By Melanie Rembrandt
Are you sending a massive amount of pitches to media members?
If you are new to the world of public relations, you may think that sending out a press release to the masses will help you get the media coverage you are looking for. Well, many businesses and organizations do this, and that’s one of the reasons it doesn’t work!
Media members are inundated with press releases and pitches every day. And while some press releases from well-known companies can get a lot of coverage, others do not. With this in mind…
How do you get positive, media attention?
In a nutshell: You need to create a specific story, for a specific media-member. And to help you do this, here are…
3 Ways to Develop a Good Media Pitch.
1. Research Media Members.
Conduct online research and figure out which media-members cover your industry. Read what they have written. Know what topics, or beats, they cover. Then, write down the contact information for the appropriate people you want to pitch.
2. Create a Unique Story.
Now that you know which reporters you want to reach, figure out a specific story-angle for each reporter. That’s right. You need a unique story idea for each person you are going to pitch. It needs to cover their area of interest and be newsworthy and relevant to their audience.
3. Practice your Pitch.
If you are new to pitching the media, practice first. Either work with a friend or a recorder, or both. Try to be friendly and succinct.
Start Making Calls!
When you are ready, pick up the phone and call each media-member on your list and give your pitch. You will either get a “Yes” or a “No.” More important, you will introduce yourself to new people and start building relationships. Eventually, you’ll fine tune your pitching abilities and see more of your stories in print.
It takes hard work to pitch media-members the right way. Conduct research, create relevant and unique stories and practice what you are going to say in advance. This way, you’ll get a lot more media-coverage and stop wasting money and resources on “easy” PR activities that don’t produce results.
Do you need help boosting sales with public relations and content strategy? Please write to me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.
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