Photo: Smith House Photography
So, you've registered your business, the website is up, and your product is ready to ship, but no-one knows about it yet. Now is the time to reach out to publications (both online and off) and create some serious buzz. But how do you pitch yourself to media? We've all been witness to the major changes to the publishing industry, both digital and print, over the past year but there's one thing that stays the same: pitching.
Ahead, our C&C editorial director, Sacha Strebe, has outlined a few things you should consider before compiling that pitch so you get the word out about your amazing new business and the customers start buying.
Priority #1: Grab their attention.
Editors have limited time. They receive a ton of pitches so make sure yours stands out. Really think about your angle and who you’re pitching to. Condense your copy. Add bullet points to amplify the main points you want them to read.
Priority #2: Don’t write clickbait.
Keep it simple and relevant to the pitch. Write a subject line that stands out but isn’t over-promising. Consider a personal touch. Don’t forget to consider WHO you're pitching to!
Priority #3: Tailor your pitch.
Don't pitch the same thing to all publications en masse. Pitch a different angle for each publication. Make it very clear in the email if this is exclusive to their publication or not. If you have pitched it elsewhere, let the editor know and when the other outlet plans on publishing (if you know).
Understand the brand you are pitching to. Read their sites, reference stories or franchises that you love in your pitch. Commend them on the work they're doing and reinforce why you’d love to be featured on their platform. Pitch headlines. Check their site for examples and write a similar headline with your brand/story in mind.
Pro Tip: Make sure you’re calling out the right publication in your pitch. If you’re pitching to Vogue, don’t have a rival publication in your copy.
Priority #4: Don’t guarantee an exclusive if it’s not.
Be transparent. If you can’t guarantee an exclusive then make sure they feel special, too. Perhaps you can secure different parts of the interview or exclusive photos, too.
Priority #5: Make it personal.
Tap into sentiment and emotion. Provide a brief but detailed synopsis of what the pitch topic is about. Make sure you are clear within the first sentence. Two paragraphs are ideal but don’t go beyond three. Editors are busy so you want to grab their attention first, then once they express interest, hit them with detailed information.
Pitch Email Template
Subject Line: Make it short, succinct, and timely (if it's an exclusive, then add that here!)
Email Body:
Hi EDITOR NAME,
I hope you are well. I’m reaching out to pitch you a [EXCLUSIVE?] story around our [LAUNCH, COLLECTION, FOUNDER etc].
We [SHARE NEWS/INFO HERE IN SIMPLE, CONCISE FORMAT]. I’m sharing a few story ideas below that might work for a story on your site [AROUND THE LAUNCH/ABOUT OUR FOUNDER ETC]. We are happy to [COMPILE QUOTES, WRITE AN OP-ED, GIVE EXCLUSIVE IMAGES] and anything else that will help if these are of interest.
STORY TITLE IDEA (research their site and write potential headlines/story ideas that look like stories on their site)
STORY TITLE IDEA
STORY TITLE IDEA
I’d love for you to let me know your thoughts on the above pitches by EOD today if possible as we are holding this exclusive for you and would love to start pulling together the information and imagery you need for any of the story ideas listed. Let me know.
Kindest,
[FOUNDER NAME]
Business Credentials
Ready to pitch to the press and get online exposure?
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