Pitching

2) Make the Introduction

Once you’ve lined up your media targets, all you have to do is send a quick email, and presto—you’re getting your five minutes of fame, right? Guess again. Reporters’ inboxes are constantly flooded with dozens of pitches, including many that are off topic.

A better option would to be to reach out before you’re asking for coverage, without an agenda. Pay attention to the reporter’s latest articles, and when you find a story or podcast you like, send a short but sincere note that lets them know how much you enjoyed it. Even something as simple as, “Hey Frances, I loved your story on preparing Gen Z women for the workplace. I passed it along to my NCNW section.

Journalists—who are stretched thin—will always appreciate a note of gratitude. In fact, they’ll often respond! Journalists can quickly detect an unsolicited pitch, but if they reply to your positive comment, it’s a good opportunity to share a sentence or two about your section is doing and let them know you’re available if they ever wish to follow up.

Pitching

The outreach in step 2 may nor may not earn you an opportunity on its own, but either way, you’re fostering a positive relationship with the reporter with each touchpoint. When the time comes that you do have a pitch to share, the journalist will already have a sense of who you are and is likely to recognize your name in their inbox. This can go a long way toward earning coverage!

As you are planning the event, forum, or news conference here are some things to keep in mind that can help get media coverage.

• Timeliness: Is your event focused on a topic that’s hot in the news right now? If not, can it be connected with an anniversary, holiday, or other event that journalists will be interested in? • Visuals and audio: What would a TV camera see at your event? What can you do to make it visually interesting? What would a radio reporter capture? • Scheduling: Will it be easy for media to make it? Typically, reporters will be available mid-morning and early afternoon. 5:00pm on weekdays is hard for print journalists because they’re finishing stories on deadlines. Are you competing with any big local events on the calendar? Your group will need to balance these considerations with other factors, of course, like finding a time that makes it easy for your members to turn out.

You have finally got their attention! Now make sure you keep it.

Make sure your media list is in good shape. A media list is your group’s running list of media contacts: four local TV affiliates, one or two local radio stations, the political reporters at your local newspapers, notable bloggers, and the AP Daybook. Consider Spanish-language media outlets too.

Write a media advisory. A media advisory is essentially an invitation for members of the press to attend your event. It’s shorter than a press release (one-two paragraphs) and covers the basics of your event: Who, What, Where, When and Why.

SAMPLE