Five Tips To Make It Easier For Journalists To Cover Your Public Relations Story
ChicExecs Co-Founder and Co-President, Nikki Carlson, shares her advice to make it easier for journalists to cover your story on Forbes blog.
Pitching is still a must-have for PR in 2021, but you need to follow these five tips to increase your chances of scoring a coveted press feature.
Share newsworthy information.
Journalists receive dozens of pitches every day. More than half of these pitches end up being promotion-laden spam that finds its way to the junk folder.
If you’re taking the time to pitch, make sure you’re actually sharing something newsworthy. Is there something historic about what you’re doing? Or is there a unique or unusual angle to the situation?
Keep your pitch short and skimmable.
The research doesn’t lie: 94% of journalists want to see pitches that are three short paragraphs, max. If you can trim it to two or three sentences, that’s even better.
Include everything in your pitch email.
It’s hard writing a short pitch that contains a lot of detail, but that’s what you need to do. Journalists don’t have the time to interview every source for their stories — more often than not, a quote via email will do the trick.
Give the reporter everything they need to write the story upfront. Don’t require them to call you for more information because they don’t have the time. Attach your press kit, data visualizations, research or any other supporting materials that will make their job easier.
Follow good pitching etiquette.
The media landscape may be evolving, but good manners never go out of style. You can maximize your chances of landing a media feature by following simple etiquette rules.
Build a relationship with the reporter.
Over time, you’ll build a name for yourself with a handful of interested reporters. This is an easy way to score more media coverage after an initial feature, so always invest in relationships with journalists.
Read the full blog on making it easier for journalists to cover your PR story.
