Have a pitch or a press release but don’t know who to reach
out to or how to make sure it gets covered? Though we often know what to
pitch, we are left with this lingering question. Faced with this problem myself,
I created my own list of tips based on an article by PR
Daily. Follow these tips to make sure your pitch doesn’t get lost
in the shuffle.
Bright and Early: Between
8 a.m. and 11 a.m. is the best time to send pitches to journalists. Not only
will yours most likely be one of the first emails they see when they open their
inbox in the morning, but it will also ensure that their newspaper or air-time
spots won’t be filled by the time they read your pitch. Sending pitches in the
morning also allows for your press release or pitch to be discussed at morning
editorial meetings, increasing your chance of getting covered sooner rather than
later.
Tuesday is the New Monday: If you
send a pitch email on a Monday morning, chances are it will get lost in the
shuffle of weekend emails. What isn’t breaking news, most journalists will
leave in their inbox until Monday morning. By waiting until Tuesday, your pitch
has a greater chance of being read and getting covered.
Build Mutually Beneficial Relationships: Build
relationships with the people you are pitching to. If you have a pitch that is
either time-sensitive or not as news-worthy, these reporters that you have
either helped in the past or befriended are more likely to cover your story. If
you’re pitching to one reporter frequently, you can also ask them when they
personally prefer receiving pitches.
Cover All of Your Bases: It
never hurts to pitch to more than one contact. By sending your pitches and
press releases to both reporters and the news desk, if the reporter is busy
covering another story, the editor might assign your story to another reporter
who isn’t!
Do you have any of your own tips about when and how you
think is best to pitch to journalists? Let us know!
This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Rute Barkai
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