Read on to discover:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- What can you learn from bad PR pitches<\/strong><\/a>
- Match the right message with the right audience (and journalist)<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Check your definition of \u201cnewsworthy\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Be transparent about who you are and what you want<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Do your research<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Understand what you\u2019re asking for (and how to ask for it)<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Don\u2019t be a stalker<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Avoid ridiculous or non-existent ties to big names, events, or topics\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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If you\u2019re in a rush, try Prowly Pitching Tool<\/a> and increase your chances of pitching success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nUSE FREE PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATES<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat can you learn from bad PR pitches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Seeing cringy, sometimes laugh-out-loud attempts to get media attention is<\/strong> just the kind of thing to stick in your mind and remind you of some basics the next time you plan your pitch.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When failed PR campaigns are working through a postmortem examination to discover what went wrong, it\u2019s often the case that the problems started with the very first pitch that was sent out. Bad PR pitches can show you what to avoid and why. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So grab some popcorn, and let some seriously bad PR examples guide you to important things you should & shouldn\u2019t do when contacting the media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Match the right message with the right audience (and journalist)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nLet\u2019s start with something that you would think should be pretty obvious and straightforward. We all know that 1) Some media outlets are specialized around a certain topic and 2) Many journalists at every media outlet are specialized around a certain topic. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is not some shocking revelation, is it? Is there anyone who thinks that any random journalist will be interested in any random topic? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, apparently there is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bad](\"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bad-PR-example-no1-1024x974.png\")
Bad PR example<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Reaching out to the right person is one of the absolute basics of any effective PR pitch.<\/strong> And while the \u201cright person\u201d might be hard to identify sometimes, at least be sure that you\u2019re not writing to someone who covers legal affairs with news about babies or anything else not related to legal affairs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nObvious lesson learned:<\/strong> Make sure the interests of your contact are aligned with the content of your pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check your definition of \u201cnewsworthy\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDifferent people have different definitions of words like \u201cexpensive\u201d, \u201cinteresting\u201d or \u201cattractive\u201d, which is fine \u2014 those are subjective terms. However, there are other words that pretty much everyone should understand in much the same way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Words like \u201cnewsworthy\u201d, for example. But unfortunately, it\u2019s clear that not everyone does:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bad](\"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bad-PR-example-no2-1024x362.png\")
Bad PR example<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
A real PR pro understands that one of the absolute basics of pitching is convincing your contacts that whatever news you\u2019re sharing is actually newsworthy<\/em>. This doesn\u2019t mean interesting to the people behind it or anyone who has a professional or financial stake in getting coverage, but interesting to average consumers of a particular media platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\nA real PR pro\u2019s evil twin ignores this and instead sends completely un<\/em>newsworthy announcements to journalists who immediately realize they\u2019re wasting their time and move on to something else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sorry, but no one cares if you hired a new assistant undersecretary to the assistant regional manager or if your company Christmas party was a great success. Journalists need to be convinced that covering your announcement will really be of value to their readers or viewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obvious lesson learned: <\/strong>Be absolutely sure that whatever you\u2019re sharing with journalists is intriguing to them and their audience. Failing to do this will result in your name being associated with junk mail. Good luck connecting with the media after that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be transparent about who you are and what you want<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nHere\u2019s another rule that seems obvious, but so many<\/em> pitches are sent by people who think journalists believe everything and check nothing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bad](\"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bad-PR-example-no3-1024x353.png\")
Bad PR example<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Is there anything more suspicious than \u201cnot a PR pitch\u201d? This is the PR equivalent of email spam and gets the same response from recipients. You don\u2019t have to trick your way into getting attention from media contacts. In fact, by being direct and honest about why you\u2019re reaching out, you\u2019re doing everyone a favor by letting both sides get to the point. <\/p>\n\n\n\nRemember that journalists get tons of emails and yours is often just another part of the daily flood. No one has time for clever games that sound like bad advice from a list of life hacks for public relations. Journalists expect to receive pitches and definitely prefer to be able to quickly read them and get the essence of what\u2019s being offered. Help them out by being transparent and professional right from the start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seriously, why does anyone need to be told not to lie?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obvious lesson learned: <\/em><\/strong>Set the right tone right from the start by communicating in a professional manner, not by tricking someone into falsely believing you\u2019re not asking for media coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do your research <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nNo, you don\u2019t need to write a book about everyone you plan on reaching out to, but you should verify things like, you know, if the person is alive or not:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bad](\"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bad-PR-example-no4-1024x294.png\")
Bad PR example<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Ok, this might be an extreme example, but it shows just how easily you can ruin any chances of success by not checking some basic things before you reach out. This includes simple things like making sure the journalist is still at the same platform, checking to see if they still cover the same topic as last time if you have a previous relationship with them, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThings change and people move around (and die, as at least one PR person found out\u2026). Be sure that your contact list hasn\u2019t become embarrassingly out of date and that you know who you\u2019re writing to, where they work and what they do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Staying current with the names, trends, technology or other relevant information behind your story is a must, too. Asking to interview dead people, for example, is the perfect way to tell your media contact that you don\u2019t spend a lot of time preparing your pitch or learning about your subject matter \u2014 why would they help anyone like that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obvious lesson learned:<\/strong> If you\u2019re using your own contact database, it\u2019s crucial that you take the time to clean up your media lists occasionally<\/a> and make updates where needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understand what you\u2019re asking for (and how to ask for it)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nUnless you are working for or representing one of the mega-brands of the universe, you\u2019ll find that the power equation between you and journalists favors their side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You need them more than they need you. Their inboxes are full of messages just like yours, which makes it really hard to understand how someone actually sent this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bad](\"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bad-PR-example-no5-1024x934.png\")
Bad PR example<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re right, James, that\u2019s not how it works. When you reach out to a media contact, you\u2019re starting a conversation. Yes, both sides understand that you want this dialogue to lead to media coverage, but there is still a getting-to-know-you process. Trying to skip this part usually ends with your pitch getting skipped. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even in today\u2019s world of seemingly endless media choices, media coverage is still a limited and valuable commodity. You don\u2019t just order it up and wait for it, like a pizza, to be delivered to your home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Treating media contacts with the respect of acknowledging their role and the work they do is a must. Even then, you still have to have realistic expectations of what\u2019s possible and what they are willing to do.
\u201cI have a website, now get me a feature in a major UK daily newspaper. Boom, done.\u201d<\/em> No, it definitely does not<\/em> work like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\nObvious lesson learned: <\/strong>Again, you need journalists more than they need you, so your approach should always be governed by treating them professionally and the need to make your case as to why your pitch deserves their attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t be a stalker<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMaybe there\u2019s a parallel universe where everyone responds to your emails within minutes, but here in this world, it takes time. Still, many PR people cannot wait to follow up on their pitches<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bad](\"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/app\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bad-PR-example-no6-1024x859.png\")
Bad PR example<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s acknowledge that there is no scientific formula that gives us a definitive answer to the question of how long you should wait to follow up on your pitch. Still, some common sense can help out here \u2014 why would you follow up just two hours<\/em> after sending a pitch? <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe consensus on this question seems to be that you should wait at least 24-36 hours before you follow up with an email. Journalists repeatedly make it clear that email is their preferred method of contact, and you can understand why. Even if you have their phone number, it\u2019s best to stick to email for your follow-up.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t - Check your definition of \u201cnewsworthy\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Match the right message with the right audience (and journalist)<\/strong><\/a><\/li>