At Infodec Communications, we work with a wide variety of clients on PR pitches. In this blog post, we will share some of our insights for you to consider before planning your next PR pitch.
There are many things that can make a story newsworthy. But, the main thing you should be asking yourself when thinking about a PR pitch is, “is this newsworthy?”
So what does the term newsworthy mean?
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, newsworthy is:
- (adjective) interesting or important enough to report as news.
- (noun) interesting enough to the general public to warrant reporting.
Here are five steps for you to consider when deciding whether something is newsworthy or not to give your pitch the best chance of cutting through:
- Proximity:
If you are writing something that’s happening in Darwin, local journalists in Sydney might not care about your pitch. Why? Because it is not happening here. Even issues in suburbs surrounding Sydney won’t really be relevant to larger metro publications or websites, but local newspapers and news sites may love them.
Local newspapers like content that involves community relations. If your organisation is giving back to the community in some way or another, what are you waiting for? Send that pitch ASAP.
Remember to consider your location and whether your content will be relevant or of interest to the readers of that particular publication or website.
- Audience:
Who is your intended audience for your content? If you are uncertain about who is going to read your content, do not send your pitch just yet.
If you are pitching to a publication that is relevant to your particular industry then the tone of the pitch will be completely different because the people who will be reading the content and the journalist covering that round will already know what you are talking about.
So do some investigating before putting together that pitch email or press release or making that phone call.
- Time:
Consider which events are coming up that you can link into? All year round, events are always happening. It is important to think about this, because it is an easy way to tie your news in with these events. For example, your organisation might be planning to host a spring event. While this might be perfect to plan now, there’s no point pitching it. Why? Because spring is still a while away.
Remember that it is all about the timing. If you send your spring event now, it probably won’t be read because winter only just started. If you send your spring event pitch in after the event, it is irrelevant. Two weeks before an event is a reasonable time-frame.
Having said that some magazines plan for editions some months out, so it’s best to check and see how far ahead editorial content is planned.
Also consider if other major events are happening around the same time that will affect your ability to break through. For example, Melbourne Cup week, Budget week, etc.
- Facts:
Does your pitch need statistics? It depends. If you are a small business, you may want to include survey results. Why? Because it shows proof that your intended audience cares about the story. This equals bonus points for both you and the journalist. Also, adding quotes from credible sources can also strengthen your pitch.
Remember to include statistics and/or quotes if it can increase the strength of your PR pitch.
- Size:
How long should my pitch be? Keep it short and succinct. This is important because journalists are bombarded by plenty PR pitches each day. Put yourself in their shoes; would you really read a PR pitch that is five pages long… single spaced?
Remember to keep it short and succinct: one page is enough if you can manage it.
You won’t be successful every time you pitch. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
But, if you can show that you are sending in relevant and newsworthy information you will eventually develop a reputation as a trusted source.
P.S.: We always like to highlight that it’s a lot easier to link in with current events rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
If you want to know how to get your event or company noticed by the media, get in contact with Infodec Communications. We have a credible track record of getting results.