" />During my decade working in media and communications – both as a news reporter and a PR practitioner – one thing has become increasingly clear. There is no perfect recipe for a story pitch.
Public relations – which runs on clarity – is often guilty of trying to bring sense and order to editorial calendars. But media is as loud, messy and unpredictable as Hell’s Kitchen. Not even an editor is always in control of what the publication will be producing. The order of the day can change in an instant, and if your story doesn’t fit the menu, it will be left on the cooling rack or binned entirely.
The silver lining, however, is that a good story doesn’t have a short shelf life. Even if these tales are missed first time round, they are ripe for being revived, re-shared, and repurposed – because they have the essential ingredients.
If you’re hoping to secure media coverage in the near future, here’s some food for thought before you go wading in…
Don’t overseason; don’t oversell
It can be tempting to really throw everything into a story pitch: But sometimes that can just ruin the flavour altogether. Restraint and tact are key.
Here’s an example. During the onset of COVID, there was an explosion of startups selling masks, who all wanted to get their new products featured in the media. I was on staff as a news reporter at a local publication, and one of these companies reached out – via their PR guru – with a press release. We ran the story instantly. It ticked a lot of the boxes necessary to make it into our editorial schedule: They were locally-based, they had a high-quality product, and some of the proceeds were going to charity. A nice piece.
A day later, we got a message from a different PR representative at another brand that was selling an almost identical product. I spoke to my editor, who – understandably – didn’t see the point of running another piece that was so similar, so soon. I wrote back to the PR rep, politely declining and explaining the reason why. The timing was just off, nothing more than that. Ordinarily this would be the end of it, but this particular PR rep was tenacious.
“Really? That’s disappointing! We have already had coverage in X, Y and Z. This would be great for you. Can you reconsider?”
This didn’t work. You can’t argue someone into running a story, and all this extra-hard pushing managed to achieve was irking my editor, who made a mental note that this PR person was at best a pain, and at worst someone who didn’t understand how media works. They had sold too hard – emphasising we should run their story now as it was in our best interest to do so.
No good can come of over-seasoning your story.
Using the right tools
Interacting with reporters is like hovering over the shoulder of a busy chef who is juggling pots and pans over multiple burners. PR can shout: “DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?!”, or it can watch closely at what the reporter is struggling with, and offer the right solution at the right time.
Good PR is basically a Swiss army knife: A toolkit designed to help publications open new containers of information so they can create something memorable and important.
Using the example of the COVID mask scenario: That pesky PR manager could have still earned coverage if they’d chosen a different instrument and approach. My editor might have considered a running an exclusive interview with the brand CEO about the efficacy of masks later down the line; or a thought leadership on the societal impact of masks so far; or a quote from them whenever we needed a comment about masks (which we definitely would at some point, given the debate around this topic during the pandemic).
A good story is never set in stone: It is malleable and can be moulded in just the right shape if you’re careful and patient and willing to adapt.
Cook slowly…
Many PR people will be reluctant to say this aloud, but the “spray and pray” approach – which involves firing out a pitch to as many publications as possible and crossing your fingers – does actually work. And by work, I mean that the story is likely to appear somewhere. If you throw enough stuff at the wall, some of it is going to stick.
But using this strategy is like blasting the oven dial up to maximum temperature to try and cook something quicker: It’s far better in the long-run if you take the time to prepare it properly.
As you’re putting together your story and considering potential media outlets, ask yourself: “Do they really want this now?”. Is this story something you could imagine them running? Is the audience – customers, clients and competitors – actually reading this publication?
The prep work is crucial when producing a PR campaign and pitching in a brand story. But careful cooking is just as important. A considered approach is what gives your story the most flavour. And consequently, the biggest impact.
Serve with purpose
At the heart of every great dish is intention, and the same goes for storytelling in PR. Before you pitch, ask yourself: What value does this story bring to the table? Who benefits from it being told? The best media coverage isn’t just coverage for coverage’s sake – it informs, inspires, or drives change. So as you plate up your final pitch, remember: a story served with purpose is the one that gets savoured.
If you’d like advice and guidance about pitching in a story, Refresh has 15 years’ experience and knows exactly how to do it. Get in touch and we’ll be delighted to offer support.
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