8 ways to make reporters love you

You know you’ve got a great story if only the media would open that email pitch. Here are some ways to prove you’re a pro worth listening to.

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This story is in partnership with NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions.

When it comes to pitching a story, journalists’ advice to PR pros is similar no matter what the medium is.

Reporters and editors are swamped. Their inboxes are overflowing. They don’t have time for off-topic pitches or information-choked emails. Cut to the chase.

Says Mark Jones, Reuters‘ global-communities editor in London, “The thing that really gets journalists’ goat is the kind of unsolicited and irrelevant media release plugging up their inbox. … You can see from Twitter what [journalists] are interested in. It takes a few seconds. It allows you the option to focus your distribution list on people who are most likely to run with the story.”

It can be a humbling experience to promote a story angle you know is great but can’t get a sniff from reporters. You’ll get a leg up if you act like a pro.

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