Guest blog: Five tips to get pitch perfect
Thanks to Henry Fleming-Smith, a mature student studying journalism at Leeds Trinity University, for this guest blog.
Henry has written for Men's Health magazine and also has a background in healthcare. After uni, he aims to be a freelance content writer working for various magazines.
Here, Henry shares his insider tips for how to make your pitches stand out.
Image caption: Imagine how getting your story in glossy magazines like Yorkshire Living would attract new customers - and help to grow your business.
Are you struggling to get press coverage for your small business?
Do you send your best stories to your dream publications, only for them to be ignored?
You’re not alone. But don’t let it put you off - or knock your confidence. You can easily make your pitches stand out if you know what to include (and what to avoid).
While working as a journalist at Men’s Health magazine recently, I saw hundreds of pitches coming through - the good, the bad and the ugly.
The most successful pitches were personal but also told their business story. And they had a common theme: Straight to the point - and easy for journalists to turn into an article.
But as an entrepreneur, you might be wondering, what on earth is a PR pitch?
It’s basically a summary of your story which you send to journalists. It’s your chance to ‘sell’ your story idea to them so they’ll cover it.
Why you need a strong pitch
Getting the right press coverage can transform your small business - attracting new customers and helping you to grow.
Uber ran an effective PR campaign in 2015 to spread the word that the taxi service was safe and reliable. It now has 188 million customers, 10 times what it had in 2015. This probably all began with a series of PR pitches.
Writing a strong pitch is important because it’s the first impression you’ll make on a journalist. So, you need it to stand out in their inbox - and grab their attention.
Poorly-written pitches are simply ignored or deleted.
Common mistakes - and how to avoid them
Are you using technical language or jargon? It may be commonly used in your business but it will probably be completely alien to journalists.
Also, not including a story in your pitch? It sounds obvious, but journalists need a newsworthy angle. If you’re not including this, it could be a big factor in why your PR pitches are falling flat.
If you’re struggling with this, ditch the dull facts and try to ask ‘so what?’. Why should journalists care about your story? Journalists are always looking at the latest trends, research or stats, so it’s worth trying to tie it to one of these.
The ‘so what?’ should always be front of mind when crafting a pitch.
Top tips
• Keep it simple - and brief: Cut the waffle. Include all the info. but don’t get bogged down with anything that’s not needed. If the pitch is too long, journalists will switch off. If you’re struggling to include all the key points, you can always provide links.
• Explain your pitch in the first sentence: Get straight to the point with a killer email subject or headline, and then focus on the who, what, where and why in your initial few sentences.
• Craft a story: Find a strong angle that brings things to life. Again, think about the ‘why’. Rather than saying you’ve ‘invented XX product’, explain why you invented it, and mention any challenges. Maybe you invented it while raising your family? Include the human angle and the story behind your business. Also, try to provide a ready-made story ‘package’ with a photo and comment. It’s a bit of extra work but it will make the journalist’s life easier, so they’ll be more likely to cover your story. One example of this is the awards article below from The York Press.
Including high res images with your pitch makes it stand out.
• Make sure you’re contacting the right journalist: Read their previous articles and try to send your pitch to their email address rather than a generic ‘editorial@…’ email where it could get lost. You can often find journalists’ names and contact details by digging around in a publication’s website ‘Contact us’ page - or sometimes on LinkedIn.
• Always include the text of your pitch in the body of your email: Attachments are less likely to be read due to download time.
Bonus tip
• Don’t forget to include your contact details and website!
Confused about whether to send a pitch or press release? Or are you short on time and need help building your media coverage..?
Hi, I’m Linda - and I’m on a mission to demystify PR, and make it affordable for small businesses and solopreneurs.
That’s why I’ve started my new Press Release Writing Package. For £110 per month, we have a 60-minute call and I then create two pitches about your business - saving you valuable time. All you have to do is email them to journalists. Added bonus: You get to build the relationship with the journalists, so you’ll be on their radar for future stories.
• Why not book a free 30-minute call through my Contact page for a no-obligation chat?
