4 Types Of Winning Pitches To Secure Earned Media Coverage
From the inside, we find what our company is doing to be exciting, exceptional, and sometimes even revolutionary! However, the media likely won’t see it this way without a successful pitch. In order to get the media to care about what you’re doing, you need to demonstrate that your business and your story is relevant, newsworthy, and will engage the public. Here’s a few PR pitch ideas to help you land that earned media spot:
1) Offer Up An Expert For A Current Event
Pay attention to what’s going on in the news— is there anything your company can offer more insight on? For example, if you own a real estate company and home prices are skyrocketing, you might want to pitch an interview to discuss tips and tricks for getting the best deal on a home. This is a great way to get your company’s name out there. Additionally, this is a fantastic PR opportunity to establish yourself as an expert for the next time the press is looking to speak to someone in your field!
2) Spotlight A Compelling Human Interest Story
Have an employee who did something totally exceptional at work? The media might be interested in learning more! For example, you could pitch a heartwarming story about an employee who is raising money at work for a cause close to their heart. Or a more fun, lighthearted story like an employee who trained their dog to greet each customer at the door with a goodie bag. You can also organize something special for one of your customers and ask the media to cover your story of giving back. TV stations often pick up on human interest stories like these to end their newscasts on a high note!
3) Celebrate An Awareness Day
Check out the Awareness Days website to find celebrations that might involve your company’s mission or purpose! For example, a bookseller can plan a celebration for World Book Day on April 23rd or a coffeeshop can plan something special for International Coffee Day on October 1st.
In order to sell your business and not just the holiday, you’ll need to come up with a newsworthy way to highlight your business during the celebration. As an example, a coffeeshop could bring free coffee around to other local businesses and invite the media along for the ride! This gives the media the opportunity to talk to you about your business, and also speak with customers about how coffee fuels their day.
4) Highlight Innovation
Highlighting a new product, innovative solution, or technological advancement may be one of the most common types of PR pitch ideas. However, it can often be one of the most difficult to get the media to pick up on. Journalists are inundated with product pitches and if not written well, they come across as a plug for free product advertising rather than a truly innovative solution to a relevant problem. Even when written well, they may not garner any media attention if the media doesn’t see the newsworthiness behind your product or service. It can help to work with an external PR firm to get a better grasp on if this is the best earned media strategy for you or not.
Find The Right Type of PR Pitch To Leverage Your Business
If you aren’t sure which type of PR pitch will work best for your business, would like to hear about additional pitch types, or need help ironing out the details and moving forward with your pitch— 406 Strategic Communications can help! We offer media communication services to help you refine your pitch, create relevant press kits, and more. As a Montana PR firm, we are also able to connect Montana businesses with a variety of local media outlets. To get started, schedule your free 30-minute consultation here.