“Everyone’s doing everything on social media,” is an oft-heard remark.
It may not apply to PR pros who pitch stories to journalists, however.
During a recent PR News webinar, a trio of media relations pros were sanguine about using social media to do research about journalists and publications as a prelude to choosing the correct reporter and publication to pitch. They also recommended using social to build relationships with targeted journalists.
Using social media to pitch journalists, however, was eschewed. Believe it or not, all three insisted judicious use of the telephone remains an effective tactic, after you’ve sent the journalist information about your story via email.
Still, with social being where many if not most journalists live, there are a wealth of pitching-related activities you can do on social.
For example, look at Slide 2 from Scott Dobroski, senior director of corporate communications at Glassdoor. Looking at the Twitter accounts of journalists you’ve targeted can offer tips, he says. For example, notice JP Mangalindan and Julie VerHage display their email address. “You should email them,” Dobroski says. Others provide their DM. Julie Bort and VerHage mention their hobbies. Once you’ve established a relationship with these reporters, you might slip in a mention of their hobbies.
Speaking of emailing reporters, Slide 1 offers another Dobroski tip: including the reporter’s name in the subject line in CAPs and letting her know what the pitch is (left) and an exclusive to her (right). In addition this slide emphasizes a creative use of data to grab a reporter’s interest. “Data is everything to us...we use it all the time,” to grab reporters’ attention, he says.
The next slide (3), from Stacey Jones, managing director, corporate communications and global media relations at Accenture, provides a quick checklist to use when emailing pitches to reporters. As you can see, she also highlights using data to grab attention, but also urges using a compelling subject line (headline) that’s short enough to be seen on a mobile phone. A common mistake, she says, is naming spokespeople in the pitch who are on vacation when the pitch is sent.
Editor’s Note: Subscribers get 33% discounts on all PR News events and webinars. This webinar was called “How to Engage with Journalists on Email and Social Media.”
