Crafting a message that is strong and interesting can be a challenge—and there are several mistakes that many PR pros make during the process.
Here are three common pitching foibles, along with how you can fix them:
1. Hogging the spotlight
Though you are writing a pitch to introduce a journalist to your brand and share why they should cover your story, don’t make the mistake of making it all about you.
Instead of touting all of your organization’s or client’s recent accomplishments and introducing outstanding new product offerings, make the pitch about the journalist and their readers. Share why your story will benefit them; you’ll be more likely to catch their attention.
2. Lengthy prose
It may take many paragraphs or pages to tell your full story, but writing a pitch is about spelling out the basics and teasing the journalist about the newsworthy qualities of your brand.
It’s best to leave out most of the information in favor of a few key details; if the reporter wants the full story, he or she will ask you for it.
3. Press release fatigue
A press release may cover all of the necessary information you are trying to convey, but they can bog down journalists who are looking for news.
Try pairing a press release with a quick email introduction highlighting its main bullet points and key takeaways. The reporter will appreciate you taking the time to craft a separate message and simplify the story.
Writing a pitch that’s only about you or your brand, drafting drawn out messages and flooding inboxes with press releases are good ways to ensure your emails end up in a reporter’s trash folder.
What tips do you have for writing a pitch that’s likely to get you noticed?
Beth Adan is a publicist at Three Girls Media. A version of this story originally appeared on the agency’s blog.
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