Can you hear the birds chirping? See the sunshine streaming through the window? What about the all-too-familiar buzz and wafting aroma emanating from the coffee machine? If so, it’s probably time to begin PR outreach for the day. Hopefully you are a morning person! Settle in with your steaming cuppa joe as we go over our best practices for proper PR strategy.
Rise and Shine
Bright and early, each and every day, we west coast residents are preparing lists of contacts to send convincing pitches to. For our atlantic amebas on the east coast, pressure is a little lower when you are three hours ahead, as long as they make sure all of our outreach is complete before those bustling New Yorkers leave their offices. Ideally, we want our emails to be the first thing editors see in the morning when they start clicking through their email. Trust us, it makes a difference.
Pitch Perfect
Getting ahead of the game isn’t enough to secure the hits you’re dreaming of. You’re going to need a perfect PR pitch. Channel your inner author and get a great argument going. Ask yourself: why should editors want to talk about my product? In most cases, you will need a very compelling story. Does your product help rescue cats from tree tops? Probably not… But it might make life for moms a heck of a lot easier. Channel your inner hero and start typing!
They’ve Got Mail
So, you’ve got the perfect pitch, and you’re situated at your computer by 8:00am. Great! But you need a list of relevant media contacts to send your gorgeous email to. You could technically opt for sending to as many people as possible (careful, you might get blocked). Or our personal preference, crafting a target media list. This means scouring the internet, often with the help of some lovely PR software, to find the journalists and editors that are so into your topic that they will jump at the chance to take you up on your story. Find as many as you can and start hitting send!
Keep it Up
You’re finally getting those emails delivered, now what? Well, first off, awesome job, you have come a long way. We know it can be trickier than it sounds. So how about a few rules of thumb to help you stay on track! Make a little game to find at a minimum ten contacts to send your pitch out to each day. Yes, each and every day of your work week. Consistency is key — you need to be sure your story is getting out there and being seen.
Nudge, Nudge, Ahem, Ahem
Once you have been reaching out for several days, it’s time to give a little nudge to the people you have not yet heard back from. Start between three to seven days after your original email and send a quick PR pitch follow up email to remind them. This means pulling out all the stops with pleasantries to make sure your email is well received. Remember it’s a friendly reminder not a forceful push to respond.
Follow Up, and Up, and Up
If you still do not hear back from your contacts in another few days, send another follow up, and maybe even another one. Be sure not to bombard your contacts with emails as you risk getting blocked. But if your original PR pitch email is relevant enough to your contacts, it’s great for them to be reminded of your product, even if this time it’s not a good fit. They might even remember you and keep your idea in mind for another story!
Refresh
If you have been trying day in and day out for months to get those hits and it’s just not working out, it’s time to hit the refresh button on your pitch. Try something new! Reach out to some new contacts with a different story idea and try again. Seek help from your favorite writers to get input on your new email. Practice makes perfect!
If this sort of thing doesn’t sound like your cup of tea (or morning java), reach out to our team’s precocious PR professionals and copiously crafty copywriters to take the reins and help you get the hits you’re dreaming of. This is our bread and butter, or at least a pastry to complement our espresso.
