How to write a killer media pitch

Coming up with stories about clients and pitching them to journalists is at the heart of the PR process.

‍The success of a campaign often hinges on how well a digital PR agency can uncover angles journalists will love and how effectively they can pitch those stories. As a former journalist, I was used to receiving PR pitches long before I started sending them myself. That experience gave me a clear sense of what makes a pitch work - and what doesn’t.

In this blog post, I’ll share some of the insights I’ve picked up along the way. Hopefully, you’ll find them useful - and maybe even a bit interesting - if you’re looking to improve your pitching skills.

Some background first. Why should you listen to any insights from me? I have sat on both sides of the desk. I started out in regional print journalism in the 1990s with brief spells on the Derby Telegraph and the Burton Mail before joining the Nottingham Post (then called the Nottingham Evening Post because we did several different editions across the day back then). After a couple of years there I went on to work at the Daily Mirror for six years before setting up Motive in 2008.

So I came through the old fashioned way, learning to craft stories under pressure of print deadlines and gaining an understanding of what makes the news and what gets easily dismissed as PR bluster.

Find unusual lines and newsworthy angles: Man Bites Dog

The past 30 years have been a fascinating time to work in media as I caught the tail end of old school traditional newspapers and saw up-close how the industry was completely turned upside down by the advent of the internet and technological advances such as smartphones and social media.

But despite this technological revolution, what makes news hasn’t really changed and never will. News will always be Man Bites Dog. Dog bites man isn’t news because it’s only to be expected. In other words, find the unusual line. Something genuinely different.

The challenge for PR professionals is to find something novel that will appeal to journalists while at the same time communicating their client’s good news and key messages.

A lot of PRs fall into the trap of sending out what my old news editor used to dismiss as a ‘puff piece’. In other words a vanity story which flatters the client but which isn’t of any interest to anyone else.

Back in the day these would come through thick and fast over the fax machine only to be screwed up and flung into the waste paper basket after a cursory glance. Today it’s exactly the same, the only thing that's changed is the fax machine has been replaced by email and it’s even easier to delete those tedious puff pieces. Interestingly the waste paper basket still exists as an icon on my Mac’s dock. 

Avoid writing a thinly veiled advert

The single biggest reason why many press releases fail to earn coverage is because they aren’t editorial stories at all but simply thinly veiled adverts. Marketing people fall into this trap all the time. They write press releases about their company’s latest offer or sale. But the thing is, nobody cares. No one outside of the organisation gives two hoots about the sale or the offer. Any journalist unlucky enough to receive such a press release will delete immediately. Trust me they are very easy to spot. 

To avoid being directed to the advertising sales department make sure your story actually is a story - that it offers something interesting to a journalist and isn’t just an advert disguised as a press release. 

‍So offering a strong story has to be the first tip and should really go without saying. But once you've done that how do you make sure your pitch gets noticed? What can you do to make sure it’s read and maximise your chances of publication?

Targeted pitching and curated emails

Firstly, email is ok but avoid mass emails and BCC fields. Make your pitch as targeted as possible. Remember that journalists receive many, many emails so don’t assume it’ll be read. Everything about your pitch has to grab them by the throat and demand their attention.

The first thing they will see is the subject line so this has to be considered carefully. It must summarise the story hook in a few words. One of the worst things PRs sometimes do is send an email with a subject line such as ‘story for you to have a look at’ or ‘feature idea’. When you imagine how many emailed pitches these guys are getting your subject has to stand out and be different from all the others. Don’t give them something that just sounds the same as the other 30 ideas vying for their attention that morning. Make it different. Remember Man Bites Dog. The subject should be a really concise summary of the whole story but also something searchable so when they think about the story later they can easily find it in their inbox. 

Don’t pretend you care about them

Once they’ve opened your email grab them again with your story hook. Get right to the point. Don’t start with a lengthy long-winded preamble that will bore them to death and cause them to hit that delete button. Don’t pretend you care by asking how they are or telling them you hope they are well or had a great weekend. Don’t be insincere because savvy journalists can spot it a mile off and will click delete before they even get to your story. You don’t care about their weekend and they don’t expect you to care. All that matters is the story. What you are really trying to do is to make their job easier. If you’ve done yours properly then you’re about to give them something their audience will love. You’ve got gold for them here, right? If you’re not sure then perhaps step back and try to work up the idea until it’s even stronger. Only when you’re convinced that you’re doing them a favour sharing this content with them should you even think about pitching in. After all, if you don’t believe in the content why should they? 

Keep it simple

Always keep things simple. When I was starting out in journalism someone once told me to always remember the word KISS when writing a story. It stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid. Inexperienced writers tend to overcomplicate things. They fill their press releases with meaningless jargon because they think it will make them sound clever. But it is only weakening the story. Think about it, journalists have to explain their stories in terms anyone can understand. If you fill releases with jargon you’re giving the journalist more work to do as they will have to find out what all the jargon means and then translate it back into simple English. This means your chances of being published are vastly reduced. Far easier for the journalist to click delete and move on to the next pitch than to go to the trouble of rewriting your jargon laced copy. 

It’s such a shame because you probably have a good idea in there somewhere. Sharing this content should be a win-win situation. A byline for them and respect from their colleagues for another great story filed, for you it’s all about coverage for your company or organisation, hopefully a link too into your website which will have long lasting SEO benefits. Everyone’s a winner. 

So there’s no need to be long winded or fake. No need to hide behind jargon or things like fancy job titles. Being direct doesn’t mean being rude. It’s always nice to say hi. But that is literally all you need to say before you give them your story hook. Bang. Bang. Bang. Pictures. Video. Bang. This is why your readers / listeners / viewers are going to love this. Come back to me for more.

Finally

One last piece of advice. Avoid exclamation marks. They’re bloody annoying and a hallmark of an inexperienced writer. Your tone should be authoritative and confident. Those exclamation marks are not your friends any more. Time to leave them behind. Also don’t over capitalise. Capital letters are necessary for people’s initials and place names. That’s really about it. Job titles don’t need capitals. The assistant area manager is the assistant area manager, he or she is not The Assistant Area Manager, although it might flatter them to write it like that because it makes them sound important. It’s just another little layer of BS which has no place in a strong press release. 

Key takeaways:

Make your story strong. Remember Man Bites Dog. Never issue a puff piece. Be targeted with your pitching. Make your subject line a snappy summary of the story. Don’t be fake or false. Get to the point. Keep it simple. Give them what they need to make their job as easy as possible. No exclamation marks or unnecessary capital letters.

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