5 Tips For Creating a Powerful Media Pitch
Reading Time: ~4 Mins | Written By: Sydney Vardja
Let’s talk about media pitching. A media pitch is short communication, typically an email or direct message, suggesting a news story to a journalist or editor at a publication, radio station or broadcast network.
It’s safe to say there are two types of pitches: good ones and bad ones. And journalists can always spot the difference. As a PR professional, you definitely want to be remembered as a good pitcher.
With our help, you’ll be more than good. Rather than having your email sent right to the trash bin, journalists will look forward to seeing your name in their inbox.
Follow these tips to master crafting a powerful media pitch!
Tip 1: Understand your audience
As sad as it is, an amazing story means nothing unless it's delivered to the right readers. Identifying the “who” beforehand, allows you to accurately select which media outlets will help you reach your target audience. This means you’ll want to research which publications your story belongs in before pitching. Furthermore, it's key you pitch to professionals who align with the perfect readers. We’ll touch more on this next!
Tip 2: Be selective with journalists
If there’s one thing that all journalists agree on, it’s that no one enjoys a generalized pitch in their inbox that has nothing to do with their beat. Sending a generalized pitch and neglecting research wastes your time, and the journalist’s. Your pitch is also way less likely to generate any leads. Build your reputation by understanding who you are pitching to. Research the journalist. Make sure they’re still writing for the relevant publication. Make sure they’ve recently covered this topic. Read their last 3 stories. Offer a compliment or thought on their latest story to prove this. Show them you chose them for the right reason.
Tip 3: Meet an angle
There are multiple ways to ensure your pitch meets an angle. One way might be making the story newsworthy. It‘s always ideal if your story relates to a topic that journalists are trying to cover. Another way is to already have a relevant story angle that you can provide the journalist. Instead of “an article on climate change,” try “an article on climate change right in time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s appearance at the COP26 summit.” Journalists are busy so they love when we make their jobs easier!
Tip 4: Structure your pitch
Even though pitches are short and informal, they still need structure. A great way to start your pitch is by relating the story to the journalist. An example might be, “Hey Marcella, Really enjoyed your article on B.C. taxes. Thought you might be interested in this angle to move this topic forward…” This is a great way to relate to the journalist while offering a new angle. Next you’ll want to explain the five W’s: who, what, where, when, and why. We always like to include an additional H: how. How will you advance this story? How will this angle fit readers interests?
It’s also important that you include a call to action. Okay, the journalist is interested in your pitch. Now what? What are you asking them to do? Email you back for more information? Reach out to the expert source you provided? Whatever it is, make it clear.
Tip 5: Craft a strong subject line
Subject lines are everything. Though only a short sentence, this line ultimately determines whether your pitch is getting read. Your pitch itself might be excellent, but if the email is never opened, that’s where the problem is. Keep your subject line short, but don’t neglect creativity. If you’re facing writer’s block, take a look on the web for some inspiration. It’s always a great idea to check out the specific journalists' recent headlines to see what they find interesting. This way, you can make your subject line resemble their writing style, and what speaks to them.
Pitches are one of the best ways to gain media exposure. Even though there are clear rules to crafting a powerful media pitch, try your best to have fun with them. After all, they’re just informal emails that will hopefully interest the right journalist. And in turn, allow you to cultivate positive relationships with media contacts, and outlets!
