How to Pitch the Media Stories About Your Business

A crucial step to any public relations campaign, pitching to the media is the gateway, if all goes well, of course, to get your news publicized.

Public relations comprises several elements not limited to communications efforts; from paid advertising and earned media tactics to SEO strategies, press releases, and the curation of targeted media lists.

In short, getting media coverage is the end goal of any PR campaign as it helps build awareness, promote messages, and increase industry authority. In order to earn said media coverage, however, it’s not enough to have a good story.

Instead, you must also have an effective media pitch!

With that said, if you’re hoping to garner media coverage for your business or product, this article is for you. In what follows, we’ll be defining what a media pitch is and how to curate one, ultimately teaching you how to pitch like the pros!

What is a Media Pitch?

Typically written in the form of an email or personal message, a media pitch is a communication attempt that boasts the primary aim of garnering the attention of a given targeted media outlet or outlets in hopes of them covering your story.

Whether to a media journalist, magazine editor, blogger, or otherwise, a media pitch is an informative message of intrigue sent to those who might be of interest. While it’s important to pitch your news piece in a convincing manner, it’s just as important to first ensure that the media you’re pitching to is a suitable fit in the first place.

No matter the contents of the pitch, it must always end with a call to action of sorts, encouraging or inquiring about their willingness and ability to engage in such media coverage.

How to Write an Effective Media Pitch

Assuming you’ve already curated a targeted media list and have selected which ones are most relevant to the pitch, it’s now time to make use of it and begin pitching your story or news headline.

But where do you begin? Below are key steps to writing an effective media pitch, no matter the subject.

Writing a Captivating Subject Line

Similar to writing a press release, the first and arguably most important portion of writing an effective media pitch is the headline of the message or the subject of the email, for this is what will garner the initial attention of the reader to, well, read the pitch in the first place.

While it’s important for the subject line to encapsulate what the message is about, it’s just as important to ensure that it’s clear and concise. If it captures their attention and they’ve opened the message, you’ve done it right.

Draw the Reader In During the Intro

While you need to draw the reader in during the intro of the pitch, you shouldn’t do so with fake-friendliness and corny compliments; media people will see right through this noise. Instead, hit them with the facts, and be clear and concise with your delivery.

In the body of the pitch is where you can elaborate. The intro is merely an opportunity to encourage further reading whilst giving the reader a high-level understanding of what’s being pitched and why they should care.

Inform Throughout the Body of the Message

If you’ve managed to hold the journalist’s attention for this long, you’ve done it right. At this point, they’re likely to read the entirety of the pitch through to the end - congratulations!

Throughout the body of the pitch is where you can go into detail about the news story and why they should cover it. Offer authority and expertise and explain why covering such a story can benefit their audience.

Don’t Forget the Call to Action!

So, you’ve written a captivating subject line, you’ve led them in with an introduction, and you’ve managed to get them through the body of the pitch… Now all that’s left to do is encourage them with a call to action!

Unfortunately, this is where most PR agents fail. Don’t allow all that effort to flop just because you forgot to add a call to action. No matter how good your pitch was, it’s simply a psychological fact that most people tend not to take action unless directed to do so.

Final Thoughts

While many are intimidated by the pitching phase of a public relations campaign, it tends not to be as complicated or intimidating as you’d presume as long as you’ve approached the campaign with an effective strategy as depicted throughout this book.

If you correctly identify your targeted media outlets and gain an understanding of the needs, interests, and desires of your target audience, there should be no reason why your story, if it’s a good one, doesn’t get covered by some members of your media list.

Be strategic, be personable, and most of all, be human.

Foster PR is a public relations agency based in Reno, Nevada.