Making a Successful PR Pitch Part I (Action Wednesday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing.  Today is Action Wednesday and we are starting a two part series around how to make a successful PR pitch.

What drives publicity, or PR, is the fact that newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, etc. continuously seek out content.  Since they need content, your job is to share a story with them so they will profile your company.  Doing PR is really 98% preparation and only 2% execution.  Today and tomorrow we are going to discuss ten points to assist you in successfully pitching your story to the media.

Let’s take a look at the first five tips.  Number one is defining the main goal or why you want to share a story.  Don’t do it just for the sake of publicity, there should be a reason.  You may want to get a jump on your competition or share news regarding a new product or service. 

Two – identify the story you have to tell.  It should be something that is unique, compelling, humorous or interesting.  It could have a personal perspective about yourself or somebody in your company.

Next you want to select your target audience.  Who would be interested in reading, hearing or watching this story?

Number four, research the media outlets providing information to your target audience.  Consider local radio stations, newspapers or even a national magazine.

Lastly, develop your story angle taking into consideration why now and what makes this important.  Think like a reporter, create a story that’s going to entice, intrigue and interest the media outlet so they will respond favorable and talk with you further about an opportunity for them to write an article about your business.

Those five points were all about being prepared.  Tomorrow we are going to talk about three more points regarding preparation and two for execution.  The latter is where you get down to talking to the reporter, pitching your story, and hopefully getting it in the press.

Thank you joining us for Action Wednesday.  Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Recon Thursday and Part II of our series on making a successful PR pitch.  To discuss an online or face-to-face service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com.  I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing and we’ll see you next time.