The pitch is a clear way to avoid having a press release fail. A pitch is a quick idea about a possible story that you give to busy editors. Send them the press release if they want to know more.
That brings me to one of my biggest pet peeves: sending press releases to a list of editors via email. From what I've seen, it has never, ever worked. I don't do it anymore, and you shouldn't either. It wastes your time and the time of all the editors. Instead:
- Give your full attention to a few of your "dream publications." I'd like to be in Fortune Small Business, Entrepreneur, and The Wall Street Journal. Think about the people you want to reach when choosing your publications. What do they read, and why do they?
- Know what the editor is looking for. The most important thing to know about the editors you want to work with is what kind of information they want to put in their sections. That can be done in two ways: You could ask, but that could lead to trouble if the editor doesn't want to be called, which is usually the case. Or, you could look at a few back issues of the magazine to see what they've written before.
- Find out who is in charge. Find out who is in charge of your section once you have it. You'll need the person's name, email address, and, most importantly, the most important thing you need to do to get published.
- Make your pitch. You should start your pitch by telling the editor what you know about their needs. Then, make a clear list of bullet points that show how your news fits his or her needs. Note: Always include your phone number in the pitch email so that the editor can easily get in touch with you and hear about your story.
- Do steps 1 through 5 again and again until you hear back. Seem boring? Maybe. But at least you'll get a lot more out of the time you spend on this than if you sent one press release to thousands of editors at the same time as other business owners who also wanted coverage.
- Choose the section where you want to be. You never know, but it's likely that you won't be on the cover of the magazine on your first try. Instead, try to get your name in sidebars, resource lists, and short news sections. Nearly every print shop has them. Think of it as a place to wait for bigger and better stories about your unique products or services.
In the end, it's about making friends with editors. And the only way to build a relationship is to find a need and meet it over and over again with care.
