Pitching a product idea, story idea, an event…it’s hard to do. In fact, it’s truly a craft, that needs to be worked on over time and honed and perfected. It’s not something that comes easily to most people, and that’s a fact that I think many people overlook.
Over the course of my career, I’ve developed a list of “tips” that I think help even the novice of folks out there.
1. Believe in your idea.
If you have doubts, so will the person on the receiving end. Take your time. Craft an idea that you love. There is never any sense in rushing an idea that is only half-ass and you aren’t totally sure of yet.
2. Be comfortable bragging. In order to secure that perfect story or partnership, you have to be able to sell your idea. That may require going into depth about why you are qualified to pitch the idea in the first place. Your idea/project is the BEST for this particular news outlet or company for a reason. It then goes back to #1, BELIEVE IT!
3. Know your angle.
I get a lot of pitches that are all over the place. You need to focus in on the specifics and make it clear to the recipient why they want to work with you.
4. Differentiate between recipients.
This is an important one and one of my biggest pet peeves. Don’t send the exact same pitch to different companies. Don’t send the same pitch to both a business editor and a lifestyle editor. This goes back to #3 and knowing your angle. Copy and paste is a total cop-out. Regardless of whether you are pitching a company or a news outlet, the recipient wants to feel special. Think about it. Walmart and Target are two totally different companies, even if you get to the core and think they are very similar. You need to know exactly why you should be working with each one, and while you may be able to offer each of them something, they are probably contrasting ideas that require different implementation.
5. Remember that people work with people.
Seems like a “no duh” but I’m going to say it anyway. Pitching is ALWAYS easier if you know the person you are pitching. Take time to get to know your target audience and develop relationships! Let reporters/editors know you are reading their stories. Ask your friends/business contacts if they have relationships with companies and start with basic outreach before making your pitch. It will make YOU much more valuable if you are seen as a true resource rather than a quick hit for a story or project.
There is one other note that I want to make on the pitch topic, but it falls outside of the scope just a smidge. When following up on a pitch, please give consideration to your timing and the recipients schedule. News outlets receive 100+ pitches a day. Companies are inundated with smart, savvy ideas from people who are just itching to work with them. These things take time.
If you don’t hear anything back within 2-3 days, feel free to leave a voicemail or send an email. But remember that they are busy too and sometimes, unfortunately, just don’t have the option to respond to every pitch they receive. If you don’t hear back within a few weeks, reevaluate your idea or your angle. Find ways to work on developing the right relationships with your target audience and try again.
Like I said in the beginning, pitching is an art. It takes time to learn, but practice makes perfect.
Thank you so much for your presentation at NC Blog Conference!
We have similar situations where I work as a FT Marketing Coordinator but, find it hard to pull my own pitch together when I get tons across my desk frequently.
I look forward to keeping up with this series and trying to apply it when I reach out to companies for sponsorship or otherwise. 😉