Blog
03.11
PR: The Power of the Pen or the Rolodex?
A fun respite of mine while researching the news is the “Bad Pitch Blog,” which recently brought up the age-old question in this business, “Is it what you know or who you know?”
Ask that question to any PR pro a few years ago and you will get a myriad of responses. Today’s deplorable economy and recent spell of unfortunate layoffs creates a different retort because those we know are no longer in a place to care about what we know. This brings us back to the pitch itself.
A pitch should never be about superlative fluff and sexy quotes. We should craft a story, a lead for these reporters who need stories (though they may not admit it to us all the time). Do that, and it’s the chicken before the egg – the pitch creates the new relationship.
Want a reporter to trust you? Create a concise overview of the bigger picture with enough room to ask one question, “When can I talk to your client?” If you know someone who pelts the press with inane, blind copy pitches, odds are those are being filed in the “Why I don’t like PR people” bin.
In short, bad pitches do not become good relationships. The industry as a whole is losing many great relationships, so we either have to start from scratch or greatly value the contacts we have.
Don’t use this post as an excuse to bake cookies for that certain editor you’ve had your eye on, but at least learn to send a strategic e-mail, a creative lead and a short overview that shows you were thinking about it.
At least then, what you know will impress those you want to know.
Post new comment