PR Advice 101

I want to talk today, a bit more than usual, about DIY publicity. Contacting the press is tricky. You should follow AP standards but you shouldn’t cookie-cut pitches, advisories, etc. Remember, PR is about relationships- not press releases! This said, I have 3 tips for you when it comes to writing and sending emails to the media.

1. Your focus should be on the subject line. Press members are busy! They are pitched by people they do know and don’t know 100 times a day. Plus, they receive emails from peers, their boss, publicists responding to story requests, friends, family, SPAM… their email boxes are flooded. If the email header reads “press release” or “media advisory”… don’t bother sending it. You need a subject line that will stop traffic.

2. Don’t BS a reporter. They hate hype. They can spot hype a mile away. If you use any type of promotional verbs or nouns, they will not only NOT cover you- many will put you on blast via social media. Reporters like quick facts and credible resources.

3. Attach this. Reporters are not going to open an attachment. Forget it. If they’re interested, they will follow a link. Yes, you need to provide two links in your email. One that goes to the media advisory or press release with more information and one that goes to the online media kit.

Remember, you can mess up on AP style, you can pitch the wrong reporter (who will send it to the right reporter almost always), and you can accidentally toss in a spelling error or two- and still get your story covered. Journalists can forgive bad style if the story is good. But, if you’re not doing the basics right (see above), they will never even open the pitch.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Sending an Impressive Email

I received a question yesterday about email. The person wanted to know how to send a business pitch via email. My first question was "why email?" The response explained how this person couldn't get the decision maker on the phone. Yes, this scenario does present a challenge. Inspired, I decided to jot down a couple of tips on how to write an impressive email. I hope this helps!

Step 1: Get to the point. If your email borders beyond two paragraphs - it is to long for an introductory email. In fact, ideally you want to keep the email within a paragraph. Be direct and don't go on and on and on and on about yourself. Explain what you need, why you need it, and how the other person can problem solve and/or benefit.

Step 2: Write to one person at a time. The mass email is impersonal and unprofessional. Yes, you are going to have to cut and paste the body of the main email and then write each person's name as the introductory at the top of the emails.

Step 3: Your subject line is an ad. Keep it simple, compelling and make it scream "open me first!" People tend to browse their emails early in the morning. They usually open what looks important first and will wait until the end of the day, if not tomorrow, to open up the other non-important emails. Write a clever subject line for your email.

There is no secret to getting past the cold call or cold email. However, these three simple steps can improve your chances!

Until next time,

Twyla