5 pitching musts to help journalists cover your company

Answer these questions to make life easier for the writer or segment producer you’re courting.

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If you want to increase the likelihood of getting a journalist to write about your company’s news, you’ve got to make it incredibly easy for them to do so.

To that end, minimize back-and-forth emailing with questions and get them answered in your initial missive. Here’s what journalists want included in your pitch:

1. Why do my readers give a damn?

It’s nice that you got an award recently, but do the readers of ABC Publication really care? If the journalist doesn’t think so, you won’t get past him into print (or online). You may have to do a little legwork to connect your news to a reason readers will care.

For example, let’s say your award was for customer service. Maybe as a result of getting that customer service award, you decide to offer 25 percent off to anyone who congratulates you on the award. That’s of value to readers. Or maybe you’re holding a celebration party and everyone is invited.

2. Why is your story relevant now?

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