Three key elements of an effective media pitch

Written by ls2group

So, you’ve got a great story that is sure to be a valuable piece of earned media for yourself or your client. The perfect story only comes around every so often, so it’s important to perfect your pitch to maximize the impact. Here are a few ways to make sure your pitch gets picked up:

• Localize, localize, localize.
  Even the best story needs to be local to your city, or even a specific suburb if it’s a large metro area. Why does this story matter for people in this space? The more you can specify this angle, the more reporters are going to be inclined to cover it. The human interest aspect of news makes the greatest impact when it’s about readers’ neighbors.

• Perfect the media list.
  It’s often tempting to take a media list from a similar project and assume it will be good enough for your new pitch. But with every story, there are new outlets that will work and old ones that don’t fit quite right. Use old lists as a foundation, but do additional research to find outlets you haven’t thought of before that might reach your intended audience. Make use of any relationships you’ve built with reporters, but make sure you’re familiar with the types of stories they like to cover and send them only the ones that fit best with their beat. Often times, the goal is to get a story in print, but don’t shy away from including radio and TV stations on your list, especially if you have a subject matter expert or company leader who can speak on the topic. With the right reporter, a well-localized news story can be turned into a feature story for more lifestyle-based outlets, like magazines.

• Keep it concise.
  Sometimes it can be difficult to localize a pitch while still keeping it concise. Reporters don’t have unlimited time to read your pitch, not to mention the several other press releases and tips they get from other sources. It’s important to use your words effectively and efficiently to hook a reporter’s interest on why your story is important and how it impacts people locally. If you can do this in a few paragraphs, you’re doing it right!

Earned media is a crucial aspect of public relations, and when capitalized on properly, will greatly help you or your client reach the goals at hand. These three tips are a great first step toward gaining earned media coverage. LS2group has a proven track record of securing media coverage for our clients and consistently exceeding client goals. Visit https://www.ls2group.com/what-we-do/public-relations/ to learn more.