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How to Pitch Stories: Tips from Local Editors
Posted in Best Practices, Media Relations
Yesterday a few of us at Morningstar Communications got free food AND tips from seasoned editors on how to best pitch news stories. Score.
We attended a Business Wire breakfast event: “Meet the Kansas City Business Media.” Panelists included Chris Clark, News Editor for the Associated Press, Kansas City, Keith Chrostowski, Assistant Managing Editor/Business News, The Kansas City Star, and Peggy Phillip, News Director for NBC Action News (KSHB-TV).
Here are some tips I gathered from the panelists on how PR professionals can cut through the clutter and connect with news media:
Think about your client’s story from a wider scope. How does your story fit into a bigger macro trend or overarching theme that transcends your client?
Answer the question: Why is this story important to a general audience?
Craft releases more like news stories. Cut the jargon. Real people read it.
Think of an angle that hasn’t been thought of before.
Send content to the right reporter. Research all the contacts at local newsrooms. Know who writes about what topics and who their assignment editor is. Oftentimes, you can gain more traction with beat reporters than news editors.
After 3:30 p.m.= a bad time to contact a newsroom. So is Friday.
Before sending stories to TV news ask yourself: What’s the conflict? Is it visual?
Don’t hesitate to call if it’s a big story.
For pitching expert sources, watch the news cycle. Know when it fits to pitch your expert source as someone who has knowledgeable insights on a current news topic.
Reporters like being offered exclusivity. The scale may tip in favor of them doing a story if they are given exclusive rights.
Don’t be discouraged by a “No.” There are a lot of reasons why a reporter may not cover a story. Our job as PR professionals is to continually learn and adapt to what is relevant and newsworthy.
Don’t hesitate to set up meetings with the editor. A personal connection can make all the difference. When you tell your client’s story, the editor may recognize a news story that you have not thought of before.
Newsrooms are fast-paced and ever-changing, but it’s an exciting time in news. According to these editors, PR professionals still have content they are looking for, but it’s helpful (and mutually beneficial!) to consider these tips before we press send.
Tagged editors, Holly Eckold, Pitching Stories, press releases, Public Relations Tips, reporters | Leave a commentLeave a Reply
