Pitching to the media is one of the most important stages of a PR Campaign, it’s the moment that will make or break it. This is how to be pitch perfect!
Pitching . . . Not of the bat and ball variety. Pitching is basically presenting an idea to someone else or a business. Believe it or not, every single person at some stage in their life no matter what industry they work in has actually delivered a pitch. Ever written a dating BIO? That’s pitching yourself. Presenting yourself in a job interview talking about your best attributes? Again, that’s pitching yourself. The key to a successful pitch, is putting your best thoughts and ideas forward and doing it in a way that is enthralling and engaging.
Ever heard of the saying ‘Elevator Pitch’ picture yourself in an elevator and how quickly that ride lasts, it’s normally about 20-30secs. If you only have 20-30secs to put your best self forward, what would you say? An ‘Elevator Pitch’ is a short and impactful description of an idea, product or company that explains the concept in a simple yet effective way that anyone can understand what it’s about in a short number of words.
The same concept works for a PR Pitch in Public Relations services. Media outlets receive hundreds of press releases and pitches in a week, you will have under 30-seconds to grab their attention with your pitch. There is an art to creating the right pitch, it’s not just about what your client might be wanting to achieve . . . the pitch needs to be beneficial to the media outlet that will run the story.
These are my top 3 tips for getting started on your pitch:
- Create 5 key messages to build the pitch and press release around
- Create a headline that catches the eye and makes me want to click on your email pitch
- You need to create a new pitch for every key media outlet, no one wants to run the exact same story
The most important aspect of a pitch is having the pitch delivered by someone that is passionate about what they are pitching, the person on the receiving end of that pitch needs to feel the excitement and anticipation and this might sound wanky but it’s all in the language and energy. If I don’t think your pitch is good enough for TV, I will be honest in saying that I will not pitch you to them because if I don’t believe in what I’m pitching I know it won’t get over the line and it will affect the strong relationships that I have with my media network. I’m not in the business of taking money for the sake of it, I want to see the success for you and for myself as I take a lot of pride in my PR Campaign achievements.
A way to practise the art of pitching is to create a pitch for yourself or for your business. If you have 30seconds or two paragraphs to sell yourself or your business to someone, what would you say? You need to think about the key points and strongest abilities that you’d like to get across . . . Write a full page to start with and then keep cutting it down, making it more precise and impactful with every edit. Make every word count, less words are more. (You know that whole less is more thing, well that’s true in this case too.)
MEL GREIG – PR and Media Manager – BRANDiT
Mel Greig worked in the media industry in both radio and television for over 20-years. Mel has herself appeared on television as a media personality for Channel 9’s Celebrity Apprentice, but also as a TV Panellist offering expert opinion on Sunrise, Today Show and Studio 10.
Appearing in over 50 TV interviews across all major shows and networks, Mel understands what it takes to pitch to the Producers and to make the most of the 5mins of airtime if you’re lucky enough to secure the coveted spot.
Having worked in the media for so long, Mel has been on the receiving end of hundreds of pitches and press releases and knows what it takes to get a story over the line. There is no other PR department in Australia that is led by someone who has worked in her position, this gives her the unique ability to put the best foot forward for each client.
