đïž Welcome to Pitch, Please: Office Hours, a mini series for paid pitches wherein one frequently-asked PR-related question is answered in one bite-sized, pithy response.
Hi Samantha. Itâs uncanny and completely inexplicable, but I have been accidentally called Samantha in a PR email more times than I can count. Personally, I donât think they sound very similar, but clearly, thereâs some sort of association thereâŠ
Are you even reading the byline of the writer you are pitching? You should be. Yes, that means doing the bare minimum of addressing the writer by the correct name, but it also means reaching out intentionally. Asking a question when you already (kind of) know the answer. Cold pitches shouldnât be cold. They should be lukewarm.
đđŒ What publicists think
Coverage is coverage, right? As long as you blanket email all the writers in your contacts list with a standard pitch template and the old [firstname] trick a la dynamic content or merge tags, youâre bound to catch a few fish.
đđŒ What writers think
In actuality, writers are intentional about the types of pitches they move forward with. Pitches shouldnât read like a template, at least have the appearance of some personalization, and should demonstrate that youâve done some amount of research on the writerâs beat, interests, and recent pubs.
đđŒ What writers wish youâd do instead
The best way to land placement for your client is to know some background about who youâre pitching. You should also be able to conceptualize a strong âwhyâ for pitching them. Why this writer?
First, ask yourself:
Who is the writer I am pitching?
What brands do they write for, what beat do they write, are they freelance or full-time at a media role?
What brands does the writer currently write for and what is their role there?
Does the brand they currently write for make sense for the client I am pitching? (Ie. donât pitch fast fashion to a sustainability writer)
What have they worked on recently?
Does their recent coverage align with what I am pitching them? Does it even exist in the same universe?
Why am I pitching this writer?
â Am I pitching them simply because I have their email? Do not pass go; do not collect $200. This is not a reason to pitch this writer. Try again.
â Am I pitching this writer to get my name in front of them, because Iâm desperate for coverage, or solely because Iâve worked with them before? Itâs a no for me, dog.
â Am I pitching this writer because I know theyâve worked on XYZ recently and XYZ is relevant to my client?
â Am I pitching this writer because their recent work demonstrates a genuine interest in XYZ topic that is related to my client?
â Am I pitching this writer because I have something that they can actually work with for XYZ reason?
đ Resources to help you research
If youâve ever queried literary agents before, a lot of this will sound familiar. The guidance is the sameâknow exactly who youâre pitching, what interests them, and which titles and genres they have published in the past. Having done that myself, I know how time-consuming it is to research every writer that you pitch, and I empathize; but, if weâre talking about best tacticsâand at Pitch, Please, we always areâthen this is the cold, hard, pitchinâ truth.
To make your writer research a little more palatable, consider using some of these resources.
Muckrack: TBH, itâs not my favorite tool. It pulls in âoldâ content that has been republished, resurfaced, or syndicated, so its information isnât always recent. I often get pitches about stories I wrote in 2020, 2021, 2022, and itâs because Muckrack makes it look like these stories are new publishes. Use MR, yes, but proceed with caution with this one. Itâs an aidânot the be-all-end-all of your research.
Portfolio websites: Most writers have their own online portfolio where they post about their recent work. This is a valuable resource to help you unearth the publications a writer is currently writing forâplus, any pertinent bio information that could inform you of their beat or interests.
LinkedIn: Also helpful in terms of learning more about a writerâs current gig.
Substack: Duh! Plenty of writers are now using Substack to ask for pitches and share their recent work, so donât sleep on this one. Of course, youâre already a paid pitch, so youâre probably not, but still, take care to continuously follow and subscribe to writers that write and share content thatâs relevant to you.
Social media: Most writers share their bylinesâand maybe even what theyâre currently working onâvia socials. Being âfriendsâ online is just another way to gain access to and insight into a writerâs interests, beat, and recent work.
Author pages: Find a recent publication the writer has written for and click their name to find their official author page/bio. Mine is ripe with valuable info, like which products I specifically focus on. Plus, itâs basically the ultimate cheat sheet for what I work on most as it links out all of my most recent publishes.
Chatgpt: The ârightâ AI prompt can go a long way đ
đ© Red flags to retire
Misspelling a writerâs name or calling them by the incorrect name
Using [firstname] or {$name} a la dynamic content or merge tags
Pitching content that clearly demonstrates your lack of research on the writer, their role, their beat, and the publications they write for
đ TL;DR
Readâand research!âthe byline of the writer whom you are pitching. Before pitching, be able to answer: Who is the writer? Which brands do they write for and what is their role? Why am I pitching them? What topics have they worked on recently? Ultimately, why am I pitching this writer?
đŁ What is your favorite useful tool for researching writers, their beats, and publications? LMK in the comments, DMs, or subscriber chatâa private place for pitches to prattleâbelow đđŒ