In order to get an article, an interview, or a publication in a newspaper, it is essential to knock on a journalist's door in the right way. And to present yourself in the right way, too.
Contacting a journalist to tell them about our project, the one we have created, or to tell them about a new product or service we have launched, or even, about an event we are organizing, is not something that should be casually put forth.
To make sure we get the attention of the journalist we have selected, it is essential to use the right words, in the tone best suited for that situation and in the best ways.
Specifically, we will discuss how to Contacting a journalist through sending an email (because actually when we talk about media pitch we can also mean a simple phone call presenting something to a reporter).
[As with every article you find on this blog, everything written is the child of the experience we as an agency live in the field every day, working with dozens of different customers and achieving relevant media results on a daily basis (as you can see from the many case studies we share within our channels, where we show how we manage to get articles and interviews in the national media for our clients on a daily basis).]
On the journalist's side
Before going into operational detail, however, we must make a necessary premise.
Remember to always put "on the journalist's side". What does this mean?
It means understanding that we have to provide the journalist with content that he may really need.
And a journalist does not need content or advertising texts or sales texts, he needs to receive USEFUL INFORMATION. Useful for his readers.
Information that will meet the interest of the reading public who will find themselves reading that article.
You are not selling anything to the reporter. You are telling something useful. Something that can be interesting to its audience.
The sale is not covered in a'PR action. Your e-mail, the instrument therefore with which you are going to introduce yourself to the journalist, must have nothing to do with any content related to promotion.
It is not easy to make this step, but it is imperative if we want to contact a media professional and be able to attract his attention.
Example of emails
This is the text of an email we sent to several newspapers dealing with issues related to the world of communication, marketing agencies, events, etc.
These newspapers, specifically, also talk about new appointments within agencies and companies, so they were an ideal target audience for what we wanted to communicate.
(We did not send the press release to a reporter from Evening Courier or of the daily The Republic, simply because it is not a "palatable" topic for this type of newspaper).
And this is a key step. NOT it is enough to want and demand to be filmed in a newspaper to make that happen. There are rules, there are limits.
If the elements are not there to be newsworthy, take a step back.
An appointment of a manager within a small agency is NOT news that would be of interest to a newspaper.
An appointment within the executive branch of a large multinational corporation may be news to a business newspaper, but not that of a small business.
Being able to recognize what can be captured within a media outlet is vital when setting up digital PR and media relations efforts.
Media pitch: structure
The structure of the email follows exactly the structure we use for sending emails that "feature" other press releases, with different cuts.
The most important part concerns the presence of the focus.
The focus must be in the foreground. In this case it is the new appointment.
The news is in the first line.
Then there is a short text that elaborates, but the focus we want to bring out should always be present in the first line of the body of the email.
Not only that.
Also in theemail subject.
(and will also be in the title and first paragraph of the press release)
It may sound simple, but it is not obvious. Those who do not master this job to the best of their ability tend to do one thing: insert lots and lots of information, even confusing information, within both a press release and the submission emails.
This does not generate clarity, but results in chaos, even for the journalist.
You must espouse clarity and immediacy: you must make it clear to the journalist why he or she should listen to you and why you deserve to stand out from the crowd of e-mails he or she receives daily.
And we must always remember that every media professional receives hundreds of press releases every day. Therefore, to stand out, we must adopt a precise strategy (which does not mean to complicate, but means to do something simple, consistent and effective).
The basic ingredients
The right angle, the focus, journalistic language, clarity (on the one hand): a few essential but indispensable elements to get the journalist's attention.
Depending on the situation you can also shine the spotlight on the presence (if it is research) of a large body of data (if any), or you can include a reference to a recent article written by that journalist, related to the topic you are also talking about.
Remember the goal: to attract, keep and confirm the reporter's attention.
It is NOT simple, but it is possible, even if you are not talking about a multinational corporation or a well-known project/character.
Language
Story. Description. Explanation. Not for sale.
Be brief, express the focus (repeat it), explain the "conflict" (if any), i.e. problem-solution of the product/service/project you are presenting.
Any promotional, overly advertising terms should be avoided.
Best, leader, unique: avoid these terms.
Try, as much as possible, to use journalistic language.
Meeting between company and media
An effective media pitch-when combined with an appropriately written and structured press release and when directed to the correct, on-target journalist-can be one of the essential steps that will get you published (organically).
An article related to a company or project is born-as a result of digital PR and media relations-when the needs of the journalist and the target media meet.
A newspaper does not do what the enterprise wants; it always thinks of its readers first. If the enterprise fits, with useful information and data, into this flow and channel, then it will be able to see a publication bearing its name.
If it is not willing to "rely" on the press and share something useful for the journalist first and the readers later, then it will not be able to find wide media coverage.
Conclusions
The advice we can give you is, as in any activity, to think from the perspective of achieving a goal.
If the goal here is to get a relevant publication, the media pitch we are going to prepare will have to be designed following specific guidelines, which we discussed earlier in this article.
What matters most is being able to respond to journalists' requests.
It is not easy, it is not immediate, even though it might seem so. It takes training and it takes a change of perspective to be able to get this dynamic right in practice.
Resources and content
+90 videos discussing media relations, digital PR and press office: http://mediarelations.news/video
