Pitch-perfect

By guest author Joyce Wady, Eleven Hundred Agency.

Pitching is intrinsic to PR, and crafting a perfect one is an art form. Being able to encapsulate all the information that a journalist needs, compose a compelling story that grabs attention, and keep it as succinct as possible is a skill that PR professionals need to develop early on to garner their clients impactful coverage.

With the average person’s attention span capping at just nine seconds when reading an email, coupled with the fact that journalists receive hundreds of emails every day, it’s on PRs to master the craft of constructing a concise but detailed pitch.

Securing thought-provoking media coverage is a continuous process for PR professionals. Clients don’t always have a steady stream of news in their pipeline, so PRs must be proactive, constantly coming up with new ideas to position their clients as visionaries. In both instances, drafting the perfect pitch is paramount. How can we get journalists excited about this? How do we capture their interest in just a couple of lines? How can we ensure our email stands out in their flooded inboxes? Luckily, there’s a tried and tested method that comes in very handy – the five Ws.

By addressing the who, what, where, why and when in a pitch, PRs can lay out the groundwork of the story for the journalist. A great pitch builds the foundation of the story by providing all the information needed, as well as convincing the journalist why they should care, without rambling or being longwinded.

Without further ado, here’s a crash course in using the five Ws when crafting that perfect pitch:

1. Who?

The first step in pitching is establishing exactly who your client is. Unless they’re a well-known company, journalists need to easily understand who your client is and what they do at a brief glance. Including a concise, jargon-free description of the client is an easy way to assure a journalist of their relevance and pique their interest.

2. What?

Just as importantly, your pitch should be very clear in defining what the story is. Without a hook, there’s nothing of interest to a journalist – your pitch needs that unique angle that stands out and clearly explains what the potential story is here. Getting to the crux of the story will help the journalist assess its potential from the off.

3. Where?

Part of defining your pitch’s relevance to a journalist is highlighting the market the story refers to. By identifying the patch the journalist covers, then immediately demonstrating that your client fits within that space, it clarifies why a journalist should be interested in what your client has to offer.

4. Why?

The “why” is critical in a pitch, as you’re convincing a journalist why this pitch matters and why they should care. Does the client’s news or idea address a problem that’s unique to this sector? Why is it relevant now? Perhaps there is a topical story that your client can offer an important perspective on, for example, a change in regulation or new law. This context will help journalists understand the relevance.

5. When?

Timeliness is everything. If there’s a specific date or time tied to your story, it’s important to address that. If your pitch isn’t linked to a certain time frame, there are other factors that still need to be considered.

It’s the PRs role to explain why now is the right time for the story. Is there a current trend or issue that makes the pitch relevant? Setting out why the story is important right now will help convince the journalist it’s worth covering.

In summary

Using the five Ws doesn’t guarantee that a journalist will want a story, but it’s a great blueprint to follow.

If you’re interested in learning about the calibre of media coverage this has helped us secure for our clients, check out our case studies for Verne, Medallia and IPI.