Although I am rarely on the receiving end of a pitch I was recently able to experience “the other side.” I had submitted a HARO inquiry for some content and a few days later my query went live and the emails began to pour in. Aside from the shock of receiving so many submissions, I started to understand the frustrations many writers and reporters face. These emails were horribly written, some were only one sentence long and some were addressed to, well not me. I let slide the personal submissions that were poorly written and simply a sincere, “Please check out my product,” email (more than likely from the owners who do their own marketing), but I became mortified when I started noticing that some signatures included a PR firms name. I thought, “There is NO way, these pitches are coming from PR professionals,” but sadly they were.
To most of you, these tips will probably contain the obvious, but I am hoping that someone can learn from this because I now, more than ever, understand the importance of a pitch.
1.) Make sure you read the query and only submit your pitch if it is a match. Nothing is more annoying than wasting time reading through a couple sentences about what a wonderful match your product is, and then come to find out it has NOTHING to do with the query. This goes for any query – it is frustrating to waste time reading through emails that have absolutely nothing to do with what was asked for.
2.) Don’t just send pictures or a link to your online store or product. Some of us are no longer in college and do not want to research your product to find out what it is (most people won’t). Include a brief introductory paragraph about what the product is and a link, and then if more information is needed, research or contacting you will gladly be done. I personally enjoyed the photos, but I myself do not always include them when sending a pitch. Most people can look at an item and know whether or not it is a good match to what they are looking for, so pictures can be helpful.
3.) One follow-up is ok, but two or three and a phone call?! Come on! Especially for HARO queries that more than likely received over a hundred pitches, I wouldn’t exactly suggest calling because it is doubtful that the reporter will remember your pitch specifically, unless they have previously showed interest in it – which if they have, by all mean’s give them a follow-up call.
4.) Personal pitches are much more appreciated. If the inquirer’s name is given in the query, use it. For me, it was pretty obvious that the pitch sent to me addressing “Mike” was previously sent to someone else. I secretly wanted to respond and say, “Thanks for the submission Big Bird” – of course I didn’t. If a media outlet and/or topic is included, spend the extra five minutes and tell them how your submission fits into their story. It may not be apparent to them at first glance, so explain it and maybe they’ll like the idea and WA-LA, you’re in.
It is not necessarily your products “fabulousness” that gets it included in a HARO query, but the way you pitch it. You can be the determining factor in getting picked and if your going to spend the time pitching something, why not do it right?
HARO is a wonderful and innovative tool and I think by “abusing” it, we’re pushing away some of the good quality media outlets that use it. Although we received a wonderful response from our query, I understand the frustrations that come along with using it – the frustrations that can be avoided. All pitches should be personalized and target the specific outlet, but when you have a query explaining exactly what is sought out – there are no excuses.
(image credit: Teamstickergiant)
by: White Shadow Photog
PR junkie. Freelance journalist. Amateur photographer. Social Media lover.
