5 reasons your pitch stinks

There’s nothing more disappointing than spending an inordinate amount of time on something only to have it fail. Even worse than failure, though, is not learning from it.

If you’ve had a pitch fall flat in the past, what have you learned from it? Here are some things I’ve learned from failed pitches:

1. Have an interesting topic.

I’ve worked in the tech start-up space for the past few years, and I’ve noticed a common scenario: Someone in the C-suite wants a press release about a product launch, a closed round of funding or a product update, and no matter how you “spin” it, it’s just not that interesting.

If you have a relationship with a journalist or just happen to reach out at exactly the right time, you may be able to sneak in the announcement with a larger story. But chances are you just need to come up with something better.

Try tying your less interesting news to something journalists (and bloggers) haven’t heard before. For example, if you hire a high-profile data scientist, come up with a story around the data he uncovered and sneak in the tidbit about his recent move to your company.

2. Grab attention.