Katherine Baldwin Journo PR

How To Pitch Your Story To The Media

9/27/2017

A colleague just told me about a friend of his whose business was featured recently in a top-selling national newspaper with a prominent website. On the back of one article, he made £30,000 in sales.

Wow.

That wasn't quite the case with me when the Daily Mail mentioned my book at the bottom of an article I wrote for them earlier this month, but I did make some book sales on the back of it. I also got invited to speak on Spain's largest English-language radio station about my book and my relationship coaching work. And one of my favourite magazines will soon feature my book in its pages. I might not make £30,000 in sales but it's all valuable PR, and you never know where it'll lead.

If getting this kind of global publicity for your business sounds appealing but feels out of reach, read on.

The truth is it's not as hard as you think to get featured in the media. You just need to know some of the tricks of the trade.

Pitching is one of those tricks, by which I mean emailing your story to journalists and editors.

Pitching is a bit of an art form, but like many art forms, it can be learned.

As I mentioned in my last blog, Why Your Press Release Is A Flop, journalists, editors and producers aren't a big fan of bland press releases but they do love a good story. More than that, they need one. In fact, they need lots of good stories to fill their pages and their programmes.

But they haven't got much time, so you need to identify the story for them and present it to them in a way that'll make them sit up and listen.

Say you're a technology company that's looking for publicity for a new app, ask yourself does your app fit into a new trend. Is it the future? Is it riding a wave? Is it meeting a growing need? Do you have a quirky story about how the idea for the app came about? Or a personal, tug-on-the-heart-strings story? Can you link your app to something in the news right now (called newsjacking), or to a celebrity (certain newspapers love celebrity stories!)?

Once you have your story, present it in an email like this:

Email headline: Story proposal: New app set to take the pain out of tax returns

(Why's that a good story? Because millions of people can relate to the pain of doing a tax return and millions of people would be interested in an app that eases that pain.)

Email body:

Dear Editors (or better still, the name of a specific editor. You can find the names of editors, journalists and producers with just a little bit of detective work. Use Google, LinkedIn and Twitter, as well as the mastheads of newspapers and magazines)

Next, summarise your story

For example: I'm the creator of a new app that's going to make painful tax returns a thing of the past. Include two more sentences about the app, with the most salient, eye-catching points.

Next, explain why your story is relevant to the audience of that particular newspaper, magazine, website, radio or TV station

For example: I believe this story will hit a nerve with your time-poor, financially savvy, largely self-employed readers (the more specific you can be about the relevance of your story to that media outlet's audience, the better)

Next, outline your credentials in one short line

For example: Interesting details about why you, as the creator of this app, or your company deserves to be featured. You need to nail your credibility as a source. Tell them why they should trust you. And tell them how they can get hold of you.

If you know you've got a good story and it's time sensitive, make sure you include that information in your email with a line such as: I'd love this story to be featured in your magazine (or on your radio show). However, if I haven't heard from you by xxx, I will send it elsewhere as I'm very keen to see it published.

This gives you the freedom to move on to the next publication rather than waiting for weeks for a reply. It also covers you if your first choice gets back to you after you've pitched the story elsewhere.

But don't just sit by and wait to be emailed (or ignored). Follow your email up with a phone call, provided you can get hold of a phone number. It's not always easy but persistence pays off. I recently managed to speak to a human being on Woman's Hour on the phone, after many years of sending my emails into a black hole. So do try. It's worth it.

If you can't get hold of anyone, via phone or Twitter or other means, move on to your next target media outlet. And then the next. And the next. Each time, tweak your email so it fits with the publication you're writing to. And don't forget to change the name of the media outlet and the editor in your email (an easy mistake to make, believe me!).

If you'd like some help crafting your story and your email pitches, give me a shout at [email protected]. I offer 1-2-1 coaching or you can join my next group workshop in London on October 10, Own Your Own PR. Earlybird tickets are available for a few more days. Tickets and Info here.

Otherwise, keep going. Keep trying. Your story deserves to be out there.

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Why Your Press Release Is A Flop

9/15/2017

1 Comment

The title of this post might sound harsh but it's designed a) to get your attention and b) to hit a nerve.

I wonder if you feel like you've spent too much of your valuable time, energy and resources crafting a beautiful press release, only to find it falls on deaf ears. Perhaps you've spent hours compiling a comprehensive database of journalists and editors, only to find none of them open your email. Maybe you look on in bemusement as your competitors get business-boosting coverage in the press, online or on broadcast media while you struggle to be seen and heard.

Are you wondering where on earth you're going wrong?

Well, that beautifully crafted press release and that fantastic media database may be part of the problem. That was the case for a client I coached recently on effective PR.

As someone who's been on the receiving end of many press releases over the years, I can tell you from experience that journalists and editors don't care for them. They tend to be too long and wordy, crammed with jargon, and the news is often buried in the final few paragraphs. Like you, we're pushed for time, so we want to know what the story is and we want to know fast. We also want to know why your story is especially relevant to our audience, which means you need to do your research. You need to read the paper you're pitching to, check out the magazine you want to be published in, or listen to your target radio or TV show.

You don't have time?

Here's how to save time.

Abandon the beautiful press release. Stop wasting time adding random names of editors at random publications to your database. Halt the scattergun approach, where you send the same press release to lists of journalists, without knowing who they are or what they want.

Then, take the time you've saved and identify your top 5 or 10 media targets. Research them. Read them and listen to them. Find out who their top writers are in your field. Which reporters cover stories like yours? Get to grips with why that magazine, newspaper or website really needs your story.

Next, send a personalised, tailored story pitch to each of the journalists or editors you've identified, explaining why your story, business, brand or book is relevant to their readers. This may sound time consuming but it'll be worth it when you make that big splash. And remember, you've saved time by not doing the same things over and over again and getting the same unsatisfactory results.

Once you've emailed, follow up with a phone call. Yes, a phone call! On many occasions, editors had missed my emails due to inbox overload but they were interested in the story when I explained it on the phone. What have you got to lose?

You could also pick up the phone first. Scary, I know. But you'll be surprised. Some journalists will actually want to hear from you. Just make sure you're ready. Rehearse your pitch. Tell them your story in a few lines. Then follow up with an email if they sound interested.

As for the practicalities, put 'Story idea' or 'Blog idea' or 'Story proposal' in the title of your email, along with a punchy, eye-catching headline that sums up your story. Nothing cryptic. Make sure it's clear.

Then write 3-4 sentences explaining what the story is, why it matters now and why it should be featured in that particular media outlet. Is your story part of a trend or does it buck a trend? Is it timely? Does it coincide with a news event, an anniversary or an awareness day? Is it shocking or heartwarming?

Before you wrap up, include a line or two about your credentials, as an individual or a business, and any juicy statistics or facts that back up the story.

All this should fit in an email above the fold. Don't make them scroll down or open attachments - they haven't got time.

If you hear nothing, don't be disheartened. I have been ignored by editors and producers more times than I can remember. It goes with the territory! Simply move on to your next target until you make a hit.

If you'd like more tips like this, you can download my free Own Your Own PR guide at http://www.kbjournopr.com/free-guide.html or come to my next Own Your Own PR workshop at the Hub Westminster in Central London on Oct 10. Earlybird tickets on sale now here. Just 8 places so there's time for lots of individual feedback and coaching. I also coach 1-1 so get in touch at [email protected] if of interest.

I look forward to reading all about you in the press or hearing you on the radio or TV!

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How To Pitch Your Story To The Media

Why Your Press Release Is A Flop

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