By Gil Rudawsky, Rockford Gray Partner
I was asked nearly 20 years how get client stories covered by the media. At the time, I was an editor at the Rocky Mountain News, and offered some timeless tips that still resonate today.
(Note that the tip No. 5 in “what not to do” is out of date, but still a historical footnote.)
I said the most important aspect of a pitch is its “news value,” meaning there needs to be some actual news or a news hook for media and their audiences to care. This is even more true today with fewer journalists. The biggest difference is that 20 years ago, you relied on the media to tell your story. Now, companies or organizations can tell their own stories on owned social media or digital or even print channels. Still, there has to be value to the audience.
I suggested the following tips:
PR Tips: What to do:
- Read the news outlet before you reach out to a journalist. Become familiar with their coverage, angle and style. Make the pitch accordingly.
- Personalize your news so it’s about the ways your company or organization affects people. Be clear on what useful information the media’s audience can take from the reporting. Quote an expert or a client in your pitch.
- Suggest an angle for a trend story, something that captures what’s new, fresh, and exciting.
- If it applies, include the fact that you are local in the subject line. Local news still serves a purpose.
- Paste your query into the body of the message and email (or DM) it to targeted individual reporters.
PR Tips: What not to do
- Don’t hound reporters, editors or producers. Avoid following up more than once. Assume the responsibility of checking whether your story ran.
- If you must pitch by telephone, don’t do it late in the afternoon; any time after 3 p.m. (especially on Fridays) is deadline, and no one will pick and if they do, they won’t be happy to hear your pitch, unless it is truly breaking news.
- Avoid sharing soft news items like hirings or nominal product launches. There are paid avenues for those items.
- If you are a local company, consider hiring a local PR firm to pitch your story. They know the market and often have relationships with reporters.
- Don’t confuse Rocky Mountain News with The Denver Post. Even though the newspapers’ business operations have merged, their “editorial operations are separate and distinct.”
Contact us if you would like to find out how Rockford Gray can help your company or organization tell its story in the media, info@rockfordgray.com
About the author: Gil Rudawsky specializes in issues and reputation management, and crisis communication. He began his career as a reporter in Aspen, Colo., and journalism took him across the country and then back to his native Denver, Colorado, where he worked for the Rocky Mountain News. His journalistic skills – source development, research, credibility, storytelling, and curiosity – remain the foundation of his work with clients. He has experience working on a range of issues across sectors, including federal investigations, corporate and workplace issues, DEI and public advocacy campaigns. He provides expert-level strategic counsel, including on-the-ground support. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California, with a degree in philosophy.