Quit Your Pitchin'

[Jason Kintzler]

I read a tweet from a journalist/blogger yesterday who advised a budding public relations rookie not to pitch. In his words, "Pitch=Spam". Interesting take, right? So, how does this guy get his news anyway? I was quick to chime-in to the newbie and clarify, "progressive journalists understand relationships" and legitimate pitches will be heard.

This type of knee-jerk negativity is often warranted and stems from the onslaught of spammy emails, doggish press releases and weak pitches that a majority of journalists are inundated with. The talented ones know how to handle news gathering- they seek out information from credible sources that they trust. Sometimes that's a good PR contact, sometimes it's even a wire service filtered by topic, although this can often be cluttery as well. Newer services like Newsvetter offer media members peace of mind from pitches. They evaluate news content before it's delivered. From the site: "The best way to build relationships with the news media is to consistently send them high quality information. Newsvetter is designed to help you do this."

As we open up more social media doors with our fellow PR pros and media members, it becomes increasingly apparent that it's going to continue to be about relationships. I don't blame the blogger who offered up his advice, I blame those bad experiences that must have skewed his view of public relations and lessened his reliance on the word of mouth pitch.

Diversify The Pitch
For that self proclaimed newbie, I offer you this bit of advice. Don't abandon the pitch, engage and understand your media contact as frequently as possible and most importantly, learn to be flexible. Today, it takes more than a snappy headline to grab the eyeballs of onlooking journalists. Despite the mathematics offered up by the experts in this recent New York Times article I referenced in last week's post, How Social Media PR Wins Journalists, keywords should not be the primary tactic for catching attention. Instead, diversify your options for delivery and make sure what you're serving up matches what your media is looking for. Don't waste your time throwing blind release out there and hoping for a hit, take the time to know four or five key writers in that space and ensure they get what they need - from digital assets like video and high-res images, to quotes, samples, etc., Try building a Social Media Release and deliver a link with a quick, concise pitch relevant to your audience. And most importantly, be brutally honest. Your media contacts will appreciate (and remember) it and your brand or client will be better served by it.

Roll Reversal: When The Brand Gets Spam
The flip side though will come soon enough (listen up Anti-Spam Bloggers). As an in-house marketer I know the real "spam" comes from those same publications, websites and yes, blogs. If bloggers expect to make a living, they will need to listen to the brands that are pitching them, just as the brands are expected to listen to their Ad Sales Rep "pitch" them on why they should spend money on their website. You see, traditional journalists haven't vocalized their issues with PR spam, because they've been smart enough to know where the bread comes from. Many bloggers who are blacklisting PR people and shunning pitches have never had to deal with these issues. Truth is, in my experience the dirtiest tricks come from Ad reps, not PR reps.

So the moral is, don't quit your pitchin'. Keep in mind there's always going to be a few snake oil salesman out there pitching their wares like third-hand used cars. For the rest of us, this is the time to change our approach and look for more innovative ways to serve journalists and bloggers both. To the anti-pitch bloggers and journalists, be warned! One of these days we might not be pitching you -we'll be pitching consumers directly instead.

Original post on PitchEngine | The Network where PR meets Social Media

[Jason Kintzler]

That's a great point Susan! I've worked with a few of these specialized firms and I think they do have a significant adantage when it comes to credibility in their industry, etc.,

[Susan Kuhn]

Does this also argue for the increasing value of the specialized PR professional? A specialist in a subject area or industry has a much better chance of getting to know editors/writers on their topic and being authoritative in pitching than does a generalist. Should PR professionals guide their careers in this direction?

[Jason Kintzler]

There are several services that can help monitor and track the print coverage- I agree, it's nearly impossible to be dialed-in on everbody, but you know they key ones that mean the most, so that's a good place to start. I use Summize (now http://search.twitter.com) to track the conversations around our brands, and mine. It can be daunting, but it seems like it gets more refined the more you do it. Plus, better 2-way relationships with editors can mean they'll inform you when they give you placement. Either way, I think we all feel your pain there- Good luck!

[Tony Felice]

Ok, I hear what you are saying and I agree, a well-crafted pitch, targeted to the editor or writer is the zenith of good PR. However, you have 8 clients, you cannot possibly read every publication and writer in the U.S., especially if your story has multiple angles (i.e., business, lifestyle, philanthropy), and keep up on social media and read industry pubs to keep informed and attend meetings and execute plans. Yet, you still have to pitch good stories. Phew. I understand and target key national editors designing a pitch that is relevant, timely and has national appeal. There isn't enough time in the day to do it all. What suggestions do you have?

[Melanie Seasons]

Pitching bloggers *is* pitching consumers in my book - or at least a huge part of it. Yes, we still have to go to journalists and high-profile professional bloggers to get a huge amount of impressions, but to get real quality coverage, you have to go to those who will be directly affected.

I just plain stay away from anti-pitch/anti-PR people. It's not worth the risk.

[Andrew]

I agree that the mechanisms are evolving but the quality of the content is not. I guess what I'm saying is: focus first on substance and then use the appropriate mechanism.

[Jason Kintzler]

I see your point Andrew, but I have to say that the mechanism for delivery is changing regardless of content. There have always been bad releases, the mechanism won't change that. I can't discourage new opportunities, only encourage better content.

[Andrew]

Hey Jason, appreciate the Newsvetter mention. Man, I really hate the word "pitch" and I hope at some point it will be removed from the PR lexicon completely.

The only way PR is going to get out of the "spam" business is to make sure that journalists and bloggers never have a reason to ask this basic question: Why are you sending this to me and why should I care? IMHO, it's less about the delivery mechanism (e.g., press release, SMR, twitter, friend feed, smoke signals etc. ) and more about the substance. It seems to me that the PR industry still has yet to address this fundamental issue.

[Kevin Dugan]

Don't quit pitching. Just pitch better. All the soc med schtuff out there makes it easier than ever to create an informed, customized pitch. And we have folks who are merely moving the broadcast approach there as if it were another channel. New tools require new rules.

[David Politis (aka "Poppa P")]

Jason: The only thing that's really changed in the 25+ years I've been in the business is speed. Good PR folks still focus their pitches to the individual journalist (or blogger) and the audiences they serve, while bad PR "pros" believe in spamming the known free world and give the rest of us a bad name.