6 Top Tier Tips for Rock Star Pitches
A teaser of some of our favorite tips from our most popular workshop
Hi Top Tier Consulting Community. Hope everyone is having a fantastic week.
Lately at TTC we’ve been focusing on all things pitching. The most popular question we get from our community, after all, is a version of “how do I send a pitch that will attract a writer’s attention and land my client coverage?” There is so much that goes into this, as you know — including:
Sending a subject line that catches a writer’s eye
Including all the important facts that writers to know about your
Communicating whether your client is on affiliate platforms
and more!
This week, we’re going to do a refresher into some of our top pitching tips. Stay tuned as you won’t want to miss this edition. But first, a few announcements:
Recording Available: Become a Journalist's BFF Workshop (All Our Best Tricks and Tips!)
Did you miss our Become a Journalist's BFF: Networking and Relationship Management" workshop last month?
We went through our entire 50-minute presentation on best practices when it comes to meeting new journalists, networking with journalists, and becoming a writer’s go-to source.
Then we had a robust Q&A and discussion that was SO GOOD that we ended up going way past the initial hour.
It’s not too late to get caught up!
Haven’t Taken a 1:1 Session with Jill & Nicole Yet? What Are You Waiting For?
Here’s a reminder of the sessions we offer, both to agencies and solo/freelance publicists:
All Your Questions Answered Session
Have a bunch of questions you’ve been dying to ask two top-tier journalists? Here’s your chance to learn about what goes on behind the scenes. Book a panel with us and prepare your list. You’ll walk away with all of your questions answered, plus we’ll sprinkle in our best practices throughout the session to help give you (and your clients!) an edge in this highly competitive media landscape.
Pitch Perfecting Strategy Session
Ready to take your pitches to the next level? Or are you wondering why certain pitches aren’t getting much response? Learn how to take your emails from, “Here’s a client I represent,” to “Here’s a story idea you can’t possibly turn down.” Between the two of us, we receive thousands of pitches per week, so we have many tips — and examples — of what works and what doesn’t. From coming up with the perfect email subject line to improve your open rates to sealing the deal with your closing remarks, your word choices matter throughout the entire pitch. We’ll help you perfect them … and we’ll workshop some of your actual pitches too!
Become a Journalist’s BFF: Networking and Relationship Management Session
Some publicists seem to have a transactional “wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am” approach to their work, but highly successful publicists know that building long-term relationships with journalists is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Learn how to meet new journalists, and discover best practices for staying in touch, following up, and creating meaningful relationships. You’ll also discover how to become a writer’s go-to source, how to stand out when answering a writer’s call for sources (whether that’s on HARO, a FB group, Twitter, or Substack), how to avoid common writer pet peeves and more.
Press Package 101 Session
Looking to mail out samples of your clients’ products in hopes of landing coverage? Great, but there’s a list of things you should know before dropping them off at the post office — things like planning, packaging, and communications will make all the difference in your ROI. We’ll help you make your packages more enticing, while actually saving your clients money in the process. And we’ll discuss how to target the right audiences, how to handle post-delivery follow-ups, and more.
Press Trips Invites and Itineraries Session
The two most important aspects of pulling off a successful press trip are nailing your invites and itineraries. First, we’ll dive into journalist targeting and invitation etiquette do’s and don’ts. Then, you’ll learn how to build a press trip itinerary that will actually land you coverage. We’ll focus on striking the perfect blend between offering media the chance to experience a destination, while zeroing in on quality and unique experiences that can lead to coverage — and help you find that elusive balance between keeping writers entertained vs. not overbooking them.
Hosting the Perfect Virtual and/or In-Person Media Event Session
Events are efficient ways to connect with a lot of media in one setting. During these sessions, you’ll learn the ins and outs of how to create a media event that journalists will A) Want to attend B) Will stay engaged at C) Will work into coverage. We’ll teach you how to target the ideal attendees who are there for article ideas and not just the free swag. We’ll talk venues, guest lists, and what to say in your presentation, plus how to coach your clients to interact with media at events in the most beneficial way.
Your Custom Session
The above options are just a sample of topics, based on questions we get asked about most frequently. But if you have something you’d love to discuss that you don’t see on the list, we’re happy to create a custom session around it. Let’s dive deeper!
Interested in learning more or booking an April session? Email us at info@toptierconsulting.NET.
Now back to this week’s topic. Presenting: A teaser of some tips we share from our most popular session: Pitch Perfecting
1. A good email subject line tells writers who your expert/product is + why they are timely/relevant
We get asked all the time about what makes a good email subject line. Here are some examples of subject lines we’ve received that have done a good job of telling us who the client is + what a good timely angle could be:
Best Gifts For Mothers: Kitchen, Health, Beauty, Home, + Fashion (Affiliate Ready!)
New [Brand Name] Shoes + Sandals Launching in Feb - Early Samples Available
The $38 Kit Celebs, Models and Makeup Artists Won't Travel Without
“[Celeb Name], new book, interview opp
“Baywatch 30th anniversary, red bathing suit as iconic as ever”
“What to buy the mother who has everything this Mother’s Day”
“Therapist to weigh in on current trend of XYZ”
Required reading: A Subject Line is Your Pitche’s First Impression, Here’s How to Nail It
2. Call out affiliate programs early on in an email — or even in the subject
This is one way writers sort through pitches, especially for gift guide season. So many outlets are now only using products that are on affiliates. This means that most writers working on gift guides and e-commerce pieces will always prioritize products that have affiliates. If your product has an affiliate tie-in, say that in the subject line (especially during holiday gift guide season) — or at the very least at the very top of the email pitch. Make it obvious, as writers will likely pass on products that aren’t already affiliate-friendly.
Must-view recording if you rep products: Affiliate Marketing Workshop
3. Timing is everything. Here’s an example of how to nail the timing of your pitches
One of the most commonly asked questions we get at TTC is “When should I send my pitch?” Here’s a little guide:
Editors like to assign stories as early as possible — whether that’s print or online. And now that many print magazines are folding (moment of silence here, sniff sniff) and going to online-only editions, editors are doing their editorial planning the way they used to when things were printed (translation: They are looking to assign stories several months in advance). Therefore, it’s always better to pitch early. If you’re asking yourself, “Is it too late to send this pitch?” please know that other publicists have probably been pitching for that timely angle for quite some time and you may be a bit behind.
Holiday gift guides: Start pitching right after Labor Day
Mother’s Day content: Early February
Father’s Day/graduation: Early March
Black Friday: mid-September
Valentine’s Day content: In early December
National Health Months: Several months before the month starts
National Whatever Days: 6-8 weeks before
Required reading: Timing Is Everything, Here’s How to Nail the Timing of Your Pitches
4. Personalize your pitch if possible
It’s always a great idea to personalize the pitch, especially if you’re REALLY hoping for coverage in a specific publication: use the writer’s name, reference a recent article they wrote that you liked or that’s relevant to your pitch, mention something you saw on their social media or Substack … make a personal connection so it doesn’t feel so transactional and generic.
This also helps a writer to feel like a pitch was actually tailored to them and not a spray-and-pray mass pitching approach — which are the pitches they often just skim and delete.
Required reading: Relationship vs Transactional Pitching: Here’s What it Looks Like
5. Make your pitches easy to read
Writers have insane email inboxes. Nicole, for instance, had over 900 emails in her inbox the morning after the Oscars. We don’t read everything that lands in our inbox word for word BUT we do scan through everything. Writers will sit with an email long enough to identify:
Who is the expert you are trying to pitch or what is the product
Is there a timely angle?
What makes this expert qualified to talk about a trending topic?
What makes a product different from all the other products like it out there?
Is the product on affiliate?
Are we clear on an expert’s background, title, etc.
Is there a link to an expert or product’s website?
Once we have this info, we make our decisions on if we can move forward with a pitch or pass. Email pitches that are scalable are KEY. What does that mean? Don’t do super long intimidating paragraphs. Break up your pitches with subheads. Bold things. Do bullet points with talking points for experts and product details, etc. The easier to navigate the better.
Required reading: Your Handy-Dandy Checklist of 10 Things to Review Before Sending ANY Pitch
6. Yes, definitely follow up. Here’s how:
Do it over email, not the phone (unless you are in the middle of working on something together or have a super super super time-sensitive request). 1-2x over email is good. Writers try to write back but sometimes just can’t - even do an email follow up. But know they are seeing it.
And bonus points if you can tell them something new about your client or product in the email follow up for “a second chance to make a first impression” on your pitch — aka Jill’s favorite line in all of our Top Tier presentations. :-p
P.S. Don’t follow up over Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Linkedin, Facebook or wherever else you can find a writer. Follow up in their email. Trust us.
Recommended reading: The ONE TRICK to Improving Your Pitch Follow-Up Strategy That'll Make Reporters Who Didn't Reply in Round One Say YES!
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Do you have any questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments below and we’ll answer them!
Thanks again for being a part of this wonderful community we’re building. If you know a colleague who could benefit from this, please share this newsletter with them. We’re putting so much time and effort into these weekly articles and are thrilled to be able to get them in front of people who are benefiting from them.
Jill & Nicole
PS: You can always email us with any questions: info@toptierconsulting.NET