You have a fabulous new book on fertility that editors need to review! You have an incredible new granola product that needs to be featured in your favorite foodie magazine! While I pitch the media on behalf of many of my dietitian and food clients, let me share some of the basics with you when it comes to pitching the media.
Have a Hook
What are you trying to sell? Be clear on this – make sure that your new product, idea, event, etc. is interesting enough to warrant the attention of a writer and his/her readers. Did you just publish a new nutrition e-book? Good for you – but be sure that your hook highlights how your e-book is DIFFERENT from the hundreds of other nutrition e-books already on the market.
Know Your Audience – and What They Read
Who are you trying to reach? Do you want new moms between the ages of 25-35 to know about your back-to-school meal planning template? Be specific in defining your audience. Think about what they read both in print and online. Make a list of your target outlets.
Find Your Writer, Reporter, Freelancer, Contributor
Once you have your target outlets, it’s time to dig up the appropriate point person at these outlets. Spend some time on the outlet’s website and look for a writer, reporter, freelancer, contributor or editor who has written about a topic inline with yours. If you have a new compost bin on the market, search for someone who writes about sustainability issues. Capture their name, title and email.
Craft Your Pitch
Get their attention! Craft a pitch with an attention-grabbing subject line and hook. Show them the benefits of writing about what you are offering – how will their readers’ lives be improved? Refer back to a relevant piece that he/she authored and mention it in your pitch. Provide a strong call to action. What do you want them to ultimately do? Interview you? Review your book? Ask or you won’t receive! Before you send, have an editor friend (or me, ahem!) read and review your pitch for strength, clarity and grammar.
Send Your Pitch – and Follow Up
Send your pitch via email Monday through Thursday for improved odds of it being opened and read. Follow up with them via email within the next three to five business days. If after that you don’t receive a response, my suggestion is to let it go. Look for another outlet or contact. And when you do receive a response from a writer, congrats! Be prompt in your response and engagement! You’ve landed a spot!
What questions do you have about pitching the media?
Photo credit: Freddie Marriage
What’s the secret to landing press coverage? Doing something that will get the media’s attention. Big-ticket stars use this tactic all the time. From celebrities to startups selling widgets, the idea is the same: the media want something that will get their reader’s attention. Give it to them, and your chances of coverage will soar.