Making the perfect pitch: A task for those in the PR industry that can sometimes take longer than expected. Nevertheless, it’s an important staple of the business and, surprise, it doesn’t have to take more pitching time to maximize effectiveness. We’ve gathered a few tips for pitching that will help make the process run a whole lot smoother.
Tips for your Perfect Pitch to Maximize Success:
- Relevance
Make sure the content you’re pitching is actually relevant to the outlet you’re pitching it to. Nothing bugs media outlets more than receiving emails or phone calls where PR pros are spouting off content that doesn’t pertain to them. - Research
Do your research on the outlets and people that you’re reaching out to. For instance, a beauty blogger might not be interested in the new restaurant your client is opening this weekend. Make sure you know what the person’s beats and interests are, and how that would relate to the content you’re pitching them. - Make it Short and Sweet
No one likes to read a long, exaggerated essay when they can get the point in one paragraph. It’s important to cut out all that extra “fluff” and get to the point. The people you’re pitching to have extremely busy days, as do you, so don’t waste either of your time! - Subject Line is Key
Capture the reader’s attention with the subject line. That tiny space is the biggest indication of whether or not they will open the email or send it straight to trash. Writing a compelling subject line may sound simple, but it can be the hardest part about writing a pitch. - Follow Up
Always send follow up messages, whether that’s in the form of an email or a quick phone call. And who knows, if you do the whole process right, you might just become one of their go-to PR pros. There’s always a chance for networking!
The perfect pitch may take a couple drafts to complete but once you have it down, your client will be truly impressed!
