Are you creating the PERFECT PITCH?

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!

Perfect Pitch: How to Nail Your Elevator Speech

You ride the subway, grab a coffee, and get to the office—it’s your typical Monday morning, until,bam! You step in the elevator and find yourself face-to-face with the CEO of your dream company or the client you’ve been dying to land.

She smiles and says, “Hi. What do you do?”

Scary? Absolutely. But it could happen to you—tomorrow—and you’ll want to be prepared.

The aptly named “elevator speech” or “elevator pitch” is a concise, compelling introduction that can be communicated in the amount of time it takes someone to ride the elevator to her floor.

Even if you’re never caught heading up to the 39^th with someone important, this is a good skill to master when you’re introducing yourself during an interview, a sales pitch, or a networking event. People are busy, and being able to communicate who you are and what you do quickly and effectively will ensure that you get your most important points across, no matter how short the conversation.

Not quite ready for the elevator ride of your life? Check out our step-by-step guide to crafting—and perfecting—your pitch.

1. Start with a Blank Canvas

Take a blank piece of paper and number it from one to 10. Then, fill in the most important bits of information that you want to convey about yourself, your service or product, or your company. What, exactly, do you do? What have you achieved, and what are your goals? Who does your company serve and why? Focus on the most interesting or memorable facts—the ones that really make you stand out from others.

2. Red Pen It

Using a different color pen, edit what you’ve drafted with a critical eye. Eliminate any redundancies, unnecessary or unclear information, and broad business jargon. More importantly, hone and enhance the good stuff. “I’m great at sales” isn’t likely to pique anyone’s interest, but “I’ve exceeded my sales goals every quarter for the last two years” sure might.

3. Pick a Card

Grab five index cards, and label them “Who I Am,” “What I Do,” “How I Do It,” “Why I Do It,” and “Who I Do It For.” Add each item on the list you’ve created to the card where it fits best. Ideally, you’ll have two compelling sentences underneath each heading, so fill in any gaps if you need to.

4. Get in Order

Organize the cards in a logical order, making sure the most important information is first. Remember, you often only have a few seconds to communicate with someone. If you get cut off, what would you want her to walk away remembering?

5. Add an Attention-Getter

Add an interesting fact or stat to use at the beginning of your speech. Your goal is to immediately engage someone so that he or she is intrigued and wants to learn more.

6. Practice!

Recite your pitch to close someone who can be objective, and ask for constructive feedback(although we love our friends and families, sometimes they think we can do no wrong!). What may seem clear in your mind might come across as convoluted, long-winded, or fragmented to an outside observer.

7. Record Your Pitch

Once you’ve gotten feedback and honed your pitch even further, record yourself saying it. Listen to your tone—make sure it’s friendly, non-threatening, and that you’re not talking a mile a minute (knowing you only have a few moments to speak may subconsciously increase your pace). Really listen to what you’re saying—make sure you’re not repeating words and that you’re sending the message you really want to convey.

8. Ride the Elevator

The next time you ride an elevator (alone), practice your speech. First, give yourself some time by going to the highest floor. Then, try giving your pitch from a middle floor and from the first to the third floor, too. Having to make just a few brief moments count will help you to hone the words you need and scrap the ones you don’t!

Another tip we love: create your speech using Harvard Business School’s Elevator Pitch Builder. The online tool will help you select effective words to describe yourself, walk you through creating your who, what, why, and a goal. And then it gets better: It’ll analyze your pitch for you with stats like how many seconds it will take you to present.

This week, set aside some time to craft your elevator pitch (or dust off the one you’ve used before). You just never know who you might face tomorrow morning.

Source – Laura Katen, The Daily Muse