The Do’s and Don’ts of Pitching

Today we are going to talk all about the do’s and don’ts of pitching. 

Now obviously -having pitched for opportunities for over 20 years – I could talk about this for days, so as not to bore you too much I am going to provide you some key do’s and don’ts as a taster!

Pitching is a crucial part of PR

As much as you can sit and wait for people to come to you can give you opportunities, if you can go and find your own opportunities then amazing things can happen! 

Putting yourself out there, pitching for opportunities, showing why you are the right person to be featured, is what PR is all about.

Following the other steps I have covered previously – doing your research, finding the right contacts and opportunities – you will be ready to pitch and you will know WHY you should be the person featured.  

TOP TIP

If you are pitching for a feature opportunity or to speak in somebody’s group and it is a one-off tailored pitch for them, then you would do an email pitch with all your information included. But if you are wanting to send out the same news story to multiple places, then you would be looking at sending a press release as part of your pitch. 

So let’s dive in!

You have your publications selected, the reason why you are the person for the job and your press release and/or pitch email are ready – what are the dos and don’ts you need to be aware of before you pitch?

DO’S:

1. Send personalised emails. Even if you are sending the press release to multiple publications make sure you send them as individual emails one at a time and include the contact name (make sure you get it right!!). It may sound obvious but a lot of people do blind-copy things and send them out to multiple places which won’t work when you are trying to build relationships. 
2. When pitching for feature opportunities, make it clear you have done your research – that you know the publication and the reasons you have chosen them to pitch to for this specific opportunity. This will help your pitch to stand out and, most crucially, increase your chances of getting a yes!
3. Be succinct and straightforward in your messaging. DO NOT waffle on – get straight to the point! They need to see why that is the right story for them and why you are the right person to tell it. 

DON’TS

1. Don’t use puns or clever plays on words in your subject line. Make it clear what you are pitching for. You are competing with 100-200 emails a day coming into a journalists inbox. With feature opportunities, put the name of the column or feature in the subject line so they can see what the email is regarding. When it’s a press release, make sure you make the story, and its relevance, clear. for Example, ‘Leeds PT launches membership for mums’ rather than ‘Keep mum, get fit with new membership.   
2. Don’t attach a massive image to your email. Send only 1-3 images and each image should be no bigger than 1MB. You can use different programs to resize your images if you require it (e.g tinypng.com). Using an image can be a big benefit in your pitch, especially with a press release (a picture is worth a thousand words)  – just make sure you don’t send huge attachments so it makes it easier for them to see them!
3. It sounds obvious but don’t forget to include your contact telephone number and your contact details just before you sign off. Make it as easy as possible for them to get hold of you if they want to discuss further. 

If you have any specific questions on pitching, do put them in the comments below!

 

Are you looking to pitch in 2023? Then sign up for a 2-hour Cheerleader PR Strategy Session with me 📣.

Book now here.

To see my live video talking about ‘The Do’s and Don’ts of Pitching’, click here.