Pitching to Media is the absolute best way to directly engage media into reviewing your brand/products for coverage. While we have a wonderful AI Pitch Generator that you can use to formulate your pitches, it’s always good to proofread and check over your pitch before you send as well as practice making pitches on your own. Here are some tips and guidelines to writing the best pitch for your brand!
Prioritize the Subject Line: This is where you make your first impression. Keep it brief but informative and ALWAYS use keywords.
Make Your First Sentence Matter: Your first line should pack a punch and get them to keep reading. After that, explain who you are and introduce the brand/product you are pitching in more detail. Make sure to link directly to your website in this first paragraph!
Personalize Your Pitch: Whenever possible, show them that you've done your research by referencing an article they wrote. Bonus points if you include a line about why you enjoyed their piece and how it relates back to your brand and/or product you are pitching.
Think About Your Timing: As the pitcher, it's your job to provide the starting point for great storytelling. Trends and viral moments fizzle out as quickly as they blow up, so it’s important to strike while the iron is hot.
Include All Available Assets: If you're pitching a product, include images, product details, and price. The list of retailers (if DTC, mention that) and affiliates are hugely important as well. Of course, we also encourage you to link to your Press Hook product page.
Don't Forget a Call to Action: Remind them that they can get everything they need for potential inclusion from your Press Hook profile. If you can, offer to send them samples and let them know they can submit that request through your page. They can also get additional information on your brand and download high-res imagery.
Talk it Out With Us: Give it a try for yourself and then book an Office Hours call to talk it over with our team so that you’re as confident as you can be before you send it. Happy Pitching!
Reminders before you hit send:
Keep it brief.
Keep it direct.
Keep it relevant.
Keep it timely.
Stay alert on your views counter as well to see who’s been looking at your profile to find perfect candidates to pitch to!
The Media Timeline
The reality of PR is that you might not see results right away. Writers, journalists, and publications all have different schedules and need time in order to really get to know your brand and its products. Even after a writer receives your product, uses it to its fullest extent, and enjoys it enough to write a piece, the coverage still needs to pass through checks with their editors! So even if you feel like your pitches aren't making pass first base, know that there are a lot of steps in between introducing yourself and having your brand covered!
Writers and publications are usually working on a specific timeline to catch shopping/fashion seasons. This means that your conversation with a writer may not come to fruition until months after your last message. And while it's nice to follow up and check in on a writer's progress, more than likely they will be too busy to respond with updates. Trust the process and know that your efforts are not wasted. Exposure is the most effective result of PR!