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Write A Media Pitch

Planning For Media, PR Tips

Write A Media Pitch

First the Pitch, then the Release

Before you can send out a press release, you need to learn how to pitch. The pitching process is 98% preparation and 2% execution, which is crucial for successful media placements. There are 11 steps to tackle before making the important pitch.

  1. Identify your target audience. Determine which newspapers, magazines, TV shows, and websites they engage with. These are your target media outlets. Ask yourself: “Who would be interested in this story? Which outlets will effectively reach these individuals?” Begin creating your media list. This list should include:
      • Local daily newspaper
      • Weekly newspaper
      • Business Journal
      • Trade publications covering your type of business or expertise
      • Local radio and TV
      • Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter
      • If it’s a product or service that can be sold outside of your community, include national press as well.
  2. Find the journalist, editor, or producer covering your beat. These will be available on the outlet’s website. Research the reporter. Read his past stories and check out contact preferences. We’re going to talk about your media list in the next chapter.
  3. Research the media outlet to make sure it is a good fit for your story idea. Familiarize yourself with the outlet and its particular focus or personality.
  4. Pitch ideas, not topics.
  5. Write your press release. We can also write it for you. Your release needs to be directly important to the audience. People don’t care what a shovel is made of, or whether or not it has a wooden handle. They care about the hole it can dig. Sell the hole.
  6. Most releases are delivered via email. Do not send an attachment without permission.
  7. Prepare Pitch Points with all the pertinent facts about your company and the story you’re pitching before you call or email.
  8. Prepare more than one story angle. Don’t waste everyone’s time by putting all of your PR eggs in one basket. Have a few angles to toss out.
  9. Call your contact with a brief pitch. Your first four words should be, Are you on deadline? Once you get the contact on the phone, explain why you think the story is important. In 20 seconds or less.
  10. Give the journalist or producer the heads up that you’ll be sending a release and ask for permission to send an attachment, if you have one, and you probably will. The release, a photo, perhaps a bio, etc.
  11. Follow up in a couple of days to make sure said reporter received your release and if additional information is needed.     

More Pitching Rules:

  1. If you’re pitching TV, record the program you want to pitch for a week.  The #1 PR complaint from TV professionals is being pitched stories and guests that don’t match up with their shows’ topics, format, or time slots. The harder-hitting stories typically come earlier in the broadcast and topics get fluffier as the show goes on. If you want to land an interview, record the program for a week and study it. Understand how to make a concise suggestion on where your idea fits and who would be the appropriate anchor or reporter to tell it.
  2. Avoid pitching a competitor’s story.  One of my dear friends who works in TV, told me of a pitch she received offering guest commentary on a developing news story that she was covering. The sender started the email by citing stories on the topic from other competing networks. TV producers don’t want to be sent stories done by their competition, and they certainly don’t want to repeat another station’s story.
  3. Know the shifts.  If you want to land the Today show, understand what time the show is on the air, and don’t bother to call producers then. Observe the X/Twitter feed of the producer with whom you are trying to connect to learn when they are clearly near their desk. Or even better, just ask when they typically have a few minutes to chat.
  4. Listen for names—and use them appropriately.  One of my former co-workers has a name that can be  male or female. She is female. Yet, sometimes she would receive pitches that began: with “Mr” Blake. Immediate delete.
  5. Do your homework before you pitch. Every time. 

The Press Release:

It may be some time before your releases generate any coverage, but remember that every time you contact a journalist, you are raising your media profile and making the media aware of you and your business. 

  1. Announce a new service.
  2. Announce a new product.
  3. Tie in with a national holiday, a birthday, or an anniversary.
  4. Report a new study of your own and your analysis or forecast.
  5. Write a white paper and announce its availability on your website.
  6. Create and promote a special event.
  7. Use a current news event to frame your release.
  8. Host a seminar and announce the information discussed.
  9. Announce an upcoming speaking engagement.
  10. Schedule a speaking engagement at the local library… for free.
  11. Make reprints of speeches available on your website.
  12. Patents and trademarks.
  13. Litigation won.
  14. Announce the results of a new study.
  15. First-person stories about people using your product or services.
  16. New clients, you’ve obtained.
  17. New testimonials.
  18. Celebrities that use your product or service.
  19. Financial projections and forecasts.
  20. Announce a public appearance.
  21. Appointments by government officials to offices.
  22. Retirement of well-respected and revered employees.
  23. Recognition of long-time employees with 25 years of service or more.
  24. Internal promotion of key staff members.
  25. New members of important committees.
  26. Anniversary of the founding date of the organization or company.
  27. Report on a public project and offer insight into the problem.
  28. How to apply for internships in your company.
  29. How to apply for scholarships offered by your company.
  30. An open house where people can tour your plant, office, etc.

A Few Common PR mistakes:

  1. Don’t just blast press releases. Tell. The. Story. A newswire spam strategy might have a temporary effect on search engine optimization, but it doesn’t work long term. Your message has to be memorable or different or better yet, both. Not every company or product is original, but nearly anyone can craft a distinctive, relevant story.
  2. Your story doesn’t spell authentic. Authenticity is catnip. If the customer experience doesn’t live up to the claims, you’ll be lucky if a lack of coverage is the result. And remember, journalists and bloggers are customers, too.
  3. You’re drowning in industry jargon. Think twice before stringing together empty phrases like highly anticipated, industry-leading, unique to the industry, blah, blah, blah. Just don’t do it.
  4. Your approach is impersonal. The personal approach, i.e. FaceTime, phone calls, etc. whether to customers or media, is crucial. PR is and always will be first and foremost about relationships.
  5. Your spokesperson is a bad actor. He or she needs to be engaged, prepared, and able to speak the speak, talk the talk, turning complicated information into easy-to-understand, terms, and simple language, preferably that of the audience.
  6. You want a quick fix. You won’t get one without the age-old game of relationship building. It is and always will be just as important in media relations as it is in sales or business development.

CHATGPT PR Prompts

1. Press Release Writing
– “Write a press release announcing the launch of [Product/Service], highlighting its unique features and benefits for [Target Audience].”
– “Create a press release about [Company Name]’s recent partnership with [Partner Name], focusing on how this collaboration benefits both parties.”
– “Draft a press release for [Event Name] being hosted by [Company Name], including details about the date, location, and special guests.”

2. Crisis Communication
– “Create a crisis communication plan for [Company Name] in response to a product recall. Include key messaging and steps for addressing the media.”
– “Write a public apology statement for [Company Name] after receiving negative media coverage, ensuring the tone is sincere and takes responsibility.”
– “How should [Company Name] respond to a PR crisis involving a social media backlash from customers?”

3. Media Pitching
– “Draft a media pitch for [Product/Service], targeting journalists in the [Industry] space. Focus on what makes it newsworthy.”
– “Create an email pitch to send to influencers about [Event/Product], highlighting why their audience would be interested.”
– “Write a pitch for [Client Name] to appear on a podcast about [Relevant Topic], emphasizing their expertise.”

4. Social Media Strategy
– “What kind of social media campaign should [Company Name] run to promote its new product line aimed at [Target Audience]?”
– “Create a social media post announcing [Event/Product], designed to drive engagement and interest from [Target Audience].”
– “Develop a content calendar for a month-long PR campaign on Instagram and Twitter for [Product/Service].”

5. Brand Messaging and Reputation Management
– “Develop a messaging framework for [Company Name] that aligns with its values of [Core Values] and resonates with [Target Audience].”
– “How can [Company Name] position itself as an industry leader in [Industry] through strategic PR efforts?”
– “Write a speech for the CEO of [Company Name] to deliver at [Event Name], focusing on positioning the company as an innovator in [Industry].”

6. Event Promotion
– “Write an invitation email for [Event Name] that will attract media, influencers, and industry leaders.”
– “Create a promotional campaign for [Event Name], focusing on generating media attention and public interest.”
– “Draft a follow-up email to send to attendees after [Event Name], thanking them for their participation and sharing key highlights.”

7. Thought Leadership and Opinion Pieces
– “Write an opinion piece on behalf of [Company Executive] about the future of [Industry], to be published in [Publication].”
– “Draft a guest blog post for [Executive Name] about [Industry Trend], positioning them as a thought leader in the field.”
– “Develop a LinkedIn article for [Company Executive] on how [Industry] is changing in response to [Recent Event].”

8. Influencer and Stakeholder Communication
– “Write an outreach message to a potential influencer for [Brand Name], explaining why a partnership would be mutually beneficial.”
– “Draft a stakeholder update for [Company Name] on the success of its recent PR campaign, including key metrics and future goals.”
– “Create an email update to keep stakeholders informed about [Company Initiative] and its impact on the community.”

9. PR Campaign Strategy
– “Develop a PR campaign strategy for [Product/Service], including key objectives, target audience, and media channels to focus on.”
– “Outline a 3-month PR plan for [Company Name] to increase brand visibility and drive customer engagement.”
– “What PR strategies should [Company Name] use to raise awareness about its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?”

10. Media Monitoring and Reporting
– “Write a media monitoring report for [Company Name], summarizing key media mentions and sentiment analysis over the past month.”
– “How should [Company Name] analyze its media coverage to assess the effectiveness of its recent PR campaign?”
– “Create a template for a PR report that outlines key metrics such as media reach, engagement, and sentiment.”

11. Product Launch Support
– “What are the best PR strategies for launching [New Product] in a crowded marketplace?”
– “Draft a press release, social media post, and email to support the launch of [Product Name], with consistent messaging.”
– “Develop a product launch timeline for [Product Name], outlining key PR milestones and tactics to maximize exposure.”

12. Crisis Response Prompts
– “Write a response for [Company Name] addressing a sudden media scandal involving [Issue], maintaining a calm and professional tone.”
– “What steps should [Company Name] take in the first 24 hours following a PR crisis?”
– “Draft a CEO letter addressing stakeholders after [Crisis Event], focusing on transparency and next steps.”

These prompts are designed to help  you with a wide range of tasks and challenges, from building relationships with the media to responding to crisis effectively. You can adapt them as needed depending on your specific situation and audience.

PR LINGO:

We PR people use a lot of lingo that I’m sure makes no sense to anyone but us.  Some of our favorites include:

  1. B-roll – “highlight” video of something we want to promote (company, person, event), often used to show broadcast outlets the potential for a story and/or provide them with footage for the story, similar to a movie trailer.
  2. Boilerplate – a short description of a company, most often used at the end of a press release.
  3. Ed Cals – editorial calendars (predetermined story topics by media outlets).
  4. Flack – although defined as “a publicist or promoter,” is also a derogatory reference — often used by journalists—to describe a bad PR executive.
  5. Hack – PR’s response to “flack,” often used to describe a poor journalist or reporting job.
  6. Hits – media coverage.
  7. In-house – a “corporate” job in which one conducts PR inside a business, as opposed to an agency job in which one services several clients at once.
  8. Ink/Inked – signed, as in “Pure PR Inks Deal with Author Malena Lott.”
  9. Journo – a reporter (journalist).
  10. Launch – the public marketing announcement of a people, place, or product.
  11. Opp – opportunity, as in an opportunity to get media coverage.
  12. Pitch – note to inform/gauge interest.
  13. Prezzo – a PowerPoint presentation.
  14. Pubs – publications, as in “we need coverage in at least 10 pubs.”
  15. Release – a news announcement.
  16. Running/ran – article appeared.
  17. Traction – interest/coverage.