference.

With that kind of volume, PR pros need to keep updating and improving how they pitch, she said.

Here are some specific, to-the-point approaches that work best for the overpitched journalist.

Keep it short and relevant

The best pitches are simple and direct, said Andrea Swalec, digital content producer at NBC Washington, during the conference.

“They don’t have to be particularly clever,” she said. “What matters is knowing the outlet and explaining why we should tell it right now.”

Write pitches that are a few tight paragraphs. Lead with the news hook and why it matters to that outlet’s audience today. You do not need a long backstory, Swalec said.

Follow up politely

One of the biggest pitching turnoffs is a negative, emotional follow-up, Strong said.