A good pitch requires both heart and brain. You need to be able to showcase your expertise and your personality all while showing off your great idea.
As a healthcare marketing agency that has gained coverage for our clients in the NY Times and leading trade publications, here are some important factors we think are essential for a solid public relations pitch:
Build relationships.
Building relationships with your potential leads is so important. It’s important to not go in with a cold open, but rather take the time to form relationships with editors and reporters. Just like in any other business, you want to take it slow to build trust and credibility.
Do your research.
Before reaching out to connect with someone you might think will appreciate your pitch to get your coverage on a story, you really have to do your research. Attention is a scarce, costly currency nowadays. What really hooks us are those things that speak to or pique our interest.
Researching how they think, and how they speak, is crucial to a successful pitch.
All of us are inundated with information daily, so by doing your research before reaching out, you can show that you’ve taken time to understand the business and the reporters’ or editors’ interests.
Know your audience.
Just like researching the publication you’d like to pitch, knowing the audience the publication is geared toward is just as crucial. Why would an editor pick up a story that’s not relevant to their audience base?
Showcase strong writing.
Keep it simple. In the U.S. military, they use something called “BLUF” or “bottom line up front”. It’s intended to keep communications precise and to the point. By doing this, your intended audience will get exactly what they need to know right away.
Got a great idea, but need help with the pitch? Learn how to perfect your pitch with our PR pros.