3 ways PR pros can change a reporter’s ‘no’ into ‘yes’

Publicists outnumber journalists five to one. There are consistently more stories pitched than there is room for them to be told.

However, that doesn’t mean you should always take a reporter’s first response to be the end of the discussion.

Here are three PR tips for turning a “no” into a “yes”:

1. Try a different angle.

I once pitched an outlet that I thought was a perfect fit for a client. It wasn’t large, but had an audience base that was perfect for my client to share knowledge as a thought leader.

Within a few hours of sending the pitch, I got a response: there was no interest in covering my client for a feature—it just wasn’t something the outlet did.

Though that can be disheartening to receive such an immediate rejection, the reason why left a window unlocked. It was clear the host wasn’t completely sold on how his audience would benefit from having my client participate.