Step-by-step tactics for making your story pitch stick

A bit more time, legwork and focus trump wasting your time on futile attempts

Whether you’re just starting out in PR or are established in the field, you’ll need to know how to pitch a story.

There is no single “right” way to pitch a story, but there are a lot of wrong ways. This advice is based on my own success and failure working with the media.

Regardless of the approach you use, the only way to produce consistent placements for clients is to do your legwork. Pitching is a lot of hard work, but the better your preparation and persistence, the more success you will have.

Where to start: know your story

Before you build your media list, write your release, craft your pitch or pick up the phone, you need to know your story inside and out. Interview everyone involved in the story and drill deep with questioning. Think like a journalist, and ask your sources all the tough questions. Through this process, determine what is most newsworthy, compelling and interesting about the story.