Pearl Lemon, an SEO agency in London, contacted me recently and asked my opinion on "the biggest mistake brands make when doing their own PR" for a blog post they're writing featuring 28 PR experts. Skipping research was an easy call.
>>> Research, I told them, lets you determine if the media outlet is appropriate for your pitch.
>>> It lets you identify the best staff member to direct your pitch to, along with contact info.
>>> It lets you use their name in the salutation of the email.
>>> And it allows you to personalize your pitch by referring to a previous article or body of work, letting the journalist, broadcaster or blogger know you know who they are, and what topics they cover.
Example of a customized pitch:
"Hi Jeff. Your article in the January issue of Home Security magazine listed the best tips for keeping homes safe from burglars. Your readers who don't own dogs might be interested in knowing about a new tool I created that mimics the sound of a barking dog when someone knocks at the door, or tries to break in, while the homeowner is away..."
Do you think Jeff would be eager to interview the person who wrote that? I would be!
Researching and sending customized pitches to 10 media outlets will usually bring you far greater results than sending the same pitch to 200 media outlets.
Why? Because the recipient of your pitch will think, "This is perfect for our audience."
When I receive the same generic pitch from people who want to write for my blog, but they never mention what they want to write about, I often think, “They have no clue who I am or what my readers want. They scraped my email address from a list of bloggers.”
You can find more examples of how to write customized pitches to accompany the same press release, and how to use pitches in tandem with a release, in my free course “89 Press Release Tips” at https://PublicityHound.com/prwriting No opt-in required. You can read one tip a day, or fly through the entire course in a few days.
Your friend,
Joan
aka The Publicity Hound
P.S. When Pearl Lemon publishes my response and those from the 27 other PR experts, I'll be sure to send you the link.