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Your killer media pitch

This week I promised to follow up on the “marketing with media” theme, and offer a template for your killer media pitch. If you want to review last weeks post on writing effective subject lines to get editors attention (frankly the key to ensuring your pitch actually gets opened) you can link to it HERE.

Your killer pitch

Hello _____ (insert producer/reporter name here)

I loved your recent article/show on _______ (insert topic), and then something that you found valuable. Basically you want to quickly demonstrate that you actually read or view their stuff, and have shown that you’ve selected them for their interest in the area you are pitching. This is a key differentiator that most people don’t take the time to do!

As a ______________ (insert expertise), I’m writing to send you an idea that I think your audience will love. Insert brief statement about your idea here.

Then, put your headline in BOLD. An example might be, “3 Ways body language speaks for politicians better then words.”

Then, answer 3 questions: why now, why is this relevant, why you.

Why now? This is where you tie yourself to something of interest in the news right now. During an election a body language expert could interpret actions of the candidates. If there was a big security breech, an IT expert could offer insight. By tying your expertise to what is on people’s minds right now, you can become newsworthy.

Why is this relevant? This is where you tie the topic to studies and show you have done your research. It might be that $1milion in revenue is lost/day in the economy when a security breech happens. Or it might be that less then 10% of people can read body language well. You want to show the editor or producer that you know your stuff and have insider information on the topic.

Why you? Once they are hooked on the idea, they want to know what makes you a credible interview. While it’s tempting to list off your credentials and awards here, keep it short and be human. Showing a sense of humour can help too. Basically you’re painting a picture that will make you a fun, entertaining and knowledgeable interview.

Include a couple sentences that explain your tip – give them a hint of how the topic could be flushed out in interviewing you. Again, best to be brief and tight with your words.

Your contact info: Email and cell for sure. You may also want to include a website, Twitter handle, or LinkedIn profile link.

Seriously, that’s it. This is exactly the “secret sauce” I use for my own pitches and those that I make on behalf of clients. Of course you need to do a little investigative work in finding the media contacts to send your pitch too. But that’s likely a topic for a future newsletter and post.

Did you find this post useful? Would you like to receive weekly tips like this to help you market your business with all types of media – from owned, rented, earned, embedded and paid media? I’d suggest you sign up for my weekly newsletter then! There’s a handy-dandy link right below.

Or if you prefer just mark this site in your feed and visit us weekly that way. (The e-news has a few extra insider tips though, so maybe do both!)Until next week…

Mary Charleson

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