Pub to the Computer - Pitching: Then and Now
One of the essential tasks of any good PR agency is pitching. Pitching to the press is a real skill. You need to catch the eye of a busy journalist in as few a words as possible and you might be just one of a hundred e-mails they receive in a couple of hours.
To break through these odds PRs have to create and sustain relationships with the media. Building new relationships involves a lot of research. Each pitch that is sent out to the media has to be carefully thought through and tailored for each request and publication.
The way to pitch and engage journalists has changed over the years. I’m told it used to be as simple as taking a trip down Fleet Street and going for a long lunch with a journalist. Then, with the introduction of faxes, then emails and an explosion in the number of media caused by the internet, a wall between PR’s and journalists was created which meant we can be easily ignored or find our pitches in junk mail.
Long lunches are a thing of the past. On the rare times they happen the journalist usually needs to clear it with their superiors and be back within the hour.
The Formula
The skill in pitching comes long before the actual pitch is even written. The phrase ‘you get back what you put in’ is very relevant when pitching. You need to find the crucial sentence within your story that will catch someone’s attention but also convey your client’s key message.
You need to find who will be most interested in the story and research the relevant publications. You then build your plan and tailor your pitch for that specific journalist. Only then is it time to get pitching.
When it comes to the pitching itself, PR’s now have a variety of platforms they can use. A concise, well written email with a punchy subject line is a great starter and can sometimes be enough to peak their interest. A friendly, non-salesy phone call is also a good way to break down the digital barrier and actually speak to the journalist. It gives you the chance to show off your research and talk about where you think your client would fit within their publication and build a relationship with the journalist.
TOOT
One of the latest trends is pitching through social media. I recently attended a breakfast meeting with the Editor of the Independent on Sunday, Lisa Markwell who mentioned a phrase that stuck in my head; ‘tooting’ taking off on Twitter.
Like most people, journalists probably check their twitter feeds just as much as their emails, if not more. Twitter opens up a new door for PR’s to start a dialogue with journalists they wish to work with and is often seen as less intrusive than a phone call but more direct than an e-mail.
The press is constantly growing and changing. The trick is not to be afraid of the new avenues that are opened up with these changes. The formula to pitching is always the same; find the story, do the research and give the journalist what they want before they know they want it.
After all, if the colour of a dress can TOOT, why can’t you?
