So, you’ve written a brilliant press release or have a piece of breaking news that needs to go out ASAP. You want to be able to gain the coverage it deserves, right? Well it’s all in the pitch, this will convince the editor why they should cover your story.
To bag that perfect piece of coverage here’s five top tips to ensure that your pitch is always on point, courtesy of PR Daily.
1) Keep your pitch concise. In this instance less is always more as editors don’t have time to look through a long pitch. Too long and you risk your lovingly crafted pitch ending up in the bin.
2) Re-read before you hit send. Journalists are usually forgiving people however a misplaced semi colon or a misspelt word can put a stop to them reading on.
3) Make sure all the news is there. If you have a news based piece refrain from breaking off into who, what, when and where. Keep everything together in one easy to digest paragraph this will help the editor judge how newsworthy your piece is.
4) Understand your audience. Read through the publication you’re writing for to get a feel for who your target audience is. Find out what’s important to them, what they care about and what the style of writing to use.
5) Make it relevant and targeted. Make your piece of coverage something people want to read about. If your piece is regional refer to local places or words, this will help people to affiliate with the piece.
As a B2B agency who prides themselves on forging for natural stories to gain the best coverage for our clients, our top tip would be making your piece authentic. Genuine stories are more appealing and will interest the audience more.
If you’re looking to continue to develop your pitching skills and want a new challenge then you’re in luck! We’re on the lookout for a new SAE/AM. Our perfect candidate would have these skills and more, and want to work in a friendly hard working environment. Send your CV though to Claire.lamb@skoutpr.com including a cover letter with your perfect pitch for why you’d be a good fit for Skout.
Katherine Wilding is Skout’s newest recruit and a PR apprentice.
