The ABCs of pitching to influencers
Everyday I get some version of this e-mail from someone who wants to be featured in the SmartBrief on Social Media newsletter:
Dear Editor,
I know I just found out about your publication, but I’m confident your readers need to know about my client’s remarkable product! Of course, I can’t really be bothered to explain what I’m promoting in a way that you might relate to — so I’m just going to copy and paste in a boiler-plate press release below.
Love and Kisses,
Anonymous PR person
It’s not just public relations folks either — there are variations on that e-mail from bloggers, researchers and entrepreneurs as well. They’re all sending the exact same e-mail to me and every other blogger, reporter or editor who turned up on their keyword search.
These messages are meant to convince someone influential in your field to talk about your work, but more often than not, they end up being a waste of time. It’s a shame that even though the principles of social media engagement are permeating every other aspect of marketing, we’re still trying to attract the attention of some of the most discerning media consumers with decidedly Web 1.0 tactics.
I’m not suggesting that pitching to influencers is a simple matter. I’m frequently on the other side of these e-mails, trying to get the real ace bloggers of the social media world to notice a particular post — and maybe even send a tweet or an inbound link my way. I’ve still got plenty to learn, but I’m starting to develop a system — an ABCs of Pitching — based on the approaches that have worked for me in the past, as well as the tactics that seem to get my attention when I’m on the receiving end. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
- Appeal on a personal level. Your pitch is a message written from one person to another — not a business transaction between two brands. Be human. Don’t fall back on a form letter. Use natural language and personalize your message. Show that you’re familiar with the influencer’s work and place your pitch in that context. If you can’t do that, maybe that’s a sign you should be pitching to someone else.
- Be a problem solver. Your influencer isn’t looking to do you a favor. Whatever you’re pitching needs to be genuinely useful to their audience. Resist the urge to use the old standby: “I think your audience would love to know about …” — your job is prove your worth, not assert it. You need to be able to show them how your pitch answers a question or solves a problem that the influencer’s audience is concerned about. Responding positively to your pitch should never feel like a stretch for your influencer.
- Create curiosity. Tell your influencer about your surprising discovery, your awesome product or your counterintuitive conclusion — but don’t bog them down with details. Be concise. Be provocative. Leave a little mystery. Don’t be confusing or misleading — that will only erode trust. Just leave them with a single natural question in the back of their mind. That question gives them a reason to e-mail you back.
- Don’t oversell it. I’ll admit that I’m particularly sensitive to this — I’ve been know to literally growl at pushy salespeople — but I don’t think I’m the only one. Reporters, editors and bloggers of all stripes tend to be a skeptical, independent people. You can’t badger them or expect to wow them with hype alone. Push too hard and you risk getting redirected to their spam folder from now on. You need an easy, light tone to pique their interest. You can lead a blogger to content, but you can’t make them link.
Of course, this list is a long way from comprehensive. Got any other tips that belong in the ABCs of Pitching? Leave a suggestion in the comments — let’s see if we can fill out the alphabet. If you can come up with a half-decent tip that actually begins with the letter “X,” you’ll have my undying respect as both a blogger and vocabulary enthusiast.
Image credit, Palto, via Shutterstock
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Tags: Blogging, influence, public relations
Categories: Ideas in Action
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Posted by Mike Figliuolo on April 12th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Spot on Jesse! You forgot one of the most critical ones though: READ MY FRICKIN' BLOG BEFORE YOU PITCH YOUR IDEA AS "PERFECT" FOR IT! You would not believe the amount of junk I get pitched. I write a blog about leadership so please explain to me why I get pitched story ideas for stretch mark cream, recipe books, computer peripherals, and other ridiculous things "my readers will find highly relevant." When you do this as a PR person, you automatically get relegated to the trash and get your email addressed tagged with my proprietary "lazy idiot" filter.
Good stuff Jesse. I hope those "PR Pros" read it.
My recent post Want a Powerful Business? Take Your Own Medicine
Posted by @MeanRachel on April 12th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Okay, I'm a nerd:
Xeric pitches written in Typical Marketing Speak are ones that no one will read. Use links to relevant content (like videos, product photos or testimonials) to put some color and excitement into your pitch. Keep your letter short and to the point — but keep the copy light and interesting to read. Don't pitch a product – tell a story.
Posted by Julie Squires on April 12th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Check LinkedIn and see to whom the editor is connected; ask for an invite and become part of their community first. Read the last three stories or blog posts they wrote. Thanks. Best, Julie Squires
My recent post How to Guarantee Sales Message Success: Add Emotion
Posted by jstanchak on April 12th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Thanks Mike! That means a bunch coming from you. I think at one point, I talked about reading the blog thoroughly as part of point "A," but cut it for space. You're right though — it's important enough to be a rule all on it's own. We'll go ahead and make that the official point "R."
Posted by jstanchak on April 12th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Rachel — that's both a fabulous word and fabulous advice. Tone is so, so important. You made my day.
Posted by Nancy Vaughn on April 12th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
How about "E" for Ease Up on the constant e-mails or pitching? Interact with the bloggers you're reaching out to, genuinely show you are part of their community and then engage them. It needs to be "G" for genuine (totally skipped F). It's also helpful to present something new. When you're sending out a press release, it may work for generic information – but when you're pitching, don't make it seem like you're giving the exact same story to every writer/reporter/blogger. They want fresh content. Also, have some images handy. Do NOT send them as an attachment until they've been requested because that's an automatic invitation to the spam folder as well.
Posted by @stacyo on April 12th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
Keep in mind that the contact shouldn't be all about "what's in it for me" but "what's in it for them." Lead with benefits to them and you've got a better shot of being noticed.
Posted by Beata Aldridge on April 12th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
I think that you hit the nail on the head when talking about the benefits. Like Jesse says, leave something to the imagination. Going into too much detail at the beginning just makes your pitch long and annoying to read. Instead, try to focus on the benefits (versus the features) of your product.
Also, make your pitch relevant to the blogger's content. If you do your research by reading the blog (and use a little creativity), you can almost always come up with a story angle that will appeal to the writer. For example, the stretch mark cream people might have talked, not about their cream, but about innovative leadership strategies that they were trying out within the company or how they had used Mike's advice to identify problems within their existing strategy.
Posted by Les Oreck on April 13th, 2010 at 2:46 am
"You can lead a blogger to content, but you can’t make them link".
Funny, Beautiful, so so true !
Posted by @Organic_PR on April 13th, 2010 at 3:12 am
Ask questions! Ask me how I prefer to interact, what I'm working on, what I might be interested in for the future, or if you should even email me again. Anything except form pitches. Bad pitchers tend to be so focused on selling me that they don't stop to learn about what I really want. The current client pitch might be all wrong but they might have something else that works great if they would stop to find out.
Posted by @Evertouch on April 13th, 2010 at 3:28 am
Jesse, you make some good suggestions.
Another great tactic is to ask a clarifying question on an article or topic and that can start a dialogue and then a soft pitch can be made. I tend to focus more on quality than quantity so that may be an option for everyone, but it has generated some of my best third party blogs.
Posted by Gordon on April 13th, 2010 at 5:10 am
I have one for you:
"P":
Provide a great STORY about the product that you know the media's audience (that you have researched) will like. In other words, don't force the media person to create the story…you provide it for them.
Example: I have a client (yes, I'm a PR guy) who makes excellent organic dark chocolates. Rather than pitch the story like this: "Hi KXXX! My client makes super-great chocolate! You will love it!", I created a specific story about chocolate that was also tied into a specific date: February, National Heart Health Month.
Headline: "Chocolate: Medicine for a Woman's Healthy Heart"
Story (summary): "February is National Heart Health Month. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants that protect the heart. Women even more than men. My client can speak about dark chocolate and the health benefits. Oh by the way…she also makes dark chocolate."
I sent out the release to the local TV stations, and within 45 minutes a producer called and booked my client onto her program. You can read about it here (scroll down a bit):http://productivepr.com/work_examples.htm
THAT is the power of a good story. And that's why I always do it that way.
Gordon P.
Productive PR
The "non-corporate-zombie" PR guy
Posted by @KristinaSummer on April 13th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
You definitely make some great points, and ones that more PR pros should pay attention too (In addition to being a blogger I am also a PR pro as well, although I swear I have never pitched stretch mark cream!). I liked the part about keep it brief, don't oversell and remember that they are not there to do you a favor. Also – it is great if you can tie your pitch to an existing event, story or holiday as Gordon mentioned. It makes everybody's work easier. Great post – I'll have to share it around the office!
Posted by Elisa Balabram on April 13th, 2010 at 10:26 am
Jesse,
Great article! I've experienced the same frustrations too. One thing that bothers me is receiving an email from someone who sent the email to himself/herself and a Bcc to who knows how many editors! I suggest taking the time to personalize a press release and/or email pitch! Is it too much to ask for "Dear Jesse", and not Hello!?
All the best,
Elisa
Posted by Jeff on April 13th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Every time I get an email or phone call, I turn on the BS detector. I ask the question you ask – Was it written to me? Is it personal? Is it helpful or a sales pitch? Are they pushy? is my curiosity piqued?
Your blog post is spot on. Well done.
Jeff Ogden, President
Find New Customers "Lead Generation Made Simple"
http://www.findnewcustomers.net
Posted by jstanchak on April 13th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Thanks Jeff — I'm glad this struck a chord with you. I confess that half the reason I wrote this post is so I'd have a convenient rebuttal on hand for the next person who sends me a lazy pitch.
Posted by CurveComms on April 15th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Great post Jesse,
As someone who is constantly pitching to bloggers, I'm glad I already knew your ABC's – but when I first started I certainly committed classic mistakes.
I think reading the influencer's blog is one of the most important things you can do. A personal email to 10 bloggers is better than a cookiecutter pitch to 100 with only a 1% return rate.
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