Throughout these blog posts, I have written about how to write effective pitches and media alerts. However, I have not yet provided examples of what this looks like in practice. Below are two pitches, a first draft and a final draft, that show how small changes and editing can turn a mediocre pitch into an excellent one.

Here is my first draft:

Local staple, Nicky’s Coal Fired, will introduce a brunch menu this fall, offering a unique Italian take on everyone’s favorite weekend meal. Starting September 22^nd, Nicky’s will serve brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10-2. Their menu will feature both sweet and savory options, from bombollini stuffed with peach jam, to coal-fired sandwich creations with pear, fontina and prosciutto. Of course, no Nicky’s menu would be complete without a plethora of pizza options, so they have included several Nicky’s favorites, as well as a new brunch pizza. There will also be a full rose menu and coffee menu, to help either fuel your boozy brunch or kick-start your Sunday recovery.

I would love to coordinate a piece on Nicky’s new brunch menu and would be happy to set up a time for you to come in and try the new items. Please let me know if you need any additional information or photos. Thank you for considering!

While this was a good start for the pitch, there were a few ways that it could be improved. After going through the editing steps detailed in my previous blog post, I got feedback from my supervisor that helped me make changes to turn a mediocre pitch into an effective one.

Here is my final draft:

Nashville’s Nicky’s Coal Fired will start serving brunch every Sunday from 10AM until 2PM, beginning on October 7^th. Fire up Enrico, Chef Tony Galzin is creating an assortment of coal-fired breakfast sandwiches including combinations such as a vegetable and whipped goat cheese, pear, fontina and prosciutto, and ham, egg and cheese. In addition to the newly launched coal-fired sandwiches, guests can also expect house-made breakfast pizzas. The brunch menu also includes seasonal frittatas, charcuterie and salads.

A selection of house-made stuffed bombollini will be available with Nutella and cinnamon sugar, lemon mascarpone, and peach jam fillings. A large variety of Barista Parlor coffee and espresso drinks along with a selection of classic brunch cocktails including bellinis, mimosas, and a signature rose cocktail comprise the drink menu.

We’d love for you to share the news with your readers! Please let me know when you’re available to come dine with a guest. I’m happy to send over the full menu and provide you with additional information. Thank you!

While this pitch may be longer than my original one, it provides more important information about the brunch that an editor could share with their readers and they would not need to circle back to me or the client to find out more info. Additionally, the first sentence of the pitch gets right into what we want to share with the editor – the fact that one of our clients is starting to serve brunch on a certain date. Lastly, this pitch also invites the editors in to try the brunch, so that they may write about the brunch from a first-hand experience.

Over the course of my internship, I was able to edit and improve many pitches through this process and it has immensely helped me become an effective communications writer!

Congratulations! You have written a pitch! Now before you can send it to editors, it is imperative that you edit the pitch, both for grammar mistakes and content. In order for your pitch to be in tip-top shape, it is important that you take these four steps when editing your pitch.

 

Self Edit

After you have finished writing your pitch, quickly look it over to check for any grammatical errors or misspelled words. At this time leave the content of your pitch as is, so that when you go back over it for content you have a fresh view of your writing.

 

Peer Edit

Once you’ve done a quick edit yourself, send your pitch to one of your coworkers. They will help catch any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes that you did not, and they may be able to offer suggestions on the content of your pitch.

 

Read You Pitch Aloud

After you’ve received the edits from your peer, look them over and see how you can incorporate these edits into your pitch. Once you’ve made these edits, read this most recent version of your pitch aloud. By reading it out loud you may catch awkward phrases or unneeded content that you hadn’t previously.

 

Feedback from Supervisor

The last step before sending out your pitch is to get feedback from your supervisor or a more senior level employee. They will provide a final set of eyes and a more experienced view on whether the pitch will be well received by editors. Once they have looked this over and given you the go ahead, you are ready to send out your pitch!

Since starting my internship, I have sent out multiple pitches to editors, so I have been able to hone my skills through practice and feedback. I’ve had the chance to sit down with my supervisor and go over pitches that I am going to send out or have already sent out and get feedback on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to pitching. Below are tips on how to effectively pitch an editor!

 

Catchy Subject Line

A witty subject line is extremely important because it is what will catch an editor’s attention and provide the first impression of the information that you are sharing. Editors receive tons of emails every day so it is important to make your subject line stand out.

 

Quick and Concise Email

Editors do not have a lot of time to read through your email, so you want to make it brief and make sure you get to the point quickly. If your email is too long and you don’t share the value of your information early on, they may not read the whole thing and disregard the pitch altogether.

 

Give Ample Lead Time

Make sure you send out your pitch far enough in advance so that you are able to follow up with an editor at a reasonable time. You don’t want to send out a time-sensitive pitch too late and then have to follow up the next day. This will just annoy the editor and show poor planning skills on your end.

 

Know an Editor’s Beat

Do your research before sending out your pitch! Even though a writer may work at a magazine that fits with your pitch idea, they may not cover the topic that your pitch is focused on. So, when putting together a pitch list, choose editors that cover your pitch topic in order to increase your chance of securing coverage.

 

Provide Imagery 

Always try to include imagery in your pitches not only to provide a visual reference but also to help out the writer. When you provide a photo and photo credits, it is helpful to the editor because it means that they don’t need to go digging for more information.

A press release is one of the most important tools in PR because it tells the entire story in a single message and it is accessible and can be easily shared. A press release should be factual, yet interesting and answer the basic questions of: who, why, where, what and when. It’s critical to learn how to write a press release for those who work in public relations, so below are tips on how to write an effective press release.

Identify your objective and target audience:

Before you even begin writing a press release, you need to figure out what it is that you are wanting to communicate. You need to clearly understand what the value is of the information you are sharing and have a specific direction or angle for the press release. It is also important to tailor a press release to a specific audience, so that you can write in a way that will speak to them.

Write the press release using a traditional format and include all the “must-have” elements:

Your headline or title should be concise and clever, while still giving a brief summary of the news that you are sharing. This is the readers first impression of the news that you are sharing, so it is important to quickly grab their attention and intrigue them enough to continue reading.

Your lead in paragraph should summarize the value of the information you are sharing and answer the questions of who, why, where, what, and when. If someone were to only read one paragraph of your press release, it would be this one, so it should share all necessary information without having too much “fluff”.

The body of the release should go into more specific detail about the news you are sharing. This can mean including strong quotes from people in the company which the press release is about. This section of the press release will offer the reader extra valuable information and give them a deeper understanding of the information you are sharing.

Always include a media contact person in the release including their email, phone number, title and what company they work for so that media can reach out to someone specific if they need to.

Include a quick summary about the company which highlights who they are, what they do and links to their website and social media information.

Build your media list and distribute the release:

When creating the media list, it’s important to do your research and include editors who cover topics related to your press release. In creating a tailored media list, you are more likely to receive responses and get he company’s information shared with the public.

When it comes to writing a pitch, there are certain steps you need to take to ensure that you are sharing all important client information in a way that will grab an editor’s attention. This can be difficult to do in a short email, so it helps to use a template to focus on the most important parts of the pitch. Read on below for the Dos and Don’ts of writing an effective pitch!

Dos

1. Research Your Topic:

It is so important to research the topic you will be pitching so that you can be knowledgeable about certain trends or market factors that will be impacting the issue at hand. This is also a good way to get inspiration for what to write in your pitch. Take note of interesting story angles, attention-grabbing headlines, and witty phrases in the article.

2. Pitch Target

In order to write an effective pitch, you need to know who you are pitching this story idea to. If you can narrow down the publications that will be receiving the pitch, the media type of the publications, and whether the pitch will be local or national, you will be able to tailor the pitch as you write it. By tailoring your pitch this way, you are more likely to receive a response from editors.

3. Clever Lead In

The first few sentences of the pitch can often be the most important. It can lure in the reader and they will be able to make a judgement on whether they want to write a story on the pitch or not. It also needs to give enough information about your client, without giving everything away. Look to put in some fun and catchy phrases for this section of the pitch.

Don’ts

1. Don’t Wing It

Research is paramount when writing a pitch! If you are unprepared or not knowledgeable about your pitch idea, it will show through in your pitch. Creating a template for writing a pitch is a great way to make sure that you have included all necessary parts of the pitch and incorporated your research into it.

2. Don’t Forget to Proof Read

If an editor receives a pitch with any sort of typo, they will not be inclined to continue reading. Additionally, it will reflect poorly not only on you and your company, but the client’s company as well. You can never be too careful with proofreading!

3. Don’t Be Repetitive

Editors are extremely busy and don’t have time to read through lengthy pitches, so it is extremely important to be clear and concise. You don’t want to be repeating information that you have already stated or repeating phrases throughout the pitch.