This may fly in the face of Richard’s Pepto-Bismolic plea, but before everyone gets all Shiny Happy People, I must vent.Someone sent us their second bad pitch. Both pitches start with the salutation: To Whom It May Concern.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN!?
First of all, this isn’t a salutation. To Whom It May Concern reads more like “F&!k it, I can’t find the remote so could you just publish this for me so I don’t have to get up and walk all the way across the room?”
Perhaps I’m reading into it, but a quick show of hands from anyone using it as a salutation in the last decade or so?
In the age of over the top, over share and people getting overly friendly in pitches, To Whom It May Concern is the most efficient way to show your audience is not of your concern.
Slick’s pissed and he’s wondering if we’ve lost that loving feeling for bad pitches (karaoke tangent!).
Actually Richard and I have been discussing Slick. It’s been awhile so we may give an extreme pitch makeover to the next pitch we out. Instead of simply detailing why the pitch sucks, we take a subjective stab at improving the pitch for media consumption. Then you, oh gentle reader, can weigh in and tell us what you think of the before and after.
Let us know what you think.
tags | public relations | PR | media relations | media | good pitch | bad pitch | bad pitch blog
To whom it may concern:
ReplyDeleteYou mean I need to do research and learn stuff? My head already hurts. Isn't that a reporter's job? Hell, my product *should* be their concern.
Sincerely,
Mike: the worldwide leader in public relations synergies for greater efficiency in sustaining bullshit lifecycles
I completely agree. You should know the reporter, what they write about, etc. But the first day I started my PR job, I was told to start pitching immediately. I was new to the area and the country! I was told I had to get substantial press the first week as well. I had no time to think let alone research reporters and the media. Any advice?
ReplyDeleteI have spoken with other PR people and they are in the same situation. They are given short deadlines with no time to research or prepare.
The challenges to those doing the pitching definitely increase when companies don't properly fund/prioritize their PR efforts. Nevermind the fact that some major publications are regular media mills, and hire and fire so fast that even trade orgs like Bulldog Reporter and MediaBistro can't keep it all straight....!
ReplyDeleteI don't care how dog-eat-dog the media world is supposed to be. I still think there's a little room for compassion. And I don't think there's anything wrong with "To Whom it May Concern" if the pitch is well thought out otherwise.
amy - I disagree completely. If you have the right story, you might get past this salutation.
ReplyDeleteBut if the first thing someone reads is a tip off that it's a form letter...when the one mantra most every reporter chants is SHOW ME YOU KNOW ME...you immediately discredit the rest of the pitch.
To whom it may concern tells me you aren't even focused enough to send it just to print editors. To whom it may concern tells me you are sending it to everyone.
Wow. Consider me chastised. I use "To Whom It May Concern" for all sorts of things (I'm not a PR person, but a blogger). I use it for cover letters or if I'm sending a letter or e-mail to a company/organization/other bloggers if I don't know their name. (As happens often with anonymous bloggers - you don't know their name sometimes. And "Dear bigboy697," just sounds rather odd.) I just though of it as the professional way of saying, "I'm not sure who this should go to."
ReplyDeleteAny suggestions for when you don't know the person's name? What should I be using instead?
Bill - Great question. My suggestion, in lieu of a name, would be to specify a title. You would know the general title or department you are heading for right?
ReplyDelete