I tweeted the other day that I got a really great pitch via email, and dozens of folks immediately wanted me to share it. But I won’t, partly because I don’t have permission, but mostly because it shouldn’t matter.
Writing a decent email pitch isn’t complicated. And I know some folks are looking for the Almighty Template (to you, I say sternly and a bit impatiently: quit looking for shortcuts and learn for yourself). But here’s my assessment of why this pitch worked, and a bit of a tricky bit at the end that is really the linchpin of the whole thing.
Concise
We all get tons of email. No one – I repeat, no one – wants to wade through a tome of paragraphs and prose. Send a nice intro, a quick summary, a few key details, and let the recipient ask for more information if they’re interested in it. If I’m interested, I WILL ask for more info. If I’m not, all the words in the world aren’t going to convince me otherwise.
Personal
Don’t you dare try to say “I love your blog” if you’ve read the last three posts and are attempting to feign interest. I don’t care if you love or even read my blog, and that’s not important to me if your pitch is good. What’s more important is that you’re friendly, personable, and interested in me and what I do, and the audience and community I serve. We’re all people here, and while we have jobs to do, it matters to me that we can talk to each other like humans and not “bloggers” and “PR people”.
Focused
Know exactly what you’re asking me to pay attention to, and point to it directly. In this case, it was a project, and it came with a quick summary of the purpose of the project and a link. Are you asking me to cover it on my blog? Tweet about it? Take some action of some kind? (This one actually will require a pretty significant commitment on my part if I do it). Be precise, and tell me exactly what you’re asking me to commit to so I can put it straight on my to-do list if I’m interested. Open ended means that I have to stash it to think about later, and even with the best intentions, that can sometimes mean it gets forgotten.
Relevant
And that means relevant to me not you. A little research can tell someone that I’m in the social media space as a community director for a software company, I have a daughter, I travel a lot, stuff like that. Any of those three categories is at least a starting place to see if your stuff lines up with my universe. And while I know you can’t read my mind, at least let me know what dots you connected, as in “I know you’re a mom, and we’re hoping that you might find something like this fun to do with your kids.” And hey, this is shocking, but if you’re in doubt about a fit, why not ask before you pitch?
Sticky Part: Interesting Project
This is what it ALL boils down to, guys. All the PR polish, best practices, and well-written pitches in the world will not do a damned thing if your project, product, or idea isn’t interesting. And that means interesting to other people. It’s really easy to convince ourselves that something is big news to US because we’re close to it, instead of looking at the news with some perspective.
I know it’s hard. I know you get saddled with crap from your clients that isn’t remotely newsworthy, yet you’re commanded to go out there and tell people about it anyway. Your job is to either find a way to make it interesting, or be brave enough to push back on your client and tell them why it isn’t. You’re paid to be an adviser and protector of the relationships you have with your media contacts, not just a lackey that follows direction blindly.
That also means that if “interesting” is relevant to just a small, niche group – like, say, buyers of specialized medical equipment – then guess what? That’s who you pitch. Even if there’s only 10 of them. And again, you have to teach your clients that no, Gary Vee is not likely to do a video about it, and that they should be fishing in the proper pond, no matter if it’s large or small. Volume doesn’t equal impact. If they’re not listening, or if you don’t understand that, maybe neither of you are ready to be doing this kind of outreach.
The Unteachables
All of these things require a bit of judgment and finesse, which isn’t really teachable, unfortunately. It’s about saying to yourself “If I were the blogger here, outside of my bias, would this get my attention and why?” Being honest with yourself about that as a HUMAN instead of just the media relations pro can help an awful lot.
And I teeter on the fence all the time about whether you can teach people and relationship skills. Can you teach someone to pen an email that’s friendly yet professional? I don’t know. I feel like many of the people I know that do it best just, well, do it. It’s just wired into the way they work. I know personally I never got “coached” about how to send an email to a donor prospect. I just knew what felt like the right tone and approach.
I believe you can teach nuance, style, all that mechanical stuff. But can you really teach intent? I’m not sure.
So Then.
Have I told you all the stuff you already know? And if so, why are so many folks still struggling with this? Or is this all revolutionary and new and not obvious? I’m really eager to understand the Quest for the Perfect Pitch and why it seems to go wrong so often. Big discussion I know, but what the heck.
Sound off.
image credit: JonathanRossi
For me this brings to mind the fact that many of us get so caught up in the buzz words and hype of social media as engagement, listening, etc that we forget that it only serves to build on what must be a solid foundation of your idea of project. Social media, and all marketing, is simply a means of amplifying what you have to offer, not replacing it.
Thanks for the great read.
Eric
.-= Eric´s last blog ..Do what you can. Can what you do. =-.
Thanks, Eric. It sure is easy to get caught up in the hype, especially in the dog-eat-dog business world. It’s really important to keep a realistic view of all of this, and remember some fundamentals of good business.
For me this brings to mind the fact that many of us get so caught up in the buzz words and hype of social media as engagement, listening, etc that we forget that it only serves to build on what must be a solid foundation of your idea of project. Social media, and all marketing, is simply a means of amplifying what you have to offer, not replacing it.
Thanks for the great read.
Eric
.-= Eric´s last blog ..Do what you can. Can what you do. =-.
Thanks, Eric. It sure is easy to get caught up in the hype, especially in the dog-eat-dog business world. It’s really important to keep a realistic view of all of this, and remember some fundamentals of good business.
No, it’s not revolutionary, but I think you definitely nailed it when you defined “interesting.” Of course every client thinks their product or service is interesting–the key is finding out TO WHOM (even if it’s a very, very small population) and determining what’s newsworthy. I think the biggest part of my job is client education. Teaching them about the process, how long it can take from pitch to secured media placement, how to develop the best story angle and how to define and best reach target audiences.
The other thing people often overlook–which you’ve mentioned here as well–is personalization of the pitch. I’m on the receiving end sometimes now, and I’m amazed at how many people don’t even read a blog or website before they start pitching for coverage. Or worse, send a mass email. Do your research, both on the outlet and the writer/editor/producer. A personal touch goes a long way in cementing a relationship, even if your first pitch ends up not being a winning one.
I can totally see how client education would be huge, and I think that’s probably where a lot of the stumbling blocks are. I know internal and industry education is a HUGE piece of my job, because folks need to understand not just the mechanics, but the culture of social. I imagine it’s much the same with you.
Oh, and just in case I wasn’t clear, mass email sucks. 😉
No, it’s not revolutionary, but I think you definitely nailed it when you defined “interesting.” Of course every client thinks their product or service is interesting–the key is finding out TO WHOM (even if it’s a very, very small population) and determining what’s newsworthy. I think the biggest part of my job is client education. Teaching them about the process, how long it can take from pitch to secured media placement, how to develop the best story angle and how to define and best reach target audiences.
The other thing people often overlook–which you’ve mentioned here as well–is personalization of the pitch. I’m on the receiving end sometimes now, and I’m amazed at how many people don’t even read a blog or website before they start pitching for coverage. Or worse, send a mass email. Do your research, both on the outlet and the writer/editor/producer. A personal touch goes a long way in cementing a relationship, even if your first pitch ends up not being a winning one.
I can totally see how client education would be huge, and I think that’s probably where a lot of the stumbling blocks are. I know internal and industry education is a HUGE piece of my job, because folks need to understand not just the mechanics, but the culture of social. I imagine it’s much the same with you.
Oh, and just in case I wasn’t clear, mass email sucks. 😉
Great riff Amber. I suppose we over-complicate most things today. How many complicated diets and exercise programs exist today telling us how to keep weight down and stay healthy? Of course, it’s just about eating responsibly and exercising regularly. There is no special recipe needed.
The same is true with email marketing. Define your objective, build a targeted list, offer relevant value, communicate that value clearly and be consistent.
Then, of course, there are many [important] subtleties in email marketing that you could get lost in. Like how to identify yourself as a sender, Subject line length, HTML rendering, deliverability rates, mobile email versions, link placement, landing page effectiveness, etc.
The problem is, unless you have the manpower resources to invest in those specifics, you might end up spending all of your time trying to create a great email strategy rather than implementing a simple, but effective one.
Right on!
.-= Tom O’Leary´s last blog ..An Ode to Mediocrity: Are High Expectations Destroying America =-.
Simple is good. But if you’ve recently read the book Switch (which I highly recommend), you realize that people don’t change unless they’re given concrete things to hold on to. “Eat healthy” is too vague. That’s why “building relationships” isn’t good guidance. What is a relationship? What does it look like? What’s the first, specific step you take to building one?
It’s why I’m constantly pushing for the Yeah but HOW discussion, because just saying “be more personal” is too broad for most people to understand how, specifically, that should change their practices.
Great riff Amber. I suppose we over-complicate most things today. How many complicated diets and exercise programs exist today telling us how to keep weight down and stay healthy? Of course, it’s just about eating responsibly and exercising regularly. There is no special recipe needed.
The same is true with email marketing. Define your objective, build a targeted list, offer relevant value, communicate that value clearly and be consistent.
Then, of course, there are many [important] subtleties in email marketing that you could get lost in. Like how to identify yourself as a sender, Subject line length, HTML rendering, deliverability rates, mobile email versions, link placement, landing page effectiveness, etc.
The problem is, unless you have the manpower resources to invest in those specifics, you might end up spending all of your time trying to create a great email strategy rather than implementing a simple, but effective one.
Right on!
.-= Tom O’Leary´s last blog ..An Ode to Mediocrity: Are High Expectations Destroying America =-.
Simple is good. But if you’ve recently read the book Switch (which I highly recommend), you realize that people don’t change unless they’re given concrete things to hold on to. “Eat healthy” is too vague. That’s why “building relationships” isn’t good guidance. What is a relationship? What does it look like? What’s the first, specific step you take to building one?
It’s why I’m constantly pushing for the Yeah but HOW discussion, because just saying “be more personal” is too broad for most people to understand how, specifically, that should change their practices.
Excellent post! I think often times, we are looking for a “template” that can work for any client, in any situation. But that would take the human aspect out of it. When you put yourself in the shoes of the recipient, the pitch reads a lot differently and I think that we forget to do that a lot of the time.
Thanks for the great guidelines to crafting the perfect pitch.
.-= Kasey´s last blog ..Hot Tub Advertising on theSpaSyndicate.com =-.
I’m a little tough on the template front: I think they’re CYA shortcuts for people who aren’t willing to invest the time and effort to do things well. There are times and places to help streamline repeat processes, but for the love of Pete, just checking things off a list and mechanizing the same message to everyone? And we wonder why people aren’t listening.
Excellent post! I think often times, we are looking for a “template” that can work for any client, in any situation. But that would take the human aspect out of it. When you put yourself in the shoes of the recipient, the pitch reads a lot differently and I think that we forget to do that a lot of the time.
Thanks for the great guidelines to crafting the perfect pitch.
.-= Kasey´s last blog ..Hot Tub Advertising on theSpaSyndicate.com =-.
I’m a little tough on the template front: I think they’re CYA shortcuts for people who aren’t willing to invest the time and effort to do things well. There are times and places to help streamline repeat processes, but for the love of Pete, just checking things off a list and mechanizing the same message to everyone? And we wonder why people aren’t listening.
What a great post this was. I think you summed things up great and I couldn’t agree more.
With regards to the “relationship skills”….it’s amazing to me how so many PR folks that have pitched projects to me don’t seem to have that human quality in their writing. Furthermore, I’ve had interactions with PR folks that have been pretty unprofessional on top of feeling as if they don’t communicate well via email. If your job is to interact via social media platforms, it’s important to try and learn how to add that professional/human side to those interactions.
Of course, this isn’t true of all PR folks. I recently had an awesome pitch that basically swayed me to accept. I may not have accepted it if it weren’t for the fact that I truly felt they took their time to get to know a bit about me before writing. Meant a lot, and I might have missed out on this great opportunity if I hadn’t have gotten such a well-written email.
Great post!
Tamara
http://www.theunexperiencedmom.com
http://www.blogconferencenewbie.com
.-= The (Un)Experienced Mom´s last blog ..Always A Girl’s Girl Review & Giveaway =-.
What a great post this was. I think you summed things up great and I couldn’t agree more.
With regards to the “relationship skills”….it’s amazing to me how so many PR folks that have pitched projects to me don’t seem to have that human quality in their writing. Furthermore, I’ve had interactions with PR folks that have been pretty unprofessional on top of feeling as if they don’t communicate well via email. If your job is to interact via social media platforms, it’s important to try and learn how to add that professional/human side to those interactions.
Of course, this isn’t true of all PR folks. I recently had an awesome pitch that basically swayed me to accept. I may not have accepted it if it weren’t for the fact that I truly felt they took their time to get to know a bit about me before writing. Meant a lot, and I might have missed out on this great opportunity if I hadn’t have gotten such a well-written email.
Great post!
Tamara
http://www.theunexperiencedmom.com
http://www.blogconferencenewbie.com
.-= The (Un)Experienced Mom´s last blog ..Always A Girl’s Girl Review & Giveaway =-.
I don’t think your points are revolutionary, but between your post and the one CC wrote last week about pitches, they both should be required reading. PR people do have tough jobs, they have to get the word out on some inane things sometimes. I get three or four pitches a day because I’m a “dad blogger”, but I can guarantee half are things that will “help me improve my life as a mom”. Seriously?
I think the best advice you gave was if you aren’t sure it is a fit to email and ask. I delete most of the pitches I get, but if I’m asked if it would be of interest I take the time to reply and let them know yes or no and why just so they can make sure their email lists get scrubbed.
.-= PJ Mullen´s last blog ..Where we’re going we don’t need roads =-.
I’m with you. And Boy, I get the weird pitches too. I got one that said “because of your interest in the internet”. Uh, seriously? Wouldn’t that apply to anyone with an email account? 🙂
I don’t think your points are revolutionary, but between your post and the one CC wrote last week about pitches, they both should be required reading. PR people do have tough jobs, they have to get the word out on some inane things sometimes. I get three or four pitches a day because I’m a “dad blogger”, but I can guarantee half are things that will “help me improve my life as a mom”. Seriously?
I think the best advice you gave was if you aren’t sure it is a fit to email and ask. I delete most of the pitches I get, but if I’m asked if it would be of interest I take the time to reply and let them know yes or no and why just so they can make sure their email lists get scrubbed.
.-= PJ Mullen´s last blog ..Where we’re going we don’t need roads =-.
I’m with you. And Boy, I get the weird pitches too. I got one that said “because of your interest in the internet”. Uh, seriously? Wouldn’t that apply to anyone with an email account? 🙂
Thanks for the well-written post Amber! I personally struggle with the balance of formulating the “perfect pitch” and the time constraint of getting the word out. As well as the “gobbleygook” words and phrases that often inundate my companies releases. I’m in the process of a “relationship” plan with bloggers, tweeters, and journalists in my companies industry– we have the cool product appeal but that only gets you so far.
I appreciate your informative posts- as well as your candor on Twitter!
Jennifer, tough love time: Time constraints do not justify crappy pitches. They just don’t. That means either the lead time needs adjustment, the outreach has to be smaller, or both. But you probably know this.
Encouraging to hear about the plans you’re putting in place to develop relationships. I bet a lot of people would love to learn the steps you’re taking to do that.
“Your job is to either find a way to make it interesting, or be brave enough to push back on your client and tell them why it isn’t.”
I think you really got the heart of the issue here, Amber. Companies hire professionals for a reason and PR pros need to be comfortable giving expert advice on targeting messages and audiences. I think it’s also helpful when bloggers speak out against the shotgun approach. It really encourages PR pros to change their process and create better plans for their clients.
.-= Hannah Del Porto´s last blog ..Top Social Media Monitoring & Measurement Posts of the Week =-.
Ask a PR pro, though, and they’ll tell you that their clients SAY they want advice, but then get it and don’t like it. What we have to help companies do is understand the reasoning – strategically – why we’re pushing them in a certain direction. We have to put things in a context they can understand, like “sending mass, uncustomized email pitches to people erodes their trust, because they think we don’t value them as anything more than a generic source. Here’s some candid feedback from some of our media contacts.”
Amen!
So true
“Your job is to either find a way to make it interesting, or be brave enough to push back on your client and tell them why it isn’t.”
I think you really got the heart of the issue here, Amber. Companies hire professionals for a reason and PR pros need to be comfortable giving expert advice on targeting messages and audiences. I think it’s also helpful when bloggers speak out against the shotgun approach. It really encourages PR pros to change their process and create better plans for their clients.
.-= Hannah Del Porto´s last blog ..Top Social Media Monitoring & Measurement Posts of the Week =-.
Ask a PR pro, though, and they’ll tell you that their clients SAY they want advice, but then get it and don’t like it. What we have to help companies do is understand the reasoning – strategically – why we’re pushing them in a certain direction. We have to put things in a context they can understand, like “sending mass, uncustomized email pitches to people erodes their trust, because they think we don’t value them as anything more than a generic source. Here’s some candid feedback from some of our media contacts.”
Amen!
So true
I think a huge problem is many PR people look to pitch to bloggers with big numbers and but forget the fact that they are not necessarily the people who would find their pitch interesting. This goes with a post you previously wrote about Emily. She was not your “big hitter” but she turned out to be someone who made a huge difference. We can all learn how to write a better pitch but the real key is finding the evangelist for our particular product/service/idea that we are trying to pitch. Small people can make a big difference and that is where us PR people need to start noticing.
I don’t think it’s that we don’t know we’re better off finding the people that care. That’s pretty straightforward.
But we’re lazy. We want quick results for little effort. Our clients don’t want to pay for the time and effort it takes to execute a sound pitch strategy. They want to get it out there fast and wide and move on. But until communicators continue *insisting* for our own integrity’s sake that we change the process, there will always be a chase for the shortcut.
I think a huge problem is many PR people look to pitch to bloggers with big numbers and but forget the fact that they are not necessarily the people who would find their pitch interesting. This goes with a post you previously wrote about Emily. She was not your “big hitter” but she turned out to be someone who made a huge difference. We can all learn how to write a better pitch but the real key is finding the evangelist for our particular product/service/idea that we are trying to pitch. Small people can make a big difference and that is where us PR people need to start noticing.
I don’t think it’s that we don’t know we’re better off finding the people that care. That’s pretty straightforward.
But we’re lazy. We want quick results for little effort. Our clients don’t want to pay for the time and effort it takes to execute a sound pitch strategy. They want to get it out there fast and wide and move on. But until communicators continue *insisting* for our own integrity’s sake that we change the process, there will always be a chase for the shortcut.
Hi Amber, I’ll be honest, I don’t usually read your blog. Your tweet caught my attention because of the word ‘pitch’. I don’t like the word ‘pitch’. It generally means unnecessary expense and hope and unknowing – well it does for UK web design agencies anyway. For me what you’ve written about is the perfect introduction. The perfect introduction requires research, respect, honesty (personality), timeliness, relevance and a little bit of luck. For me it doesn’t matter how you make contact, if you get those right you get the perfect introduction.
That’s an interesting take, Nick. I agree that “pitch” can have a negative connotation, and make the target of said pitch cringe in anticipation. You make a point that it’s about making a good introduction, and I like that.
Hi Amber, I’ll be honest, I don’t usually read your blog. Your tweet caught my attention because of the word ‘pitch’. I don’t like the word ‘pitch’. It generally means unnecessary expense and hope and unknowing – well it does for UK web design agencies anyway. For me what you’ve written about is the perfect introduction. The perfect introduction requires research, respect, honesty (personality), timeliness, relevance and a little bit of luck. For me it doesn’t matter how you make contact, if you get those right you get the perfect introduction.
That’s an interesting take, Nick. I agree that “pitch” can have a negative connotation, and make the target of said pitch cringe in anticipation. You make a point that it’s about making a good introduction, and I like that.
Hi Amber. As someone who’s always trying to learn how to be more effective for my clients – your post was full of useful points and tips. The bottom line is that you have to make it personal to be effective. Mass e-mail pitches don’t work. You have to tailor the pitch to the person. Thnaks for sharing!
Glad it was helpful, Cynthia. Not a human I know likes to be treated as a “demographic indicator” or a “such and such a blogger” or a “insert general classification here”. We like to be treated like people, and somehow we tend to forget that when we’re in our business mindset, because we’re used to labeling our business prospects of all kinds with horrific and soulless labels and categories.
Just because you’re at work doing a job doesn’t mean you don’t want someone to see that it’s Cynthia over there.
Hi Amber. As someone who’s always trying to learn how to be more effective for my clients – your post was full of useful points and tips. The bottom line is that you have to make it personal to be effective. Mass e-mail pitches don’t work. You have to tailor the pitch to the person. Thnaks for sharing!
Glad it was helpful, Cynthia. Not a human I know likes to be treated as a “demographic indicator” or a “such and such a blogger” or a “insert general classification here”. We like to be treated like people, and somehow we tend to forget that when we’re in our business mindset, because we’re used to labeling our business prospects of all kinds with horrific and soulless labels and categories.
Just because you’re at work doing a job doesn’t mean you don’t want someone to see that it’s Cynthia over there.
Good post. The best pitches I get pass the relevant and interesting test. This is not a high bar to clear, either. I get so many off-target pitches that it makes it easy for someone who does just a touch of research to figure out what will clear the bar.
Well, I do think relevant CAN be tricky sometimes, because especially in the world of blogs, it can be a little unclear about what we might find “relevant”. But that’s why I go back to asking. I don’t see anywhere in the PR rule book that says you can’t ask someone if stories or ideas of a particular stripe are of interest to them. I answer those inquiries honestly and directly, because it helps everyone involved.
Good post. The best pitches I get pass the relevant and interesting test. This is not a high bar to clear, either. I get so many off-target pitches that it makes it easy for someone who does just a touch of research to figure out what will clear the bar.
Well, I do think relevant CAN be tricky sometimes, because especially in the world of blogs, it can be a little unclear about what we might find “relevant”. But that’s why I go back to asking. I don’t see anywhere in the PR rule book that says you can’t ask someone if stories or ideas of a particular stripe are of interest to them. I answer those inquiries honestly and directly, because it helps everyone involved.
Bravo. 2 key points here. First, the notion of call to action. I constantly find myself saying out loud “and what is it that you would like me to do with this information?” I’m not a mind-reader, tell me if you want me to write about it, interview your CMO, collaborate on a research project, do a Webinar -whatever.
Second, although it doesn’t appear to be the case in your example, I’m a big believer in getting on bloggers’ radar BEFORE you pitch them, not during. It’s not dissimilar from Smith/Brogan’s notion of being on the team early (in Trust Agents). To me, that changes the entire PR timeline, because you need to identify bloggers, connect with them, learn about them, etc. in advance. Thus, companies and agencies need to plan their outreach campaigns with a much longer lead time.
I wrote about it here: “back up the bus, the changing PR timeline” (sorry for the link drop, but I think it’s a good complementary piece to your excellent (as always) post) http://bit.ly/NoBtx
.-= Jay Baer´s last blog ..Staggering Social Media Insights – The Best of Twitter 20 eBook =-.
Jay – amen to the first part. And as usual, you’ve added a great point. Aren’t you much more likely to listen to what I have to say if you know me before I need something from you? Chris Brogan and Greg Cangialosi call it being there before the sale. Marcel Lebrun calls it the point of need. I’m saying that no matter what you call it, you’re dead right that it’s so much more effective to invest in the relationship before you ever need it, which means that process and planning overall have to shift to accommodate that.
We’ve always been willing to invest the time in golf game with a prospect, but not so much when we’re planning communications. Thanks for sharing your post.
Bravo. 2 key points here. First, the notion of call to action. I constantly find myself saying out loud “and what is it that you would like me to do with this information?” I’m not a mind-reader, tell me if you want me to write about it, interview your CMO, collaborate on a research project, do a Webinar -whatever.
Second, although it doesn’t appear to be the case in your example, I’m a big believer in getting on bloggers’ radar BEFORE you pitch them, not during. It’s not dissimilar from Smith/Brogan’s notion of being on the team early (in Trust Agents). To me, that changes the entire PR timeline, because you need to identify bloggers, connect with them, learn about them, etc. in advance. Thus, companies and agencies need to plan their outreach campaigns with a much longer lead time.
I wrote about it here: “back up the bus, the changing PR timeline” (sorry for the link drop, but I think it’s a good complementary piece to your excellent (as always) post) http://bit.ly/NoBtx
.-= Jay Baer´s last blog ..Staggering Social Media Insights – The Best of Twitter 20 eBook =-.
Jay – amen to the first part. And as usual, you’ve added a great point. Aren’t you much more likely to listen to what I have to say if you know me before I need something from you? Chris Brogan and Greg Cangialosi call it being there before the sale. Marcel Lebrun calls it the point of need. I’m saying that no matter what you call it, you’re dead right that it’s so much more effective to invest in the relationship before you ever need it, which means that process and planning overall have to shift to accommodate that.
We’ve always been willing to invest the time in golf game with a prospect, but not so much when we’re planning communications. Thanks for sharing your post.
Nice post, but I edit one of the fastest growing PR websites and Radian6 didn’t even pitch us on your new launch. We are sad : (
That’s funny, Joe, we’re the leading social media monitoring and engagement platform, I’m all over the internet, and I don’t believe I’ve had contact from you or heard about you until yesterday after the news broke. 🙂
No worries! I would just think your PR team would want to reach out to me, not the other way around. Isn’t that usually how it works? PR pro pitches editor? There are hundreds of monitoring companies so if I had to reach out to each one to keep track of their news, I’d spend all day doing that.
But hey, that’s what I’m doing here. We did meet at a mediabistro.com panel that you spoke at in December. Remember?
.-= Joe Ciarallo´s last blog ..Spin the Agencies of Record =-.
Oh, and you commented on a post I wrote a few weeks ago: http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/crisis_communications/awash_in_data_how_to_discern_the_signal_from_the_noise_152841.asp
Just sayin’ : )
.-= Joe Ciarallo´s last blog ..Spin the Agencies of Record =-.
I’m giving you a bit of a rib, Joe, but likewise: if we had to reach out to every potential publication or PR outlet or news source to share our news, we’d spend all day doing that too. 🙂
And expecting that I’d just defer to your outlet because you’re fast growing isn’t really realistic. Instead, what I’d love is a bit more of a chat, and to understand how we can help each other in the future, instead of a hint that somehow I hadn’t done you justice. There are lots of folks in the media that we have longstanding relationships that didn’t get the exclusive, either, and we try very hard to do our best to make sure that everyone that’s invested and interested in what we do can connect with us.
Does that make sense? I’m picking on you a bit because you’re implying that I’ve somehow dropped the ball by not letting you know of our “news”, but the whole point of my post is that there’s a lot more to media relations than just pitches and placements. 🙂
Hi Amber,
While I greatly respect the work that you and Radian6 have done, actually your response really doesn’t make any sense at all.
Lets just review the timeline:
In December, I meet you at a mediabistro.com event, hand you my business card, we talk and I ask to be informed of company news.
Since then, and also before December, Radian6 has been mentioned numerous times on PRNewser. I assume you would have noticed this given I’m sure you track the Radian6 brand via…Radian6.
Then, in February, you comment on a post I wrote that mentions Radian6.
After all of that, the company launches a new platform, and the news is on TechCrunch, PRWeek and many other sites. I never asked for an exclusive, so I’m not sure how that point came into your argument.
I just found it odd that someone writing posts about “how to pitch bloggers” wouldn’t reach out to the fastest growing PR blog out there, especially when their product is used by tons of PR people. I’m not trying to sound all self important. Maybe we’re not worth the time for you to pitch us. I can live with that.
However, your initial reply was “I’m all over the internet, and I don’t believe I’ve had contact from you or heard about you until yesterday after the news broke.”
It just struck me as odd.
Nice post, but I edit one of the fastest growing PR websites and Radian6 didn’t even pitch us on your new launch. We are sad : (
That’s funny, Joe, we’re the leading social media monitoring and engagement platform, I’m all over the internet, and I don’t believe I’ve had contact from you or heard about you until yesterday after the news broke. 🙂
No worries! I would just think your PR team would want to reach out to me, not the other way around. Isn’t that usually how it works? PR pro pitches editor? There are hundreds of monitoring companies so if I had to reach out to each one to keep track of their news, I’d spend all day doing that.
But hey, that’s what I’m doing here. We did meet at a mediabistro.com panel that you spoke at in December. Remember?
.-= Joe Ciarallo´s last blog ..Spin the Agencies of Record =-.
Oh, and you commented on a post I wrote a few weeks ago: http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/crisis_communications/awash_in_data_how_to_discern_the_signal_from_the_noise_152841.asp
Just sayin’ : )
.-= Joe Ciarallo´s last blog ..Spin the Agencies of Record =-.
I’m giving you a bit of a rib, Joe, but likewise: if we had to reach out to every potential publication or PR outlet or news source to share our news, we’d spend all day doing that too. 🙂
And expecting that I’d just defer to your outlet because you’re fast growing isn’t really realistic. Instead, what I’d love is a bit more of a chat, and to understand how we can help each other in the future, instead of a hint that somehow I hadn’t done you justice. There are lots of folks in the media that we have longstanding relationships that didn’t get the exclusive, either, and we try very hard to do our best to make sure that everyone that’s invested and interested in what we do can connect with us.
Does that make sense? I’m picking on you a bit because you’re implying that I’ve somehow dropped the ball by not letting you know of our “news”, but the whole point of my post is that there’s a lot more to media relations than just pitches and placements. 🙂
Hi Amber,
While I greatly respect the work that you and Radian6 have done, actually your response really doesn’t make any sense at all.
Lets just review the timeline:
In December, I meet you at a mediabistro.com event, hand you my business card, we talk and I ask to be informed of company news.
Since then, and also before December, Radian6 has been mentioned numerous times on PRNewser. I assume you would have noticed this given I’m sure you track the Radian6 brand via…Radian6.
Then, in February, you comment on a post I wrote that mentions Radian6.
After all of that, the company launches a new platform, and the news is on TechCrunch, PRWeek and many other sites. I never asked for an exclusive, so I’m not sure how that point came into your argument.
I just found it odd that someone writing posts about “how to pitch bloggers” wouldn’t reach out to the fastest growing PR blog out there, especially when their product is used by tons of PR people. I’m not trying to sound all self important. Maybe we’re not worth the time for you to pitch us. I can live with that.
However, your initial reply was “I’m all over the internet, and I don’t believe I’ve had contact from you or heard about you until yesterday after the news broke.”
It just struck me as odd.
take away: don’t be a long-winded idiot robot.
another idea: if you have to “stretch” to make a client/product sound important, relevant and useful, don’t take the business. i know that’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s worth considering. just think how much it’s going to suck when none of the “excellent blogger contacts” you mentioned in attempts to win the business are interested. the client’s going to get all antsy and upset to boot. plus, you’re hurting your rep by peddling crap. all for X thousand a month? move on and find something interesting and valuable.
one last thing: you should already be involved (similar to what jay baer said). comment on blogs. follow and follow back. go to events – irrelevant as they may seem. read as much as you can (yeah, everyone’s strapped for time. tough. find a way.)
Laughing at “long winded idiot robot”.
You dole out some tough love here, but warranted. Trust is a fragile thing, and if you’re willing to erode it in the name of taking on an account that doesn’t really have a story behind it, who’s the fool?
And I’d never say events are irrelevant. I’ve had more and better business discussions over a beer or lunch than I’ve had in many formal meetings. That’s where the real stuff happens more often than not.
take away: don’t be a long-winded idiot robot.
another idea: if you have to “stretch” to make a client/product sound important, relevant and useful, don’t take the business. i know that’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s worth considering. just think how much it’s going to suck when none of the “excellent blogger contacts” you mentioned in attempts to win the business are interested. the client’s going to get all antsy and upset to boot. plus, you’re hurting your rep by peddling crap. all for X thousand a month? move on and find something interesting and valuable.
one last thing: you should already be involved (similar to what jay baer said). comment on blogs. follow and follow back. go to events – irrelevant as they may seem. read as much as you can (yeah, everyone’s strapped for time. tough. find a way.)
Laughing at “long winded idiot robot”.
You dole out some tough love here, but warranted. Trust is a fragile thing, and if you’re willing to erode it in the name of taking on an account that doesn’t really have a story behind it, who’s the fool?
And I’d never say events are irrelevant. I’ve had more and better business discussions over a beer or lunch than I’ve had in many formal meetings. That’s where the real stuff happens more often than not.
Jennifer, tough love time: Time constraints do not justify crappy pitches. They just don’t. That means either the lead time needs adjustment, the outreach has to be smaller, or both. But you probably know this.
Encouraging to hear about the plans you’re putting in place to develop relationships. I bet a lot of people would love to learn the steps you’re taking to do that.
Way to go Amber. I think this column not only applies in the B2B world but in the business to consumer model as well. I have bookmarked this to return to again and again when writing that “perfect” pitch.
There was an interview with Amy Cosper, the editor for Entrepreneur, recently about crafting the perfect pitch for an article and her response was to keep it to three sentences if at all possible. Shakespeare was right: “Brevity IS the soul of wit”.
Best…
.-= Chuck Flagg´s last blog ..Mom needs a break too =-.
Way to go Amber. I think this column not only applies in the B2B world but in the business to consumer model as well. I have bookmarked this to return to again and again when writing that “perfect” pitch.
There was an interview with Amy Cosper, the editor for Entrepreneur, recently about crafting the perfect pitch for an article and her response was to keep it to three sentences if at all possible. Shakespeare was right: “Brevity IS the soul of wit”.
Best…
.-= Chuck Flagg´s last blog ..Mom needs a break too =-.
Way to go Amber. I think this column not inly applies in the B2B world but in the business to cpnsumer model as well. I have bookmarked this to return to again and again when writing that "perfect" pitch.
There was an interview with Amy Cosper, the editor for Entrepreneur, recently about crafting the perfect pitch for an article and her response was to keep it to three sentences if at all possible. Shakespeare waa right: "Brevity IS the soul of wit".
Best…
.-= Chuck Flagg´s last blog ..<a href="http://theflaggagency.com/blog/2010/03/04/mom-needs-a-break-too/" rel="nofollow">Mom needs a break too</a> =-.;
Way to go Amber. I think this column not inly applies in the B2B world but in the business to cpnsumer model as well. I have bookmarked this to return to again and again when writing that "perfect" pitch.
There was an interview with Amy Cosper, the editor for Entrepreneur, recently about crafting the perfect pitch for an article and her response was to keep it to three sentences if at all possible. Shakespeare waa right: "Brevity IS the soul of wit".
Best…
.-= Chuck Flagg´s last blog ..<a href="http://theflaggagency.com/blog/2010/03/04/mom-needs-a-break-too/" rel="nofollow">Mom needs a break too</a> =-.;
Great column Amber. I have often been told – “get coverage.” Your comment about “You’re paid to be an adviser and protector of the relationships you have with your media contacts, not just a lackey that follows direction blindly.” rang true. It was always a challenge but one that meant we needed to do a better job of educating our internal audience about pitching relevant stories.
Great column Amber. I have often been told – “get coverage.” Your comment about “You’re paid to be an adviser and protector of the relationships you have with your media contacts, not just a lackey that follows direction blindly.” rang true. It was always a challenge but one that meant we needed to do a better job of educating our internal audience about pitching relevant stories.
Great article! A lot of the pitches I’ve seen can put me straight to sleep, going round and round like they do. Don’t they know that I have other things to do with my time? Good copywriters are hard to come by. It’s important for anyone who wants to build a career in writing to stay informed about what works and what doesn’t.
This transcript of an interview with John Carlton http://budurl.com/xvdp is really informative too. All aspiring copywriters would be doing themselves a favor by reading it.
.-= Ched´s last blog ..Where It All Begins =-.
Great article! A lot of the pitches I’ve seen can put me straight to sleep, going round and round like they do. Don’t they know that I have other things to do with my time? Good copywriters are hard to come by. It’s important for anyone who wants to build a career in writing to stay informed about what works and what doesn’t.
This transcript of an interview with John Carlton http://budurl.com/xvdp is really informative too. All aspiring copywriters would be doing themselves a favor by reading it.
.-= Ched´s last blog ..Where It All Begins =-.
Amber,
I think client education is the core issue here. As a PR Grad student, one of the things that my classmates and I discuss constantly is the question of: Is there a better way to bill?
Currently, most PR agencies bill by the hour. While all the tips you listed in this article are correct for insuring that your pitch to a blogger will be successful, it also is time consuming. It takes far more time to research your background to connect with you on a personal level; than it is to mass pitch. That time has to be billed. And most clients won’t understand why your billing them a larger amount of time than they are used to for one pitch. Basically, the business end of PR isn’t very conducive to the proper way to pitch a blogger.
We in the PR industry have to do a better job of educating our client on how this works, and that if they want success, they have to pay a bit more for this type of pitching. Or, we have to figure a better way of charging for our services.
P.S. Nice pic. New hair style is great. Very different from the style in the pic at the top of the blog.
.-= Jeremy Fischer´s last blog ..Sony Television to Kids: Back Off! =-.
Amber,
I think client education is the core issue here. As a PR Grad student, one of the things that my classmates and I discuss constantly is the question of: Is there a better way to bill?
Currently, most PR agencies bill by the hour. While all the tips you listed in this article are correct for insuring that your pitch to a blogger will be successful, it also is time consuming. It takes far more time to research your background to connect with you on a personal level; than it is to mass pitch. That time has to be billed. And most clients won’t understand why your billing them a larger amount of time than they are used to for one pitch. Basically, the business end of PR isn’t very conducive to the proper way to pitch a blogger.
We in the PR industry have to do a better job of educating our client on how this works, and that if they want success, they have to pay a bit more for this type of pitching. Or, we have to figure a better way of charging for our services.
P.S. Nice pic. New hair style is great. Very different from the style in the pic at the top of the blog.
.-= Jeremy Fischer´s last blog ..Sony Television to Kids: Back Off! =-.
I think you should definitely share the pitch that you think was so good.
I personally like pitches that offer value,
.-= Joe “The Connector” Kennedy´s last blog ..Check out the Idealist.org Jobs Site =-.
I think you should definitely share the pitch that you think was so good.
I personally like pitches that offer value,
.-= Joe “The Connector” Kennedy´s last blog ..Check out the Idealist.org Jobs Site =-.
Bravo and thank you! Great words of wisdom that I applaud and apply. As a PR person I completely understand what you are saying. Teaching my clients the wisdom behind this is another matter entirely.
RA Bowen
The Bowen Agency PR
Bravo and thank you! Great words of wisdom that I applaud and apply. As a PR person I completely understand what you are saying. Teaching my clients the wisdom behind this is another matter entirely.
RA Bowen
The Bowen Agency PR
Catching up with my Google reader, glad I spotted this. The pitches that work, whether to bloggers, journalists or the potential customer you hope buys your product, all share these traits IMO. It’s always about them, and how relevant and newsworthy your pitch is to them, their bottom line.
Keep it short, direct, on target, relevant and you’ll do okay. The untouchables? I’d say courtesy as in if you really read my blog or know anything about me, you’d take the time to learn my name, maybe say HELLO before just diving right into pitching me. FWIW.
.-= Davina K. Brewer´s last blog ..Pimp Your Business, Atlanta =-.
Catching up with my Google reader, glad I spotted this. The pitches that work, whether to bloggers, journalists or the potential customer you hope buys your product, all share these traits IMO. It’s always about them, and how relevant and newsworthy your pitch is to them, their bottom line.
Keep it short, direct, on target, relevant and you’ll do okay. The untouchables? I’d say courtesy as in if you really read my blog or know anything about me, you’d take the time to learn my name, maybe say HELLO before just diving right into pitching me. FWIW.
.-= Davina K. Brewer´s last blog ..Pimp Your Business, Atlanta =-.
HI Amber,
I just joined your blog. I LOVE YOUR BLOG! ha, just kidding. Here is my pitch:
If I sent you a movie that I just saw at South by South West FFF, about a man who traveled the world, then became a teacher, and created a game called “The World Peace Game”, where 4th graders took the roles and positions of the people in world power (Primse Ministers, Arm Dealers, United Nations, Sabatogers, World Bank, etc) and the teacher was a REAl teacher, he didn’t teach. He let them think it through, solve their own problems, and we go to see these children hit road blocks, mind blocks, and instead of being told the answer or told what to learn, they literally had to figure it out and you could just see, witness, and watch their minds stretch from the audience. The movie needs to be seen and heard, and they need help. I promise you it will not only be worth your 70 minutes, it will change you in some way, for the positive, and hopefully you will tweet about it. I told the producer/director who took questions I would help him, the audience wouldn’t stop asking questions after the movie, it was that impactful.
Oh, and feel free to critique my pitch if you’d like.
Wdnaylor@gmail.com – David Naylor (I will tell you if the kids won the world peace game over 8 weeks of playing)
HI Amber,
I just joined your blog. I LOVE YOUR BLOG! ha, just kidding. Here is my pitch:
If I sent you a movie that I just saw at South by South West FFF, about a man who traveled the world, then became a teacher, and created a game called “The World Peace Game”, where 4th graders took the roles and positions of the people in world power (Primse Ministers, Arm Dealers, United Nations, Sabatogers, World Bank, etc) and the teacher was a REAl teacher, he didn’t teach. He let them think it through, solve their own problems, and we go to see these children hit road blocks, mind blocks, and instead of being told the answer or told what to learn, they literally had to figure it out and you could just see, witness, and watch their minds stretch from the audience. The movie needs to be seen and heard, and they need help. I promise you it will not only be worth your 70 minutes, it will change you in some way, for the positive, and hopefully you will tweet about it. I told the producer/director who took questions I would help him, the audience wouldn’t stop asking questions after the movie, it was that impactful.
Oh, and feel free to critique my pitch if you’d like.
Wdnaylor@gmail.com – David Naylor (I will tell you if the kids won the world peace game over 8 weeks of playing)
I kid you not, this post really opened my eyes. I graduated in May with a degree in Communication, and I now work for a new company in a new position that seems to change all of the time. I have done many pitches across different mediums, and while I think I’m a strong writer, my email/social media pitches have the lowest return rate thus far. This post brings up a lot of great points and speaks to problems I think many of us have. We get so connected to our own brands that it’s easy to become distanced from the most important person out there: the possible consumer.
Thanks for another great post, Amber. I’m having a wonderful (and educational!) time reading through your posts.
C.
I kid you not, this post really opened my eyes. I graduated in May with a degree in Communication, and I now work for a new company in a new position that seems to change all of the time. I have done many pitches across different mediums, and while I think I’m a strong writer, my email/social media pitches have the lowest return rate thus far. This post brings up a lot of great points and speaks to problems I think many of us have. We get so connected to our own brands that it’s easy to become distanced from the most important person out there: the possible consumer.
Thanks for another great post, Amber. I’m having a wonderful (and educational!) time reading through your posts.
C.
This is one of the best blog posts I’ve read related to our work. I just read it again for the third time. I saved it in my favorites and have shared it around. Good to know, and have proof, that I’m not the only one that thinks this way. Now, when clients/co-workers start questioning the MO at Joanne Taylor PR, this is one of the articles I send to them for reference. Thanks from Boise, Idaho!