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How to Sell Your Story to the Press

in 60 Seconds or Less

PR & Media Relations Summit Michelle Leff Mermelstein, APR

@michelleleff

April 7, 2016




Put Yourself in Their Shoes

• Imagine if day in, day out, you picked up the phone or checked your email only to get a

constant barrage of messages relating to subjects that had nothing to do with you. A great

media pitch reflects the audience that reads, watches or listens to the media outlet and the

journalist it is tailored for.

• A winning media pitch has been tweaked or even crafted with the end audience in mind. If it’s

going to a specific journalist, it references what they’ve had to say on the subject and how or

why your angle furthers the conversation or adds a dimension of value to his or her readers.

• Your best shot at getting coverage is to help the journalist by giving them a new angle, or way

of looking at a story or topic that matters to them and to their audience.




A Two-Way Street

Never forget that reporters need us as much as we need them. Reporters and news

organizations need to tell a good story.

A good story offers insight into the human condition, or highlights an injustice, or raises an issue

of importance, or helps the audience solve a problem, or in some way fulfills a need specific to

their audience. Your angle needs to further the discussion on something topical or draw attention

to a new problem and how your product or service is the solution.

Journalists want to feel like they’ve taught the audience something new.




How to Sell Your Story

• Prepare, prepare and prepare some more.

• Select 10 news targets and follow them diligently. Your “Top Ten” deserves customized email

pitches every time.

• Craft the perfect email pitch.

• Package your story – what can you give the reporter beyond just words? Can you make your

story visual?

• Don’t save your subject line until the end – craft it at the start to frame your story.

• Pick up the phone and get personal.

• Always add value and become a trusted resource.




What is an Effective Pitch?

• You have only a few words before the journalist reading or hearing your pitch decides if they

want more or it’s game over. A good pitch lays out why a story matters and makes the case for

doing a certain story at a certain point in time. Pitches should be personalized, shorter and

more informal than press releases.

• Successful pitches are personalized, direct and to the point, stand out and communicate why

the news story is important and relevant to the writer and their audience. One-on-one pitching

is time intensive; it requires thought, creativity and some digging; but, if you truly want to break

through to target media outlets that count, it is the most effective way to do so.

• The shotgun approach (mass blast emails) does not generate a return on investment. Instead,

pitch individual reporters with customized ideas that provide real value for the journalist’s

readers.




Pre-Outreach is Key

If you do your homework, you’ll have a way better shot. Before any project is planned, pre-

outreach is essential.

• Know who covers your topic, what they have written on it and how timely it is. Don’t expect a

story on your brand of widgets from a reporter when they just covered widget trends last week.

Research the publications that cover your industry and your client.

• Determine Your Story Angle: Be sure you have a clear and focused idea and story to tell the

media. Reporters are always looking for news -- that is, something "new" or "different” – and

so are their editors. Ideas that make it into the news are said to be "newsworthy.“

• Is your pitch newsworthy? Is it truly new? or a "new" way of thinking about an old issue? Is it

timely? Sometimes "news" is timed to coincide with a related event so that it is staged to be

"happening now.“ Can what you're working on be related to something that's currently in the

news? What is your news hook?




Prepare Your Pitch

• Gather Facts and Data: Journalists like hard figures and trends. A well researched idea with

supportive facts goes a long way.

• Timing is everything. Your chances improve when you can say "This is a hot topic right now,

because..." Your pitch stands to become a story if it is likely to be timely, whether it’s around a

holiday, current news item or season.

• Identify and learn about your target media. What is the focus of the outlet you are pitching? Who

are you reaching out to, is it the best person at the publication? Do some research and know who

you are pitching.

• Read first, pitch second - Scan the publications you plan to reach out to and the reporters you

think cover your space, then read their articles. Reading will give you a better sense for the

reporter’s interests and enable you to write a better pitch.

• Use common sense. It's easy to get caught up in a press list and just start sending one after

the other. Stop and do your research - Did they write this already? Will it appeal to them based

on their most recent work? Is the angle I'm using even a fit for this outlet?




Reach for the “Golden Rings”

What are your DREAM Publications? What will it take to get a placement in those targets?




Determine Your Top Targets

Choose a select group of targets who matter most and personalize your emails to each of them. Study

their work (especially what they are excited about on Twitter) and cite that in the first sentence of your

email. Only then tell how your (brief) pitch fits in to the type of things they cover, but is different enough

from what they’ve already covered that it is still new. Be genuine!

“I read an article you wrote about ‘5 Places to Witness One of Nature’s Greatest Fall Spectacles’

and appreciated your sharing where people could view monarch butterflies during their

annual migration.”

“How are you? I noticed you started the ‘Let’s Eat’ segment for USAToday.com . . . I just

watched the vid you did on McCormick and it’s awesome; it was really interesting to learn

about all the different technical and flavor innovations they use to predict trends and stay

relevant in the industry.”

Once you have selected your top ten targets, make an effort to build and maintain relationships with

these journalists and bloggers. Building relationships with writers can come with a learning curve, but

eventually the interaction between you and the writer comes naturally. Communicate with them like they

are humans, because they are.




Nurture Your Top Ten Relationships

• Follow these ten publications, whether it’s online or print, and read one article a day from each

publication. Over time, you’ll get a sense of what particular writers are interested in writing

about, and you’ll be able to gauge the tone a publication utilizes.

• The best part about this is that you become a READER! Dive right in there, submit comments,

ask questions. Engage with the writer. In the end, you can use this knowledge to your

advantage.

• Read the newspaper and everything you can get your hands on about your subject matter. Truly

be a SME for your reporters and your employer/clients. Consume the news. Love the news. Pay

attention to industry news, set Google alerts and follow important peers on Twitter.




Pitching Beyond Your Top Ten

• For the rest of your media targets, draft a pitch you can send to all of them that’s as

targeted as possible given the circumstances. Don’t dive in to what’s so great about your

client or company. Start by explaining what’s in it for the journalist or blogger.

• Avoid something obvious like, “I know you cover technology” or “I know you cover the Bay

Area.” Instead, focus as narrowly as you can – this will force you to segment your media list

properly so you’re not pitching people who will have no interest in your subject. Focusing

the first line of your email pitch on the recipient, instead of on you or your company,

changes the tenor of the dialogue.

• Start off strong. The first couple of lines are crucial and key to getting a journalist to read

on. In one or two sentences, succinctly explain what makes your idea newsworthy or a

good story to cover.

• Consider bullets or a list format. For lengthy items such as deals, packages or events you

can sum your deal, package or special offer up in a brief sentence with a few bullet points.

Make it as easy as possible for the journalist to see what’s included, and what the benefit is

to readers.




Make Your Pitch Relevant

• Think beyond just what you (or your client) wants to say, and think about how it fits into a

larger trend.

• Don’t be a snoozer - telling a reporter about your client’s new product/service will be a much

harder sell than talking to them about a new trend that your client is a part of. How do they fit

into the bigger picture?

• When we read news as consumers, unless it’s a straight product review, we never really see

feature stories glowing about one brand.

• Style your message and content to match your audience. Who are you talking to, are you

pitching an AARP audience, a Mommy blog or a business reporter?




Keep it Simple and Direct

• Be Short. Be Straight. Get Out of the Way. Reporters don't have a lot of time to sift through

raw material in search of a story. The easier you can make their job, the more likely they will

use your material. Avoid jargon.

• Get to the point. Don’t use these super long emails about the company. Tell the story of why

its important to the writer’s readership within the first sentence. If you’re pitching a product or

service, tell them upfront what it does and how it can help them. Have a good angle that

shows you understand what makes news.

• Be clear and concise: If they can't understand it, they won't use it. It's best if you've done the

"hard work" for them -- giving them quick "sound bite" material. A good rule of thumb is to

keep the entire pitch to 2-3 short paragraphs.




Understand Their Audience

• Describe why reader’s should care – share your idea's relevance to current events... its

connection to or beginning of a trend... its likelihood to interest a broad cross section of the

reporter’s audience.

• Watch Your Superlatives. Don't make your company, destination, package or person you are

pitching sound hard to believe. Be very careful with hype words like "greatest, biggest, premier,

best, top, exciting." Reporters are trained to look for conflict, lies and exaggerations. They

need to be credible to their audience above all else.

• Pitch a story, not a product. Reporters are after a story for their audience. They want

something that is useful and compelling for their readers. Help them provide a benefit to their

readers.

• Once you have them, leave them alone to do their job and only help where you can. DON’T

check in every few hours.




Package Your Pitch

• Package your pitch - Do not leave your pitch half-baked and be ready to answer questions.

Have the pitch ready to go as if the reporter will want to run it immediately. The less

groundwork a reporter has to do for your story the more likely they are to use it.

• Numbers are great but people are better. Can you provide the reporter or producer access

to someone impacted by your organization, get them an interview with the founder of the

non-profit or offer a celebrity who has close ties to your issue?

Your pitch should include:

• ALL the details

• At least one Executive quote

• Consider third party quote or accolade

• Links to relevant news sources

• Infographics attached as low res with an offer to provide high res

• Images, Videos, Graphics




A Word (or Two!) on Subject Lines

• Shorter subject lines are better. A good rule of thumb is to employ no more than 6 - 10 words.

Strike a balance between brevity and providing a full description of your pitch.

• Keep the tone professional and specific and make those 10 (or less) words work for you.

Speak directly to reporter’s beat. Describe what you’re pitching and why it’s relevant to what

they write about. Avoid the temptation to be witty or cute. This is not the time for humor.

• Start with your keywords or phrase. Write it as in a headline. Don’t use all caps. Be specific,

descriptive and short. Consider letting them know in the subject line if it is time-sensitive.

• Think of your subject line like a tweet – only shorter. You have to say what you need to in a

compelling way with limited words/characters.




The 60-Second Phone Pitch

A phone pitch can sometimes make a difference by elevating your pitch above the others. Live,

person-to-person telephone calls make emotional connections between your pitch and the media.

1. Know what they do. People are more likely to be receptive if you sell the story to appeal to their

areas of interest.

2. Have all the information in front of you. Print out the media advisory, the news release, the pitch

script, and anything else you may need and have them within arm’s reach. You don’t want to lose

their interest as you scramble to find the name of the keynote speaker.

3. Be concise. Reporters are busy – get to the point right away. Use clear, simple language and

avoid jargon. Do not lose sight of your purpose: telling a story worth reporting in a short amount of

time.

4. Paint a picture. Help the reporter visualize the story.

5. Be Enthusiastic – Believe in your pitch and the story, and never

underestimate the way your enthusiasm can rub off on someone else.




Media Relations is About Relationships

• Connect with your top targets on social media and interact with their posts on a regular basis.

This will get your name into their heads, so that when your pitches land in their inbox, they

recognize your name.

• Don’t stalk them but, instead, engage with them authentically! The key truly is cultivating a

genuine relationship.

• Don’t always ask, request and expect things from your friends in the media. Show interest in

the stories they tell, get to know them, engage with them, then pitch stories when they are

relevant and newsworthy.

• Members of the media are much more likely to listen to you or read your pitch when you have

taken the time to get to know them and where their interests lie. Good Media Relations is about

building and maintaining relationships with key media, when you have a story to pitch as well as

when you don’t




Add Value to Target Media

• Be a resource too! Don’t go “old-school” and just ask for something without providing

additional value back. Help with the stories that you are asking the reporters to create. That

may mean having additional resources other than just your client or providing references for

journalists stories. Think about third parties that can tell your story. What else can you give

the reporter beyond just your client or company as a source?

• The more you can help them, the more they can see you as a partner and resources. In my

experience, if you are willing to help put the pieces together and make the story well-

rounded, journalists respond much better and you can develop a genuine partnership with

the media.

• Craft an outline of the story for the writer. Make sure the writer knows who they can

interview (both internal to your client and external if it makes sense), provide relevant

website links, attach photos or videos and offer ideas for images.




Be a Resource – not a Pain

• The key to a successful pitch is to really cater to the needs of the reporter and to make it

personal. You should be a resource not a burden.

• With that in mind, it’s also really important to nurture the relationships behind your screen.

Take the time to get to know reporters, understand their needs, and how you can best help

them. Know their deadlines, their beat and their interests.

• If you can, take the time to meet them in person, offer to meet them near their office/preferred

place of business/industry conference in real time and life.

• Journalists are people too. If you treat them like some sort of email landfill, then you’re

probably going to fail miserably. The people that get the best results are the ones who put in

that extra effort and time.




Using Social Media to Pitch

• Social media is a must. It’s simply another way we communicate now and using it as a means

of pitching is a no-brainer.

• If you have a relationship with a reporter – either in person or on social media – than you can

and should reach out to them with a DM on Twitter. This tactic cuts through the noise and is

less likely to get caught in the clutter like a random email. Generally speaking, Twitter can be

a great place to pitch journalists who are often very engaged with Twitter. Most reporters will

be happy to chat with you on Twitter about topics relating to their beats.

• Remember tweets are public; don't mass tweet pitches to several reporters and outlets. As

soon as you pitch a journalist, they will likely click on your Twitter profile to learn more. If they

see that your last 20 tweets are copy-pasted versions of the tweet you sent him, he'll quickly

lose interest.

• Facebook is for friends, and friends don't pitch friends. Journalists never want to be pitched on

Facebook.




The Best Media Relations Pros…

• Ask reporters what they are working on.

• Find out their reporter’s deadlines and respect them.

• Keep track of reporter’s beats and recent coverage.

• Take the time and show they are interested in building genuine relationships.

• Provide substantive background information and remember that not all reporters are subject

matter experts.

• Anticipate likely questions — and answers — in advance.

• Foster positive mutually-beneficial relationships.

• Pick up the phone and don’t rely only on email to sell your story.

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Final Thoughts and Tips

• Check the spelling of the name of the person you are pitching to.

• Just like your mother told you - ALWAYS say thank you. Whether they accept the pitch or not,

thank them for their time. Gratitude matters.

• Treat reporters with respect – they have earned it. Be authentic, and genuine.

• Don’t forget to include your contact information. Make sure you include your phone number in

your email signature so they can get a hold of you if they need to.

• Include a link to your website. This might seem simple but a lot of people forget to do this.

• Proofread. Proofread. And then proofread again.

• If you genuinely believe in your story, writers might also see the story spark, too. It’s okay to be

passionate. Enthusiasm can be faked but it’s no substitute for passion. Passion moves people

to take action.

• Respond quickly, concisely and thoroughly – many writers are working on short deadlines and

time is essential.

• If they do ask for something you don’t have at your fingertips, ask what their deadline is and be

sure to meet it.

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