When pitching the media, it can seem like a difficult to know and understand what they want and if they believe your pitch is newsworthy for their audience. The media could be a television producer, magazine editor, blogger, newspaper editor, reporter or journalist. They are the “gatekeepers” to your public. You must ensure that you establish credibility and connections to build media relationships. In today’s social media driven world, more and more of these “gatekeepers” get flooded with pitches everyday, so establishing a relationship and connection with them can definitely get your pitch some attention. Outside of the “must haves,” such as spelling, punctuation, grammar and providing contact information, here are some key elements to include to “create the perfect pitch!”
1. WHY ARE YOU PITCHING TO ME?
The first words the media will see is your subject line. Make it catchy to grab their attention and arouse their curiosity. Find an interesting angle and do not mention the company name, yet. Most times, you will be pitching a new client so they will not having any connection or knowledge to your client anyway. Tell why their audience would be interested in your product or service. Communicate your passion about the product or service. In the first paragraph, get to the point and pitch your product or service. You will lose the reader if you do not put the main reason of why you are pitching to them in the beginning of your letter. Make the first sentence an extension of the subject line. Also, do not make your pitch seem as though you are sending to a distribution list – they will automatically hit the DELETE button!
2. THE FIVE W’s
As you learned in grade school, the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where, and Why) are important in letting a journalist receive the full picture of your pitch. These are the basic elements of journalism and should not be taken for granted in a pitch.
3. SHORT AND SNAPPY
The media gets bombarded with pitches and they still have to make time for their other journalistic duties. So, as you can see, reading a long pitch will more than likely get ignored and/or deleted. Like pitching in person, keep your pitch to no longer than three (3) minutes. The same with email, keep it equally short with the most relevant information a journalist needs to show interest in your pitch.
4. CALL TO ACTION
Be clear and to the point of what you are asking of the journalist. After explaining your client’s product, service or situation, ask a question or set a clear action step. If you want a journalist to consider reviewing your client’s product, offer a sample. A pitch letter is designed to create a dialogue with one journalist. Don’t sell your product, sell your story.
What are some other elements that have proven successful to you or you like to see in a pitch letter? Share your thoughts!
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