Pitching Reporters

But since you, "gentle reader" (I always hated that line!) probably aren't in school anyway, we're just going to have to provide you a real MBA-level course on pitching reporters.

Today's first lesson covers the a few of the basics, then each of you is assigned to pick up a copy of the CD/tape/special reports to learn more:

1. When pitching reporters by phone, e-mail or snail-mail, never use the P word. They hate it when they hear something like this:

"We really need some good publicity for this event and we hope you can help us." Yikes! That's the surest way to turn them off. Speaking of P words, ban the word promotion from your vocabulary too. Reporters don't view themselves as either publicists or promoters. They report the news. Period. That's why you must frame your story idea within the context of news.

2. If pitching a reporter over the telephone, the first words out of your mouth after introducing yourself should be, "Is this a good time to talk?" It shows reporters you understand their business and are respectful of their time. If they are on deadline and cannot talk, NEVER ask the reporter to call you back. Instead, ask for the best time when you can call again.

3. If you're an author, don't even THINK about pitching your book. Reporters don't care about your book. They DO care, however, about trends, recent news events and interesting topics that tie into the book. Once you've hooked them with a great story idea, you can then tell them about what you have written.

4. Master the art of the 30-second pitch. When talking to reporters over the phone or in person, be able to pitch your idea in 30 seconds or less. Explain the angle and why people would care about the story. If you can, quote an interesting statistic.

5. In addition to the 30-second pitch, be prepared with something else to tell the reporter if she likes what she hears and says "Tell me more." Talk about an interesting person, tell a very short story or explain how your idea ties into a trend.

6. Before you pitch, you must be familiar with the media outlet, the types of stories they print or broadcast and whether their audience demographics are a good fit with your story idea.

Now here are the required texts for this course - not really, but I guarantee, if you read/listen to them all, you'll be a much better pitcher:

1. The tips above are part of the more than 50 pitching tips available on the tele-seminar audio tape or CD "Secrets of Perfect Pitching To Reporters" available here for just $29.95.

2. eBook: Public Relations Disasters - A Dozen Press Releases From Hell and How to Fix Them (It sounds like it's about press releases, but there's 12 great examples of story pitches in this eBook)

3. Special Report: How to Pitch Reporters Over the Telephone and Make Every Second Count

4. Special Report: How to Make Your Story Pitch Stand Out in the Email Jungle

5. Special Report: How to Write the Perfect Pitch Letter that Convinces an Editor to Write About You

Tags: Pitching Stories