Mastering the story pitch with Adoni Media
Do you have a story that deserves to be heard? Choosing an experienced and reputable PR agency is essential to ensuring the success of any campaign.
An effective PR pitch involves crafting a compelling narrative that captures the attention of journalists and persuades them to cover your story.
“Earned media” as the name suggests, is earned, not “a fait accompli”, so success requires an intimate knowledge of how the media works and what makes a good story for TV, print, or radio.
A successful PR pitch involves identifying the right journalist at the right media outlet, as well as personalising content, offering unique angles, and meeting all necessary deliverables, such as providing a media release, key data, stats, case studies, or vision.
A PR professional is skilled at anticipating what a journalist may need to create a story that speaks to their target audience and key demographic.
Journalists are often under tight deadlines or time constraints, so creating a clear, concise, and attention-grabbing snapshot of the story will ensure pitch “cut through” and boost the potential for success.
Research the media outlet
It’s important to identify the right publication, TV network, or radio station for your story. A PR professional will investigate journalists who have covered the industry, sector, or topic at hand previously, or evaluate their “beat”, to ensure they are the right fit.
Personalise the pitch:
A PR professional will often address the journalist by name, reference past articles written or aired by them, and detail why they think this story is relevant to them. This is why developing great working relationship with the media is an important priority for PR firms.
Craft a captivating subject line
When pitching a story to a journalist, it’s important to be concise and relevant. The subject line should be short, attention-grabbing, and outline the story’s significance. It could be a surprising statistic, or an intriguing fact. The journalist will be evaluating why this story is important and how it impacts their audience. Avoid clickbait. The subject line should accurately represent the content of the pitch.
Include key information
After crafting a compelling hook, a PR professional will explain the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the story. It’s important the journalist understands the key points without having to ask for much more follow-up information. They will be seeking supporting stats, data, or quotes to boost the credibility of the story, as well as links to related vision, infographics, or images.
Vision or overlay is vitally important for TV stories, so proactively offering up media assets increases the likelihood of pitch success.
Provide the human element
Case studies can take a story from average to compelling very quickly. Personal stories or quotes from real people boost relevance and relatability almost instantly. As they say “a picture is worth a thousand words” so quality images or vision should be included in the pitch, where possible.
Include a call to action
The story pitch should conclude by suggesting next steps, like scheduling an interview, attending an event, or visiting a location to get more information.
Providing details on talent or subject availability for interview will also help the journalist manage their time and deadlines effectively. A PR professional understands in today’s busy world, coordinating times can be challenging and requires patience and flexibility.
Follow up
After pitching a story, it’s important to be persistent but polite when following up with a journalist. If there is no word after a few days, a gentle reminder is appropriate. At this time, the PR expert may offer to chase any new or additional information that might be useful or helpful to getting the story over the line.
Ready to pitch your story?
Adoni Media is one of Australia’s most experienced PR agencies with a stable of former journalists, broadcasters, and media managers, who understand how to effectively pitch a story for maximum impact. If you would like to discuss how to get your story heard, reach out for a confidential discussion with our team.
