Editors receive hundreds of public relations pitches a week. Hundreds. When you do the math, the picture becomes clear. An editor who works 40 hours in a week and who receives 200 pitches will get about five pitches an hour — or one every 12 minutes.
This company is having a grand opening across town. That nonprofit is having a gala celebration. The state is starting a new housing program. One organization is trying to save whales in the Pacific. Another is touting its strategic deployment of new widgets. The town is starting a new trash-hauling program.
How do you get your voice heard above the others? How do you get an editor to respond positively to your pitch?
Be credible as an organization and have a newsworthy message. Be concise with your message. Focus on the right media. Target the right editor or reporter. Make the first pitch by email and carefully consider the follow-up phone call. To be credible as an organization simply means to understand what is newsworthy. Do not blast the media constantly with pitches on everything that your company or organization does. It’s a waste of time. Distributing too many pitches to the media numbs editors to your organization and risks the possibility that a real newsworthy item will get deleted by a tired editor. If you help editors and reporters by prioritizing what is news and selectively distributing your pitches, they will be more apt to publish your items, because they will see that you are not trying to get publicity for everything you do.
Make press releases concise
Be concise with your message. Write a press release so the news media can quickly use the information. Put the most important information at the top. Put details lower. Don’t ramble. Don’t write poorly. If you can get your message across in four or five sentences, an editor will be more likely to read your pitch and thankful for your innovative approach. Also, be realistic. Your press release likely won’t make it into the media exactly as it was written.
Match message, audience
Match your message to the right audience. There are different audiences for different media. Think of the different types of newspapers and magazines that are out there. Know the audience of the organization you will pitch and make sure your message is aimed at that audience.
Also, a pitch to a television station may be different than a pitch for a newspaper or magazine. If you have a very visual story to pitch, like a local company manufacturing floats for the Thanksgiving Day parade, reach out to the broadcast media. If your story requires deeper thought and explanation, print media is the way to go.
Finally, your initial contact with the media needs to be by email. Reporters in many surveys say they prefer to receive pitches by email. The reason is they don’t have time to listen to someone on the phone. If you must follow up that pitch by phone, step carefully. The quickest way to turn off an editor or reporter is to nag them on the phone to publish your release.
Navigating the world of pitching news stories takes time and understanding. Learn what the media need and how they do their jobs. Then deliver on those needs and work within their work structure. It will help you succeed in delivering your news messages.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley advertising and public relations agency. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 294-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
