Don't Get Lost in the Shuffle

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

How To Strengthen Press Relations

It’s no secret that public relations representatives and journalists need each other to complete their jobs effectively.

Without journalists, public relations reps wouldn’t have anywhere to send press releases advertising their client’s upcoming events. On the other hand, if a journalist wasn’t getting any press releases, what events would he or she write about for their publications?

For most public relations professionals, tips on writing a great press release are picked up early in news writing and media classes. However, one thing that isn’t taught is how to form long lasting relationships with journalists at local publications.

In order to form these relationships with media members, it can be beneficial to look into these practices:

1. Send press releases well in advance- Like public relations professionals, journalists have tight schedules. It is important to keep in mind that many press members have their schedules worked out a month or more in advance, so sending that press release a week or two before an important event may not yield a strong press turnout. Sending a press release as early as possible will not only increase the chance of media coverage, but it will also show local press contacts that you respect their schedules.

2. Be Responsible- not desperate- with follow ups- It is always a good idea to follow up if a reporter has not responded to a press release you sent a week ago, however, reaching out multiple times within a few days is not going to get the event covered or pitch read. Often times, journalists’ email inboxes are swamped with press releases each week, so making a single phone call a week after it has been sent is a good idea.

3. Give information, not opinions- As most public relations professionals know, press releases should be concise and may include quotes and background information for good measure. However, journalists want the facts, not opinionated adjectives that describe the event. Including these words would only waste space and time when a journalist is trying to read through a press release.

Sticking to these strategies will show journalists that we as public relations folk respect their positions.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Maggie Wurst. 

PR Pros & Journalists: A Love/Hate Relationship

When will the perpetual battle between public relations professionals and journalists finally be settled? It seems as though these two professions are immersed in a constant war zone, but the truth of the matter is… we need each other. I came across the following YouTube video produced for the Public Relations Society of America’s 2007 Annual Thoth Awards Gala. This Mac/PC spoof does a great job at humorously personifying the conflict between PR and Journalism.

As public relations professionals, it is essential to foster positive relationships with journalists to successfully execute your media relations. It is important to establish yourself as a helpful media source, and not someone who just sends pitches. PR Daily encourages PR pros to become a valuable source to journalists by using “strategic small talk.” The following are four things outlined by PR Daily to talk to reporters about in order to position yourself as a strong media contact: Trends, tips, travel and Twitter rants. 

Along with strategic small talk, avoiding known pet peeves of journalists can significantly increase your chance of having a positive reputation among the journalism community. Recently, The Muck Rack Blog encouraged journalists to candidly tweet some of their PR pitching gripes. The following are a few of my favorite tweets with firsthand tips to enhance the relationships you are cultivating, or will cultivate, with journalists:

Catherine Rampbell of the New York Times 

Ashley Mayo of Golf Digest Magazine

Jen Wieczner of Smart Money and Wall Street Journal

By using these tips effectively, you will be known by reporters as an industry peer, which will benefit your clients and allow you to be a well-rounded and valuable public relations professional.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Samantha Miller

Tried & True PR Rules for the Age of Social Media

It's easy to get caught up on a social media whirlwind, when working in the PR industry. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., all of these sites are taking more and more of an important stance in the world. We're taught to utilize social media, and it's no surprise when we find ourselves relying on technology. But the truth is, new is not always better. Below are tips to avoid social media blunders by falling back on the tried and true:

1. Build personal relationships: It's important to connect with journalists and bloggers via social media. But how many times do you remember pitches you received via the computer over personal ones? You are more likely to retain information you have heard in person, not to mention make more of an impression on the journalist you are trying to gain coverage from. While you shouldn't nix social media, try to reach out during events by asking the host for their media list and personally connecting with journalists and bloggers. 
2. Make every contact worthwhile: Press releases pitched over Twitter are equivalently received as spam. Reach out to contacts individually, and offer and "exclusive". Journalists are far more likely to pick up a story when they're the first and when the topic is the most newsworthy.
3. Never make social media your crisis response bureau: Social media is a great tool during a crisis. It can help you to get the message out quickly and to a wide audience. But don't make Twitter your only crisis response. Gather up a crisis response team who will be able to create the most effective response plan possible, and who will be able to minimize mixed signals and negative press.

What are some old school PR tactics that you find yourself using in today's day and age? Do you have anything to add? Let us know!

Downsizing Your Boilerplate

Let's cut to the chase, PR pros love to ham it up in the boilerplate area. It's the place where we can push in all of the not-so-newsworthy info about our client. But by doing so, are we doing more harm than good? Below are 3 reasons your boilerplate should be shorter.

1. It costs less: I didn't actually think about this, but some press release distribution websites like Business Wire charge an additional fee for releases over 400 words. If you're in a crunch to get under the word limit, nix the fluff and just make sure you have all the facts and specifics in the release to give you the best chance of gaining coverage for your client. 
2. It's what journalists want: Remember that it's one of our goals to give journalists no reason to have to go back and change anything in our story. Journalists see numerous press releases every day, so it's understandable that they won't want to read long releases. Cutting down on your boilerplate will do the trick, without having to downsize on the rest of the body of your release.
3. It looks too corporate: It's a finicky world out there, if your press release looks unprofessional and messy, then no one will pick up your story. But if your release is too straight-laced and corporate-looking, then people won't believe that your story isn't just a needle in a haystack. Cut to the chase with the basics of your client to ensure the overall meaning of your press release. 

Do you know of any other benefits to shortening your boilerplate? Let us know!

Getting Along with Journalists

As a public relations professional, you will often find yourself clamoring for media coverage to please your clients. Journalists want and depend on good stories. The combination of the two professions should make for perfect harmony, however quite often a distrust can place a void on this potential friendship. So why can’t we all just get along…? Because lets face it, we need one another.

The media absolutely has a dependence on those in the public relations field. More time is spent on processing information rather than heading out into the city to investigate and cultivate a spectacular story. Strict deadlines no longer permit the luxury of time and many newspapers have cut down considerably on manpower. A journalist’s workload is heavier than ever therefore it is about time we start working together. Etiquette and professionalism are equally as important as honesty and accuracy. That being said, these four factors will foster your happy marriage to journalists.

When pitching a story, ALWAYS ask the reporter “did I catch you on deadline” or “do you have a minute to chat?” If they say yes, do yourself a favor and get off the phone immediately. Ask when is a better time for you to call back and then hang up. Chances are you will get an answer similar to, “yes I am on deadline, but what have you got.” Therefore, do not get caught pitching a novel length story. Keep it quick and concise on the phone because your next step is a follow-up email with additional information.

Professionalism should be a no brainer. If you plan on fibbing you and your client’s way into the public eye, find a new profession this instant. If you lie to a journalist, they will make sure you never have another story published again. Not only will you and your client never receive coverage but you will never regain your credibility.

A journalist may not agree but there is such a thing as an honest public relations professional. Their information is always solid and their intentions are clear. So be up front because your accurate and truthful pitch may be the perfect fit for a journalist in need of one more story without the time to gather and investigate the facts.

As a public relations professional, you have information that needs coverage. As a journalist you want stories that correlate with your readerships interests. So lets stop acting like water and oil, because if we both stay professional, respectful and honest then friendship, whether strictly professional or even personal, is inevitable. 

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Emily Storz.

Pitching Basics

As a public relations professional, one of the most basic things you write is a pitch to the media. A media pitch is helpful to accompany a press release, to convince a journalist why your story should be covered or in a time crunch, a pitch can even replace a press release. But how do you ensure a successful pitch?

It’s all about relationships: No matter how many times you’re told this, you always need to hear it one more time. Reporters have jobs too. They aren’t going to listen to every PR person that calls or emails them. Finding key people to help your clients and maintaining good relationships with them, such as getting them information on time, remembering personal information and only pitching stories to them that you know they would have interest in covering, can really help show that you aren’t just trying to use them for their coverage, but do in fact value their time.

Timing is everything: Reporters are just as busy as you are: They don’t want to hear about stories that aren’t newsworthy. Try to keep in mind the relevance of your topic to each reporter and keep your pitches to around 15-30 seconds. Also, try to avoid calling the office at the busiest times of the day. For TV, the busiest times are around the morning, noon, and evening newscast. Newspapers have deadlines in the evening, so call them well before, when they aren’t working against the clock. Lastly, keep magazine calls between 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., which gives them time to settle in for the day before becoming bombarded with pitches.

Follow-ups and persistence are musts: Many times, stories are never covered because they get lost or forgotten about. There is a fine line between persistence and annoyance, but if you truly know your story is beneficial to that report, there is no shame in making sure they received enough information on it. Even if they don’t end up using your story, follow-ups, including a thank you, can help maintain that relationship that is so important in this industry.

Learning key concepts in pitching the media is an invaluable resource in the PR field. Pitches are one of the simplest forms of reaching out to the media, and once you begin to become more comfortable with media pitches, all these concepts will become second nature to you.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Jessica Ross.

Let's Play Nice

The relationship between journalist and PR professionals have always been a rocky game, especially with social media , but one thing still remains the same, we still depend on each other. Recently my PR professor, once journalist, explained the intrinsic relationship between the two professions and harped on two words that neither of our professions here too often, good job.

Starting a relationship with a journalist starts with knowing your niche media and local outlets. Once you begin to target a niche media that compliments your client and those journalists who write for them, it’s important to start building a relationship. One of the first things you can do is research their past work. Look for content that have written in the past and make note of any special recognition they may have received. Once you become familiar with the content they produce, reach out and introduce yourself, include your job, your client and contact information. Then, mention and comment on an article they have written in the past. This shows that not only did you do your homework, but you are genuinely interested in their career as a journalist.  

As you continue to follow their work, keep an out eye for any special attention they may receive, this is a great opportunity to reach out and say, “Good job!” You can do this in a handwritten note (recommended) or mention them in a tweet or on Facebook, adding their article and recognition to the post.

Our job as PR professional is to build and maintain relationships so why not start with the basics?

Senior Correspondent Rick Leventhal Advises Students at #PRSSANC

Who better to give advice about media relations than a senior correspondent with 24 years of experience under his belt?

That is exactly what Rick Leventhal, senior correspondent with Fox News Channel, did on Sunday, October 16, to a room of future public relations professionals at the Public Relations Student Society of America’s National Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Leventhal has been to warzones in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Albania, Macedonia and Libya. He has covered such domestic stories as the BP oil spill, the Hudson plane crash and the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001. Below are some great pieces of advice he offered to budding public relations professionals:

• Research the Reporter: Do background research on the reporters you pitch, know what they write and why they would care about your story.

• Focus on Brevity: Consolidate your media pitch into a small package. Reporters are stretched for time so make your pitch easy to read, concise and straight to the point.

• Have an Angle: Every person or company has a story to tell. Make sure you find the unique story that will relate to the audience to which you are pitching.

• Be helpful, not forceful: Reach out to journalists as a resource, not just a PR professional. Always be helpful but never tell a journalist how to write his story.

If you are interesting in learning more about Rick Leventhal, check out his Twitter account and read his bio.

Writing the Perfect Email Pitch

With hundreds of emails piling up in journalist's inboxes daily, it is necessary to have a well-crafted pitch to make sure your story stands out. Below I have outlined some things to keep in mind before you hit the send button.

• Think of who you are pitching. While you may have a very well-written and thought out pitch, you need to make sure that you are tailoring your story so that it is relevant to the publication you are sending it to.


• Keep your subject line short and to the point. Journalists won't take the time to read a long and rambling subject line. If you are having trouble, try writing the body of the email first and then picking key words that will get your point across.


• When you start the body of your email, the first sentence needs to grab the reader's attention by letting them know how they will be affected by what you have to say. Expand upon your subject line to give them more detail.


• Make it personal. Don't send out the same generic email to a ton of journalists hoping one of them will decide to write your story. You need to build relationships with these journalists and show that you want their attention specifically, not just taking a shot in the dark.


• NEVER send attachments. This will successfully get your email put in the trash or stuck in a spam folder. Only attach files if asked.


• Follow-up at an appropriate time. Editors have to look through their entire inbox, so if after a week or two you still haven't heard back from them, send a reminder email or phone call to pitch your story.

While pitching a story of any kind can be stressful, just remember to remain polite and professional while creating these relationships and the process will get easier every time.

What makes your email pitches successful?