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Marketing Fitness Challenge #9: Making The Perfect Pitch

Marketing Fitness Challenge #9: Making The Perfect Pitch

Marketing Fitness Challenge #9

Making The Perfect Pitch

So, you think you’ve pitched a great story that will catch the attention of the media, but then no one responds. What happened? Sometimes it’s as simple as forgetting to include one essential element that makes your story interesting and engaging in the eyes of a journalist.

How can you determine if your content is newsworthy? Our PR experts created a checklist of key things to keep in mind to craft the perfect media pitch.

Fresh & Focused

First things first, is your content truly new or unique? When pitching to the media you’re not going to get much of a reaction if you’re just retelling someone else’s story or rehashing old news. Make sure the story you’re submitting has a clear focus, or an innovative take that’s going to immediately capture people’s attention. Journalists aren’t likely to cover the same story twice unless it offers a completely new perspective.

Timeliness & Proximity

In addition to a fresh focus, your content should be timely—offering unique insight on a current event or trend. Location is also important: how is a current worldwide or nationwide news story impacting people locally in your community or industry?

Pique Interest

Who will relate most to your story? Is it of interest to people outside of your own company? If the answer is no, then it might be best to save it for a promotional blog post for your business’ website. If yes, what kind of impact are you hoping to make with this story? Most often, people are drawn to stories that are captivating, but also relatable. At the end of the day, people want to be moved, inspired, informed, or noticed.

Clever Customization

One way to quickly get your request rejected is to fail to add some basic personalization to your pitch. It might seem like common sense, but it is essential to customize your content for the person you’re pitching. Make sure you regularly read, watch, and listen to the outlet you’re contacting and are familiar with the kinds of stories its reporters cover. In your pitch, express why you think this story is a fit for this outlet and how their audience would benefit from it.

Content, Content, Content

Last, but certainly not least, are you offering to provide audio, photos, videos, or interviews to really sell your story? More often than not, the media is looking for the full package in pitches. If you’re not offering the latter, your pitch might get overlooked.

Public Relations Throwing You for a Loop?

The PR team at Devaney & Associates has some pretty impressive pitching stats and they’re ready to help you win! Need help with your media relations? Contact us today to learn more.

Check Out Our Other Marketing Fitness Challenges