Add More Spice To Your PR Life
I promise this is not just another blog about media relations. Okay, maybe it is… but this one will teach you my secret to gaining media coverage: being a normal person. Shocked? Let’s get into it.
Long gone are the days of sending mass emails with the same pitch to hundreds of journalists, and obviously, I’m here for it. There is so much value in personalizing your pitches to journalists and connecting with them on new levels. Blah, blah, blah, I’m sure you’ve heard it before. But in reality, there are a lot more PR people than journalists (a 6:1 ratio to be exact), so it’s up to us to interact with them in ways that they will appreciate and actually spend time responding to.
We already have a (great) blog about what earned media is all about, so I’m here to share my tips on how to elevate your success with dashes of strategy, creativity, and a whole bunch of personality.
Do Your Research
As students, we are taught earning media coverage starts with a strong media list, but what strategies are you using to build it? For starters, you’ll need the journalist's name and email, the publication they write for, and their beat. But you should go a step further and add links to a few relevant articles to better understand who exactly you’re pitching to. Muck Rack’s 2023 State of Journalism report shows 24 percent of journalists have immediately rejected a pitch due to a lack of personalization. So this part is pretty major.
To get to know the journalist, spend some time reading one or two of their pieces, as well as their bio. Essentially, what you’re looking for goes beyond a deeper understanding of their collection of work. You’re looking for your “in.”
What exactly is your “in” you ask? It's when you find one or two things that you can relate to, as the normal person you are with the capability to relate to others. You’ll also want to look for something that relates to whatever it is you’re pitching.
After you find these two things, you’re ready to pitch.
Go Beyond the Script
I once pitched something that got this response: “I'm not sure why every PR person pitches ‘here is why my client is awesome,’ when all you need to do is say, ‘here is how we can bring value to your audience.’" Yikes.
My response? I went through every sentence of the original pitch explaining how it would bring value to his audience. Although it was tedious, this taught me how to emphasize the importance and relevance of everything I pitch. In other words, go beyond the script to relate to the journalist’s audience and the communities their words impact. Identify the meaning of what you are pitching, and make sure the journalist can see it too. At the end of the day, it's their job to deliver interesting, relatable stories to their readers that will cause them to act in some way or feel some type of way.
For example, it’s not just a scholarship, it’s advocating for students who might not otherwise be able to access higher education without it. Again, it’s not just a new restaurant that opened in town, it’s a new date night spot for couples just in time for Valentine's Day.
That’s the value journalists are looking for.
Let Your Personality Shine
As I’m sure you’ve gathered from our short time together so far, I’m a huge advocate for being a normal person when engaging with journalists. Think about it, we’re both just sitting at our laptops for eight hours a day trying to accomplish our work tasks: pitch good stories and find good stories to write about. We’re the perfect pair, so why ruin that by getting in your head and limiting yourself?
Maybe it's the Gen-Z in me, but I believe it’s okay to bring your personality into your work *gasp!* The trick is finding the right amount to sprinkle into your pitches without taking away from the meaning of the pitch.
For those who learn best from examples, here’s how I started a recent pitch about a product for an e-commerce journalist’s Mother’s Day gift guide:
“First off, thank you for introducing me to the Eight Saints eye cream. I am only a mother to a hamster but my eyes need a little TLC. On the topic of moms…”
In two short sentences, I told the journalist that I am familiar with their past work and also told them a bit about myself. Now, I know what you’re thinking: strange. But they responded! Sometimes things as simple as that are the break they need from all the seriousness in the world. Letting a smidge of your personality shine shows journalists there is a fellow person on the opposite end of the email instead of some PR robot desperate for media coverage.
Always Say Thank You
I’ll keep this one short: always say thank you. Odds are you don’t sit in silence after someone does you a good service, and if you do, that’s not very nice. Whether you send them a hand-written letter (I recommend this) or an email, make sure to say thank you for spreading the word about whatever you pitched them. Be authentic about it too! When I got my first piece of earned media, I told the journalist to let them know how much it meant to me.
If you want to really show your appreciation, consider sharing the story online. 62% of journalists track how many times their stories are shared on social media, which I see as a huge opportunity for them to want to continue working with you in the future.
As you begin working for that earned media, never be afraid to add a little spice. I guarantee you’ll be able to taste the difference.
About Amberly
Amberly Dzimira is a senior from Romeoville, Illinois studying Advertising & Public Relations with a minor in Management. She serves on the GVPRSSA executive board as its President, the WMPRSA DEI committee, and is the PRSSA East-Central District Ambassador. She has completed internships with 8THIRTYFOUR, John Ball Zoo, and GVSU Alumni Relations and will be working as an Account Executive at FischTank PR upon graduation.