Digital Pitchery. Email pitching may be the wave of the future, but many messages are being sucked under by the current. Experts at the PR NEWS Strategic
Online Communications Seminar, held earlier this month in DC, offered advice on how to stay afloat:
- Email means cheaper, faster pitching. But it also means your pitch is a single click away from the recycling bin. Reporters and PR professionals recommend focusing on
first impressions. "Offer a brief, succinct subject line," says Suzanne Turner, mid-Atlantic regional manager for The Launch Co. - Another note on subject lines - if they include a combination of numbers and letters, editors are more likely to delete them because they're more difficult to understand, says
Lou Hampton, president of the Hampton Group. - The body of an email pitch should be just as succinct as the subject line. "Provide three sentences about why they should give a damn. If you can't explain your pitch in 30
seconds or write it in three sentences, you don't understand your story," Turner says. "Whatever you normally write, cut it in half [for email pitches]," agrees Alisa Fogelman-
Beyer, president of ProMarc. "Be more creative - your writing has to be better." - Use the ease of email to position yourself with key journalists as the source for industry intelligence. "Offer news and updates for your key list of contacts, along with
newsworthy information for them," recommends Kay Bransford, VP of marketing for Vocus. A regular e-newsletter will not only increase your chances for coverage, but will bring
reporters to you when they're looking for industry info. - Don't let high-tech delivery cloud your understanding of your constituents' level of expertise. "We're not all experts on technology," says David Hubler, managing editor of
Potomac Tech Journal. "No industry uses superlatives [and jargon] like the technology field. It's a turnoff. Tell me simply and clearly, and if I'm interested, you'll
get the right kind of story." - Believe it or not, the Web can make pitching more personal. Take the time to build relationships with online journalists. Don't just send an email with story ideas or news
releases - use it for some quality brown-nosing. "Pop a note back to tell them thank you, I love the site, I love what you're doing with it," says Beyer. "This is an
opportunity to do outreach."
Attention Readers: It seems we got a little carried away with our metaphors in describing the new design/lifestyle pub ONE a couple weeks ago - to the extent that
some of you misconstrued it as a food magazine. Allow us to set the record straight: ONE covers a cross section of fashion, beauty, home, architecture, technology, travel
and other topics, with a strong emphasis on design. Contact Jennifer Polansky: [email protected].