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If you’ve got something to share with the world, one of the most effective ways of doing that is by reaching out to well known and reputable media outlets that can share your message, event or product to a wide reaching audience.
But it’s tough to do that!
Reporters or media outlets are often given a limited amount of time—about 8 to 9 hours—to create a report that includes writing, photography, and live online images, and working with writers and assignment editors requires patience because they receive thousands of emails and calls daily, from people just like you that are eager to spread news of their own.
By following these guidelines, you will increase your chances of having your story picked up by the media outlet of your choice, leading to increased visibility, engagement and development for your business.
Understanding Your Target Media
Before approaching a reporter or media source with your proposal, you must have a solid understanding of who you’re trying to reach; check out some important things to know:
- Research the media outlet – Investigate the publication, and do your homework before pitching to a reporter. Start by researching your target media source, and work to understand their style, tone, and content. Visit their website, read their articles, view their videos to fully understand the stories they cover and how you can craft a pitch that will pique their interest. Doing this will allow you to tailor your proposal to their preferences, increasing the probability of you receiving a–hopefully positive–response from them.
- Evaluate the media outlet’s audience – Know the media outlet’s audience. Is the target local or national? What’s their main demographic? You can find an angle that connects with their users or viewers using this information.
- Understand the editor’s or reporter’s work and interests – Learn about the writer or assignment editor before you start spamming your story around. Look at their past writings, social media accounts, and LinkedIn page to grasp their hobbies and topics. How does your industry fit into their field of coverage? What have they discussed recently that ties in to what you’re trying to sell them? This will help you create a pitch that fits their pace and grabs their focus.
- Create a targeted media list – After you have finished conducting your investigation, the next step is to compile a list of intended media outlets. On this list, you should have the names and contact information of the journalists and news organizations that would be the best match for your proposal.
How to Craft Your Pitch
Making an appealing pitch to a writer or media source can be difficult. Attention to detail and knowing what the media source wants are very important. Here are 7 essential tips on how to write a press release or pitch to grab a reporter’s attention:
Writing an attention-grabbing subject line: The first thing a writer or editor will see in their email is your subject line, so make it count. Make it count by writing a dramatic subject line that does justice to your proposal in a few words.
Creating a compelling headline: Making a catchy title requires distilling your story’s central idea into a few lines. Write in a way that is easy to understand, interesting, and entertaining for the viewer.
Writing a clear and concise pitch: Your proposal should be clear, concise, and simple for people to understand. Clearly state the purpose of your story, the approach you’re taking with it, and the reasons why the readership of the media source would find it pertinent.
Make sure there is a hook: Reporters get many pitches every day. Make yours stand out by highlighting timely details, trends, relation to newsworthy events, historic significance, and other compelling hooks that will interest the reporter.
Including all necessary information: Be sure to include the who, what, when, where, and why in your proposal, as well as any other pertinent information that may be required. To strengthen your proposal, make sure to include any pertinent statistics, quotations, or supporting evidence. Adding file photos, quotes, and background information will also help your case, as it leaves less work for the reporter to do for themselves.
Avoiding jargon and buzzwords: Keeping away from industry jargon and buzzwords It is important to steer clear of using any industry language or buzzwords that could disrupt or confuse the viewer. Maintain a straightforward and easy-to-understand style of communication, using words and phrases that are understandable to a wide range of people.
Personalizing the pitch: You should make sure to take the time to tailor your proposal to the specific reporter or editor that you are trying to reach. Refer to previous work they’ve done or interests they have to demonstrate that you’ve done your homework and that your proposal is pertinent to their topic.
The Effective Methods of Pitching
When approaching a reporter or a media outlet with a story idea, it is helpful to respect the reporter’s time and to only propose ideas for stories that are relevant to the outlet’s mission. You should make yourself available for them if they’re interested, and you should follow up responsibly, but shouldn’t be inappropriately relentless. You can call and follow up daily, but don’t be annoying about it; if it feels like their passing on the story, move on.
Remember, the news outlets need stories so as long as you make yours interesting, you can secure coverage and attention for your business, which will help it…get noticed.
Running a business is hard enough without worrying about how you’re going to tell people about it.
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