Five things journalists hate to see in a pitch
Struggling to get your press release picked up by journalists and hearing ‘no thank you’ more than ‘yes’? It could be that you are falling foul of these common mistakes when pitching
Reporters receive hundreds of press releases every week. Their inboxes are full of PRs trying to get their attention.
Don’t let these top journalist peeves when receiving press releases trip you up and see your story automatically rejected.
1. Not knowing your area
In local newsrooms up to half of all press releases are rejected as they aren’t relevant to readers in their area. It may seem simple but pay attention to the circulation area of the publication you are targeting.
Blanket press releases which aren’t specific to a publication’s area are one of the first to get rejected. Take time to work out what area that they cover. This is the same for regionals, trade and even nationals.
Being clear on what topics and regions a publication covers and highlighting why your story is of importance will go along way to getting your pitch noticed.
2. No substance
Don’t just tell people your products are great, find real people who can talk from the heart and bring your story to life. A great case study can make the world of difference to whether your story is seen as newsworthy or not. Be clear on what makes your story newsworthy and show you have done your research. Provide real detail and colour to your story so that it captures a journalist’s attention.
3. Grammatical errors and clunky writing
Don’t underestimate the power of good writing, A well written story will stand out and make the journalist’s job easier.
Journalists receive hundreds of pitches a day so sometimes a great story can get lost if you don’t spell it out for them. They haven’t got the time to find the angle in your words. If you aren’t great at writing find someone who is. There is an art to getting the right information in the right order for a press release.
4. Lack of images
There is nothing worse than receiving a great pitch but no useful imagery. Every media outlet will look for an image to go with their story.
In TV it is all about images and if you can’t tell your story on camera it wont work but even radio and newspapers need images for a story too.
Most radio stations have websites where they post their stories so if you have an image to go with your story it may go online as well.
In newspapers the larger articles all carry imagery so if you haven’t got a good picture you are already shortening the length of your story as it can’t be used for anything more than a small article.
5. Missing the news angle
This is something that will automatically get your press release rejected. For a story to be interesting it must be relevant and newsworthy.
Editorial is not an advert for your business so think about the news angle and whether you have a hook which makes your story stand out. A pitch which is full of sales and marketing messaging will rarely excite a journalist. They are looking for a news angle, the unique hook that makes your story and business different to any other.
Look for current topics that are being discussed does your business move that story along, provide solutions or can it help explain the issues? Are you doing anything unique, have you got an industry first or a new way of solving everyday problems? The more unique and different your news angle the more your press release will stand out.
Making your story stand out is an art. It means you need to understand what makes a good story, which journalists would be interested and how to get their attention.
Following these steps will hone your story but they aren’t the only answer. Once you have got your strong story you need to know how to turn that great idea into page turning content!
CIPR member Cheryl Morris is the owner of award-winning Staffordshire based PR and copywriting service Creative Word PR.