PR News’ Writing Boot Camp:

Crafting Successful Email Pitches

#PRWriting

Key Topics: •Target and tailor your pitch •Email pitch do’s and don’ts •Anatomy of an email pitch •Sample pitch •Consumer Tech Pitching

What We’ll Cover

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Target Your Pitch

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“It's frustrating to get queries from people who obviously have no idea what kind of content we

publish.” – Editor at multi-city style-and-culture blog

Research publication/website/TV or radio show you’re pitching: • Do they cater to your target audience? • Do they cover the type of story you’re pitching? • In which section or segment would your story would

fit? • Which writers/reporters/producers handle the type of

story you’re pitching?

Know the Outlet

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TRADE CONSUMER Variety, Deadline.com Entertainment Weekly, E! Billboard Vibe, relix, Rolling Stone Architect Dwell, Elle Decor Automotive News Car & Driver, Motor Trend WWD, DNR Elle, Vogue, Nylon, Allure

Know the Outlet

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“There are an awful lot of lazy, form-letter email pitches out there. Many that I get are off-topic and it's clear the sender has no idea who I am or what I cover. If you can find time to Google, say, your pet-

sitter, you can find time to Google me.” – Los Angeles Times reporter.

Know the Journalist

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• Research the writer/blogger/reporter/producer. • What is their beat/specialty? • Do they do stories about your subject/industry? • Are they passionate about any particular aspects of

their beat? • What similar pieces have they done recently?

Know the Journalist

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Know Your Story

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“It's always a little shocking when they can't even spell their client's name right. I see press releases where the client's name is spelled two or even three different ways.”— Fashion and

design blogger

Get it right: • Understand the product, service, idea or statistics

you’re pitching. • Check your facts—is it really the first, biggest,

longest, most efficient? • Make sure all spellings, names and titles are correct. • Use consistent style. • Avoid typos—have more than one person read it.

Know Your Story

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What’s the “hook”? What sets the story apart and makes it newsworthy? Does your product, service or brand:

• Solve a common or important problem? • Bring a new twist to a traditional business? • Have an unusual or inspiring backstory?

Know Your Story

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Why now? Can you tie your pitch into: • A current business or consumer trend? • Survey or study results? • A cultural event (e.g. elections, major sporting event,

popular movie or TV show, etc.)? • Seasons/holidays/weather?

Know Your Story

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Think like a journalist: • What kind of piece would it be? • Could your product, service or expert be part of a

larger trend piece? • What would the headline or on-air promo tease be? • What questions might a journalist have? Are you

prepared to answer them? • Can you provide written background information?

Know Your Story

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DO: • Make sure it’s newsworthy and right for the outlet. • Get to the point and focus on the one or two most

important aspects of the story. • Tell journalists why they—and their readers—should care. • Know your stuff—be prepared to answer detailed

questions. • Think like a journalist. • Get it right!

Email Pitch Do’s and Don’ts

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Email Pitch Do’s and Don’ts

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“It truly annoys me to see a tease that doesn't

live up to its promise.” — Copy chief at major city

alternative weekly.

DON’T: • Overhype the story. • Use jargon unless absolutely necessary. • Assume the journalist is an expert in the subject. • Make the pitch longer than it needs to be (4 paragraphs—

3/4 page—maximum). • Be boring.

Email Pitch Do’s and Don’ts

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Suggested Format: • Subject line • Introduction • “Nut” graph • Interview/Review/Site Visit Proposal (Optional) • Additional Info (Optional) • Closing graph

Anatomy of an Email Pitch

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Goal: Get journalist to open email • Should be attention-grabbing—but don’t overhype

• Sell the story, not your (client’s) product or service

• Funny or clever is great, but clear and compelling is

much more important

Anatomy of an Email Pitch: Subject Line

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What Makes Readers Click: 1. Save money/time 2. Improve appearance/health/love life 3. Help career/business/investment 4. Emotional/poignant 5. Interesting/informative 6. Provocative/controversial 7. Relationship/marriage/child-raising advice 8. Funny/sexy/juicy/titillating

Anatomy of an Email Pitch: Subject Line

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Anatomy of an Email Pitch: Introduction/Lede

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“Some emails begin with greetings like, ‘Hey, Scott! What's up? Hope

you're having a good new year,’ as if the sender and I are old friends from back in the day. It's not a good way

to start a relationship.” –Entertainment writer at big-city daily.

Goal: Introduce yourself and story idea • Tone should be respectful, especially if you haven’t

established a relationship with the journalist • Show that you’re familiar with what the journalist

does—if possible, compliment a recent piece • Explain why you think the story would be of interest

to their readers

Anatomy of an Email Pitch

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Goal: Clearly describe the most interesting aspects of the story • Provide just enough information for the journalist to

get the basic idea • If pitching a product or service, describe the benefits

to readers

Anatomy of an Email Pitch “Nut” Graph

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Goal: Let journalist know what you’re offering

• Propose expert/executive interview, review copy, site visit, event coverage, etc.

• Give them a brief preview of what they can expect.

Anatomy of an Email Pitch: Interview/Review/Site Visit Proposal

(Optional)

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Goal: Provide journalist with added ammunition • Help persuade her—and superiors—that story is

important, timely and well-targeted • Essential background information on product, service

or brand

Anatomy of an Email Pitch: Additional Info (Optional)

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Goal: Get the journalist to follow up • Call to action: Let them know what the next step

would be (Interview client? Attend event? Receive additional material or review copy?)

• Thank them for their time/consideration

Anatomy of an Email Pitch Closing

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Subject: Tablets poised to replace cash register and transform retail industry Hi [Business/Tech Reporter]: I enjoyed your piece last year about the changes mobile computing is bringing to the healthcare industry and thought this might be a story that would also resonate with your readers. It’s a technology trend that is upending a century-old industry while making life easier and more productive for small-business owners.

Sample Email Pitch – Part 1: Subject Line and Introduction

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Thousands of small stores and restaurants have discovered they can reduce costs and provide a better customer experience by using tablets instead of outdated, expensive cash registers. This trend is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years, completely transforming both the retail and point-of-sale (POS) industries.

Sample Email Pitch - Part 2: Nut Graph

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I’d like to put you in touch with Jason Richelson, CEO of ShopKeep POS, to speak about: • How the POS market is expected to change in the

next three to five years • Why traditional POS leaders such as Micros, Radius

and NCR are struggling to compete with newer, more agile, open systems

• How retailers can improve customer experience, extend brand loyalty, and better engage consumers through mobile POS

Sample Email Pitch - Part 3:

Interview Proposal

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ShopKeep POS is an iPad-based system that allows merchants to run and analyze their businesses through an easy-to-use and inexpensive cloud-based interface. It is currently used by more than 2,000 small businesses nationwide and was recently chosen by PayPal as the first East Coast pilot partner to accept PayPal mobile payments.

Please let me know if you would like to speak with Jason about this growing trend.

Sample Email Pitch - Part 4: Additional Info and Closing

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∗ Hit the target: Look for ways to tailor your writing for the audience of the outlet you’re pitching. How can the product or service improve life for the primary audience?

∗ What’s new? A huge number of new products come onto the market every day, many

of which offer the same or similar features. Point out—honestly—any innovations your product or service is introducing and why they are significant.

∗ Paint a picture: Most of us don’t know how many baby pictures a terabyte of memory

can hold. Make specs more relatable by offering concrete, practical comparisons.

∗ Compare and contrast: Use familiar products as benchmarks to convey a technological advancement (e.g. “costs half as much to operate as a traditional incandescent bulb”)

∗ Solve a problem: Technology is most compelling when it provides a solution to a common problem.

Consumer Technology Pitching Tips

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PR News’ Writing Boot Camp:

Crafting Successful Email Pitches

#PRWriting