Working in the media can be fun and glamorous, but it is also quite time-consuming. Journalists are constantly up against tight deadlines and have little time to spend reading long, rambling pitches. Are you pitching content that your journalist cares about? A story that fits their market or audience is more likely to be reviewed than something out of left field.
No? Don’t know? Then, do your research. Yes, it does take a little longer than that mass email blast to EVERY journalist in your Rolodex, but a targeted pitch is a much more effective.
Some quick tips:
- Know the audience. Pitch to outlets that cover what you’re writing about. Seems like a no-brainer, but one of my media friends regularly receives hair care news — he covers cars. Delete.
- Make it personal. Research and reference previous articles written by the person you’re contacting. If you can tie your article as an extension or related content to something they’ve already covered, you’ve got one leg up.
- The tweets are talking. Listen! Follow their social media activities on Twitter/Facebook, etc. What are they talking about? What gets the highest response from their readers?
- Join in the conversation! You have a response to their last tweet? Say something! A friendly social relationship will only work in your favor when you pitch to them later.
Keep in mind that some journalists receive as many as 100 pitches a day and have precious seconds to review them. Yes, it’s easier to send out a mass email blast to every journalist in your contacts list, but doing so will not only get your pitch deleted without a second look. It will also lead to you being labeled as a spammer among media outlets.
You spend a lot of time working on the perfect pitch, why not spend the time to get it read?
–Alicia Nicole