Despite having skin in the game: a plan, strategy, tactics and budgetary allocation, many small businesses rely heavily on earned media – content that is shared by others, such as journalists, bloggers, and brand advocates. A new digital world order provides tools and platforms to disseminate a PR (public relations) pitch within seconds; however, some find it hard to resist old and self-destructive habits such as Spray and Pray and Throw Everything at the Wall to See What Sticks. These habits yield a minimal return on the public relations investment and demonstrate an unwillingness to trust the process. Sujan Patel has a unique perspective on the PR pitch, which he shared in the article What I Learned from Receiving 3,751 PR Pitches. As co-founder of Content Marketer & Narrow.io and a writer for Forbes, Inc. and Entrepreneur Magazine, he has been on both sides of the fence. His experience and observations provide invaluable insight to spark interest in your next PR pitch and maximize your content marketing momentum. Here are bullet points and highlights from Patel’s article:
It’s Not About You
…No one cares about who you are or what you do. …Unless you already have a relationship with the person you’re pitching, you’re no more than an email to them. …They care about what’s in it for them. … Whatever you’re able to offer, the bottom line is this: stop thinking about what you want to get out of sending that email. Put yourself in your recipient’s shoes and figure out what’s in it for them.
Include a Clear Call to Action
…What do you want to result from your next PR pitch? …Don’t tell me. Write it in your email.
Keep your Pitch Short
…Don’t fluff up your emails with too much flattery, and definitely don’t waste time telling the recipient your life story (see section one: no one cares who you are). Instead… Get straight to the point.
Don’t Say “Please”
In a PR pitch, the word “please” tends to come across as desperate or demanding. It’s almost like you’re begging them to use your story.
Know Who You’re Pitching
…Unless you’re already familiar with the person you’re pitching, do your research. …You’ll have a far greater chance of success if you find the right person at the right publication to pitch.
Always, Always, Use Their Name
…Don’t address your recipient by name and don’t expect to get a response. …Oh, and make sure to use the right name…
Build a relationship first
… taking the time to get on our radar before you send that initial outreach email can dramatically up the chances that we’ll pay attention and, at the very least, give your email the time of day.
Follow Up (and Use Different Platforms)
If your first email didn’t get a response, try again. … if you’re going to send a second email, make sure to use a different subject line (something as simple as “Follow up” can work since it’s vague enough to make me wonder what the email’s about, without sounding spammy). … email doesn’t have to be your only point of contact. …Don’t be annoying!
(Genuine) Flattery is Good
Everybody loves to be told nice things about themselves. If you found a blog post I wrote really enjoyable or really useful, don’t be afraid to say so – I love to hear it! …However, you need to be genuine. Insincerity is super easy to spot.
Don’t Email Lots of People from the Same Publication
… two things are likely to happen: You’re going to make every recipient of your email feel like a number, rather than someone you’ve chosen to contact because their interests match yours’. Even if you have the perfect story for that publication, by emailing lots of different people you’re removing the responsibility for any of them to do anything about it.
Don’t Be Salesy
Salesy language is for email newsletters and conversion copy.
Don’t Overlook Your Subject Lines
You just need to offer just enough information to peak interest.
One Final Tip… Before you send your next pitch (and, probably, every pitch you send after that), put yourself in your recipient’s shoes and read it back to yourself. … This is about understanding how you would feel if you were to receive that pitch.
Read What I Learned from Receiving 3,751 PR Pitches, which includes great examples of what Patel refers to as “the good, great, bad, and really bad PR pitches” at sujanpatel.com.
In the video clip below, courtesy of Critical Mention, Brian Steinberg of Variety Magazine has a few succinct words on pitching.
A clear indication of the validity of the suggestions presented above comes from LocalVox.com. In its summary of small business marketing stats, it is no surprise that “a majority of marketers view content marketing as an extremely effective way to drive business, yet only 37% of marketers say that their content is effective (yikes!).“
How would you rate your PR pitches? Are they self-destructive or do they spark interest in your small business content? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section of this post.
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Photo credit: Punk Marciano / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND