Don’t be a #PRFail: 5 common pitch fumbles to avoid

If you do a quick search on Twitter for #PRFail or cruise the dead account of @DearPR, you’ll get a glimpse into a deep well of journalist frustration. In most cases, the errors that earn the PR practitioner an unwelcome shout out on social media could have and should have been avoided through vigilance, attention to detail and common sense.

Though bad writing can reflect poorly on the company or client you represent, it ultimately damages your reputation and credibility. No error is small or insignificant when you only have a couple of short paragraphs to grab a journalist’s attention. Keep your pitches fumble-free by avoiding these all-too-common mistakes:

1. A misleading subject line

The subject line is your first chance at piquing a journalist’s interest and standing out in a crowded inbox. With so much pressure riding on a single sentence, bettering your odds with an underhanded tactic might seem like a good idea at the time, but don’t do it.

Sensationalizing or making an untruthful claim in your subject line might get a journalist to open your email, but if the meat of your pitch doesn’t align or support the claim, then a journalist is unlikely to go any further with the story. If your subject line reads like clickbait, you’ve gone too far.