Written by: Daisy Raudales
Public relations (PR) is an essential component to include in your marketing strategy in order to share your brand story, to increase your brand awareness, and to gain positive credibility in the media and the public.
One of the most successful ways you can achieve this is through active media pitching which involves pitching your business story to key media outlets. Whether you want to share a newsworthy announcement, information about an upcoming event, or a new product launch, pitching your story to the media can play a huge role in your business growth and overall success as it not only brings awareness but it allows others to trust in your brand too.
But the way you plan your story, the manner you write your pitch, and the journalist you decide to connect with, matters in the process. It can either make or break your chances of getting noticed. PR can be a complex process and requires thorough research, strategic thinking, and careful planning. To help you through the pitching process here are eight tips that have proven effective to pitch your brand successfully and to secure coverage in the media.
1. Create an Editorial Calendar:
To help you determine the perfect story, we recommend creating a quarterly editorial calendar that includes external and internal topic ideas. Potential topics to pitch include sharing about an upcoming product/service, details about an upcoming event, your business story, your entrepreneurial journey and much more.
2. Identify Your Story:
Once you've identified your story, you'll want to determine what makes your story so unique, different, and appealing to the media. Jot down what makes your story different than others and any important notes you’d like to mention.
3. Establish Your Reach:
Determine, where your story, will best be shared? Is it at the local, national, or global level? It is important to keep this in mind when you create your media list.
4. Build and Curate a Media List:
Next, you'll want to create your media list and research contacts in your niche that would be most interested in your story idea. Make sure you take note of important details such as their contact information, any recent articles they have written relating to your story topic as well as additional notes about the journalist.
5. Connect Before Pitching:
Interact, connect and engage with the contacts on your list whether through social media or an in-person event to help you build a relationship. Your goal is to get your name in front of the eyes of your targeted media contacts so they can become familiar with you.
6. Craft your Pitch:
Your pitch is all about, relevance, timing and sometimes luck. Keep your pitch concise, short, and include the 5 W’s in less than two paragraphs. Your pitch should be no longer than one page and include key points about your story. When pitching about your product/service a useful strategy is to offer the journalist a gift of your product/service so they can have the opportunity to try it first-hand.
7. Be Media Ready:
Be prepared to follow-up, answer any questions the media may have, and have all your notes ready. It is essential to answer journalists in a quick and effective manner to keep your story in the minds of the journalists.
8. Track and Amplify your Coverage:
Track your media placements and share them across important content marketing platforms including your email newsletter, social media, website, and more!
Get ready to emerge and become globally recognized in the media with these proven techniques! Share your business story with confidence and gain the credibility you deserve. Looking for personalized support with your media pitch? Contact DRPR today to book a free consultation and get in touch.
