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I' m a junior public relations professional and have been asked to draft a personalized pitch letter (with a media advisory) to some of the key media contacts for organization I work with for an up and coming event. I haven't done this before and was wondering if there are any 'tricks of trade' or tips I should be cognizant of in drafting the letter to prevent any serious gaffes?
Convince them in the first paragraph why this is important. Most reporters/editors/publishers won't read past the first one or two graphs before hitting delete or tossing the page. That's important: It means don't waste your first sentence with something generic like "Hi, hope everything's going well in the media world!"
Tell them immediately why their audience cares about the topic, why it's relevant. Basically, just like a news article would. That will help them visualize the lede of their story.
What industry/issue/field is your pitch related to?
Create a reason to cover the event. Give them opportunties to not only inteview folks with the organization, but with the "real people" that the new program or event will benefit or touch. TV folks call it "one stop shopping." The easier you make it for them to get a good story in one location, the better your chances to get it covered.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got (from Margo Matteas - I highly recommend her PR Pitching seminar) is to read CNN.com headlines before I write a pitch letter or phone "script" - and I use that term loosely because I have 5 bullet points that I want to cover in any pitch that all answer the question "why you should care about this" from every perspective but mine or my company's. CNN's headlines are short, to the point, and grab your attention. I just scanned the "latest news" and CNN changed the title of a Time.com story from "Why psychopaths seek rewards without regard for consequences" to "Think like a psychopath". Get into that mind frame before you write (and I mean "attention-getting", not psychopathic).
Show respect for a reporter's crunched time, be human, make the story a box lunch (like the "one stop shopping" reference above) and make it easy for them to nod "yes", smile, and put it on their calendar, rather than nod off.
My three top tips:
1) Over-research your targets. The more you know about the reporters/columnists/producers/shows/sections, the better you can target your pitches. What kinds of stories/issues do they usually write about/produce? What kinds of angles do they typically take? Google, and ask around - what reporter/producer at X-publication is known to be interested in / sympathetic to / has written or produced quite a bit about the cause you are publicizing? In my opinion, researching or knowing as much as possible about your target is the strongest ROI for landing earned media.
2) The assignment editor for the most-watched local TV news program in Canada says if the first three words of your subject line haven't grabbed him, he's moved on. Keep your subject lines to a half-dozen words or so -- but your first few words had better be good!
3) Give them format options. Reporters, producers and editors often have strong opinions on how they do or don't like to be pitched, and in what format they like to receive information. Some do not want to be called, or may not want even voice mails left by PR people. Some need the phone reminders to check in after you've emailed info. Some prefer media advisories in pdf's. Some hate pdf's, because they like to easily cut and paste into the drafts of their stories. Some newsrooms may not allow attachments to be opened, and all text must be pasted into the body of an email. In your first phone encounter with them, ask about their preferences, & keep a record of it.
Show why their readers/viewers/listeners will care about the event or idea.
Plus what Chris (above) said about NOT making it about your organization. (Your bosses may hate that but trust us.) Show them the interest and value to their audience.
Have fun.
-------------------------------- Real conversation - the most powerful tool you will ever use
Answer two questions that are on the editor's mind: Why do a story? Why do it now?
Above all, make sure you spell everyone's name right, you have titles and the names of publications right, and there are no typos or writing errors. Good luck.
What kind of event and what kind of organization do you work with? This is basic to offer some advice. But anyway, try to make clear for them why this event is different from others of its kind and what the people who attend can expect to achieve. Be brief, read the letter 40 times before you send it and good luck.
