Three Girls Media

Make your pitch stand out from the pack

Journalists and bloggers literally receive hundreds of pitches, or story ideas, a day. How do you make sure yours doesn’t get lost among the masses? Here are 5 tips for writing a pitch that stands out from all the others:

1. Before you start writing, think about why the outlet’s readers should care and summarize it in one sentence. For example, if you make high quality chocolate that looks like sushi, why would Moms and Dads reading a parenting magazine care? One successful angle we used for this was sushi she could eat while pregnant.
2. Include the summary of why readers should care at the beginning of the pitch – within the first sentence if possible. This will ideally catch the reporter’s attention right away and provide incentive to keep reading.
3. Include additional information about the product, company or service – but not too much! You want to give the writer enough information to decide if this is something they might cover, although you also need to keep it short. A good rule of thumb is to keep the entire pitch to 2-3 short paragraphs, so it fits on one computer screen.
4. Include a link to your website. This might seem simple, but a lot of people forget to do this. Provide a URL that links directly to more information. For example, if you’re pitching your line of summer hats (as opposed to winter jackets or wool sweaters), link directly to your “Summer Hats” page.
5. Include your contact information. Although most reporters prefer to communicate via email, some will pick up the phone and call if they’re on deadline. Make sure you include your phone number in your email signature so they can get a hold of you if they need to.

What do you think? Are there additional tips would you include in this list?

Photo Credit: laRuth

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