Pitching exclusives can be difficult, especially when you are trying to keep it short, succint, and clear. Journalists always have different preferences on what entices them within these pitches, but there are a few main elements that are important to include in each of them.
To find out the most important elements, we took to Twitter to make sure we consulted with the PRos on their thoughts.
Read below to hear what these 4 PR veterans had to say:
1. Peter Girard, Caster Communications
Peter Girard is the Director of Account Services at Caster Communications and says that timeline, assets, and a strong WHY are the 3 elements that should be included in every exclusive.
Making sure journalists know when this product/news is going to be released and why it's important are beyond important. They need to know early (we hear about 5-7 days before is preferred) so that they can alter their schedules to accommodate this breaking news.
2. Isa Lavs, Freelance Digital Strategist & Trainer
Isa Lavs, Freelance Digital Strategist, reaffirms that you have to have a deep understanding about what the journalist covers.
Creating an angle that ties into the way journalists craft their stories is essential to getting your story picked up and ultimately covered. Bring in thought leaders, bring in data, and propose a tie in to an interesting angle.
3. Rebecca Wright, Break of Dawn
Rebecca Wright, Director of Media Relations at Break of Dawn, makes an interesting point about explaining why it's important to lay out why exclusives are valuable to them.
Saying why your exclusive is actually exclusive is important to journalists. It makes it clear to them what the actual story is without having to guess or really craft a story around the news they recieve in pitches. If the story is there and the value is clear, journalists will have a higher inclination to cover your news (as long as it's relevant to them).
4. Lindsey Bradshaw, Bradshaw Communications
Lindsey Bradshaw, freelance PRo, states a point that many publicists forget to include with exclusives is stating when the offer for the exclusive expires.
This helps the journalist to feel more comfortable in knowing that this story is only being pitched to them. It also aids in moving the process along and upping that publicist's chances of actually getting a yes or no response from a journalist.
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Pitching exclusives, and making sure all the appropriate information is included, can be hard to keep track of. Journalists can have several different preferences on what they'd like included. Podcasts like Coffee with a Journalist give you exclusive intel into hundreds of journalists and their top tips for PR professionals to land stories.
If you're looking for tools for guiding your outreach and follow-up strategy, tap into our arsenal of tools to make pitching the easiest part of your job. Create a profile and try it out for free today!
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