If PR pros were graded on the quality of their pitches to TV broadcasters they would probably get a collective C -- good on preparation, lousy on execution and knowledge of
the programs they are pitching. Those are two key findings in D S Simon Productions' annual survey of broadcasters. The survey, which was sent to both national- and local-station
broadcasters in the nation's top 200 markets, took the pulse of broadcasters on a wide range of issues, including effectiveness of pitches, how broadcasters like to receive them.
PR pros got particularly low grades on how familiar they are with programs they pitch - a no-no when dealing with reporters and editors. "There's room for improvement" in
pitching broadcasters, says Douglas Simon, president-CEO of D S Simon Productions. "The onus falls on the client, the PR manager and the PR rep to come up with pitches that
broadcasters really need -- and can fly."
One chronic problem in pitching broadcasters is that when broadcasters do bite, PR reps are generally unprepared. So you have to have the information, executive, et al. good
to go before you pitch. Another sore spot: how to finesse broadcast execs who are all too quick to say no. To get around that Simon strongly recommends the "non-pitch pitch."
This means calling up "broadcasters to say, 'We just landed a new account. Is there anything on the agenda that might be good fit for the company' or 'I watched your broadcast
last night and noticed you did a piece on XYZ. Are you planning another story in the area and, if so, does this work for you,'" Simon says. The very first pitch, he adds, is
crucial to building relationships. "If it's garbage, they'll automatically delete your next one."