It's not always about you and your client. When it comes to landing media coverage, be a little selfless.
Amid the petty competition between journalists and PR practitioners, one hand washes the other.
So, what's the secret to perfectly pitching a story idea? What are the magic words to convince an editor that your client is worth the space in his paper?
Editors are bombarded with hundreds of requests and pleas a day. Make your client stand out by appealing to an editor's forte — give them a story.
Set them up for success
Provide accurate consumer testimonials. Work ahead: Have a media kit and press release ready to send out. (If you're ambitious, maybe even a B-roll.)
Newspaper staff rely heavily on media releases for story ideas and building contacts. Impress the editor with your willingness to help out and your preparation. It makes you, your client and the potential coverage seem substantial, or more so, worth two seconds out of the editor's day.
What's the story?
Hand the nut graf to the editors. This isn't a sales pitch; it's a story pitch. Lay out the "so what" factor for your client and have justifiable information to back it up.
The more your pitch sounds like a commercial, the more the editor will believe it's suited for such purposes. Do some reporting yourself and undercover how your client, product or company impacts the community.
If it's a national news outlet, localize your client's influence. This point reverts back to the first idea of making the transformation from client to story as seamless as possible.
Be polite
Follow up after you've presented your plan. Check in with friendly reminders to ensure you're achieving your client's goals, but not at the expense of irritating the editor.
When your client is published, thank the staff for its time, consideration and hard work. PR practitioners are designated to build healthy, long-lasting relationships with several publics, but it's worth noting that the media are the most important of those publics.
Ultimately, editors are looking for you to drop the spin. Journalists commit themselves to honest storytelling, so falsely inflated hype has no place in an editor's newsroom or paper.
