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Biggest Mistakes When Pitching a Story
| Guest post by: Harvey Farr |
Article Overview: Pitching stories to the media is a skill that takes practice. Most PR courses don't teach pitching skills. It takes an understanding of the media, knowledge of the industry category your product or services is in, and some common sense. Here are the biggest mistakes PR people make when trying to get media coverage for their company or product.
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Free Download - Biggest Mistakes When Pitching a Story By Harvey Farr |
Biggest Mistakes When Pitching a Story
Mistake #1: The media wants to promote your company or product
No they don't. If you're pitching the media and all you're talking about is how great your company is and the products/services you produce, then you might as well hang up the phone on yourself. The media's job is to report interesting, unique, unusual stories, not give free advertising. If you want them to talk about how great your company is, buy an ad because that's what they will tell you.
Mistake #2 The media have time to read long, complex emails
No they don't. The average reporter or producer probably gets 500 email pitches a day from PR people. They can't possibly get to them all with any detail. Pitches have to be succinct, clear and to the point. Remember, selling a story is like selling a product. You have competition. You are competing with thousands of other PR people selling their stories. And, you are competing for a reporter's time.
Mistake #3 Not knowing what your target media cover
Media reps get very testy when they are being pitched a story that they never cover. If you're pitching a story with a show business element, don't call the business reporter at your local paper unless there also is a business angle. Do some research. Find out who covers what and tailor the pitch to the right person. It will not only save time, but you will get much better results.
Mistake #4 Not knowing the product or service you are pitching
You'd be surprised how many PR firms put a client's product in front of an intern and tell them to start calling. What inevitably happens is if they get a reporter with any interest, the reporter often will know much more about the product and the industry than the intern that is calling. This is very embarrassing. Make sure that whomever does the pitching knows everything there is to know about what they are pitching including other companies that offer the same product.
Mistake #5 Not following up and following up too much
Pitches should always be done in writing via email. Wait two days and give the reporter a call. Call in the morning. If you send a pitch and forget about it, chances are so will the reporter (unless it is critical, front page news). But then again, if the answer is no, and often it is, let it go. Arguing with a reporter or trying to convince him/her that your story is a good one will only make it more difficult next time you try to pitch a story they may actually be interested in.
Effectively pitching stories is close to an art. It requires practice and often the services of a professional who has been doing it a long time.
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Article Tags: Los Angeles pr firms, Los Angeles public relations firms, marketing, media, pitching, pitching stories, pr, public relations
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Related Forum Posts
Five Biggest Mistakes Women Make in Business
- Looking for some information I found an interesting article which mentions about “Five Biggest Mistakes Women Make in Business.”
1. Flighty Networking—Some women have the mistaken notion that networking means attending as many events as possible and pitching their business. This concept has two fallacies: First, it’s crazy to spend all your time flitting between functions unless you feel confident that your target audience will be there. Rather than attending lots of events, analyze who will be at each one and then determine if it is smart for you to invest your time and money to be there. Second, when you do identify an individual as a potential prospect, describe yourself and your business in a short, interesting way. Then focus on asking questions and really listening to what they say. Remember the old adage: Be Interested rather than Interesting.
2. Being too busy to volunteer—Always be ready to volunteer. Whether it is for CED or another organization to which you belong, always be ready to offer service. I have found that every hour I invest in an organization such as CED comes back to me tenfold.
3. Inflexibility—Today’s world is one of constant change and requires creative, out-of-the-norm approaches to business problems and opportunities. You can’t run a 2007 business playing with a 1999 handbook. It just won’t work. Always be open to listening, observing and trying new things. Always be thinking, “What will my customers want five years from now?” And be sure your business is heading in that direction.
4. Showing your strength by bullying others—I know so many women who have had to be “tough” in order to survive in a male-dominated industry. But the really smart ones have taken a different approach. They have developed a cooperative, consensus-building approach in dealing with others, and this wins out every time.
5. Working from a position of scarcity—Too many businesspeople have a “scarcity mentality.” They believe there is not enough time, not enough money, not enough customers, not enough qualified employees and on and on. Of course there is enough of everything in the world; you just have to look at situations from a slightly different perspective to be able to see it all. It is up to you to share and keep the cycle of success alive, not only for your own organization, but for every business within CED. Pass on what you’ve learned through trial and error, and share your time, energy, and encouragement with others. This is the mark of a truly successful entrepreneur!
Favorite Christmas Movie
- Hands down- for me it's the original (black & white) version of "Miricle on 34th Street" and I have seen the colorized version, but still prefer to watch the B & W version.
Coming in second is "A Christmas Story" which is set in the 1940's where the little boy wants nothing more than a BB gun for Christmas.
And last, I would say it's a wonderful Life (with Jimmy Stewart).
Business lesssons from movies and TV
- There's a new book out on doing business the Sopranos way... that's a TV show I never watched and I'm not interested in the book
But sounds like a fun idea...
Movies and TV do teach us things, even if only subliminally ...
Toy Story is a good example of leadership styles between the "old way" Woody the wooden puppet and the "new way" Buzz the charismatic space ranger...(and one of my favorite movies...)
Mission Impossible the tv series (not the abominable movies) would be great for plannng intricate operations and being prepared for anything...
Re: On taking Action
- [quote="jvprosperity":1hd0zjku]I was surprised to not see the words along the lines of taking deliberate action within the article.
Do yo think it's an important part of the 6 points Evan summarized from the article or is it implied?[/quote:1hd0zjku]
Hi Andy,
I think taking deliberate action is implied in the six points. For instance, I interpret them as follows:
1. Set your sights on where you’re going - Write your goals down on paper.
2. Educate yourself - Read everyday about your field and even take courses on it.
3. Passion pays off - Enjoy what you're doing.
4. Grow your money - Invest your money.
5. No guts, no glory - Go out and sell your product/service/self everyday as if it were last.
6. The Biggest Secret? Stop spending. - Put aside as much money as you can into savings your account/retirement fund.
Book: The System
- [quote:3e8ncw28]What was the name of that book -- the high finance murder mystery?[/quote:3e8ncw28]
Sorry for the delay in answering this question.
The book is:
The System: A Story of Intrigue and Market Domination
Terry Waghorn
Perseus Piblishing
2002
Jacket description:
In a world where competitive advantage is temporary at best - and illusory at worst - there is nothing more important to the business enterprise than creating a robust strategy and executing it with Steve. In The System, Terry WAghorn illustrates this universal theme through an action-packed adventure.
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