When trying to get press for your business, you must first ask yourself: Why do you want press? What’s the goal? It cannot just be ego.
If media coverage is your goal, then you need to be specific before you start pitching. Think about your goals. What is attainable? Can you outline who you want to target and why?
If you want to increase brand awareness amongst your target consumer then you want to go where they hang out. A beauty brand, for example, that wants to drive more revenue or conversions, would want to target a consumer media brand. (Think beauty magazines or digital websites.) This also extends beyond traditional media to social media influencers and content creators. You can pitch your products for their shows, gifting guides and more.
If you want to find new investors and grow your brand in the business community, you want to go where investors hang out. (Think business publications, Twitter, podcasts, etc.) Expand your point of view on how and where you’re pitching. Don’t just pitch websites. Think about local newspapers, content creators and more—and craft your pitch based on the platform.
Connecting with reporters
Once you have identified your goal and what specifically the outcome of your pitch is, whether that’s increasing brand awareness or attracting angel investors, then you need to find a reporter that covers things similar to that story you want to be covered. Or you can find an editor that oversees a specific section.
Set up a Google News alert with names of publications, podcasts and digital places that you want to be covered in so you can see who’s writing what and when. You’ll get familiar with reporters and what they are writing about on a regular basis.
It helps over the long run to build up relationships with reporters over time, especially on social media.
Crafting an interesting pitch
Think about why the publication should cover you. What’s the moment? What is the story? What’s going to drive viewership or traffic for them?
Your pitch needs to come with something newsworthy. Maybe you’ve launched a new product or have a product that’s being distributed in a new place that’s a big deal. For example, let’s say your brand is now being distributed at Whole Foods in the south. You could pitch every newspaper in the south where one of the stores is located. You could also pitch local creators and local radio stations where those stores are located.
You can pitch national news brands, too, but you’re more likely to get covered in the places where your business is. Especially if your goal is to drive audience awareness.
Another good example is offering exclusives. Reporters love exclusives. This is when you give them information exclusively if they cover it. (Editor’s note: you can’t tell everybody they’re getting an exclusive. That’s an industry no-no—that will get you black listed.)
If you want to give them information that’s not been released yet, you can offer an embargo. (i.e. we’re announcing this partnership with Ulta but it’s under embargo until Friday at 9:00 am). Movies and TV shows are really good at this.
When to pitch your stories
Timing is important. You want to send your press releases and your pitches in the morning. That’s when inboxes are being skimmed through and plans are being made in the day. Send your pitches on Monday or Tuesday because then you have time to follow up later in the week. Reporters are busy people, so a couple of follow-ups may be necessary.
Have a specific call-to-action for the reporter or editor. What are you asking of them?
How to write the email pitch
Start with your lead. This is what’s newsworthy. Put it in the subject line.
Add your call of action. What do you want the journalist to do? Product review? Interview? Mentioning your company in a story? Asking for you to comment as an expert for a story?
Make sure that your intention is as clear as possible. Do not write a six-paragraph email making that person get all the way to the end to get to your ask. Put it at the top. Be clear about your value proposition, or what your special sauce is to attract consumers to your business. This is where you show them why they should be interested in your story. Add some data, add some meat to it. You need to differentiate yourself against the hundreds of stories they receive every week.
You should also include an option to make sure they have some original content. Can they get an interview with you or someone on your team?
Pro tip: create a PR kit in Dropbox with headshots, formal and informal, stats about the company, logos and assets, key messages and talking points, and anything else that will help them promote the story.
