"A personal relationship will not get you coverage of a bad pitch. A good pitch will get you coverage even with a bad relationship."
This is a quote from a wise, anonymous, client-side friend who works at a brand you know.
And it raises the age old question: is it what you know or who you know?
I think it’s both. You need to go beyond just pitching your stories to the media. Send them news, tips and ideas that are relevant to what they cover. You need to become more of a source than just another pitch.
In my experience this allows you over time to test pitches with editors and get their feedback before you even hit send.
So what do you think, is it what you know or who you know?
the little black book uploaded by vince42tags | public relations | PR | media relations | media | good pitch | bad pitch | bad pitch blog
In my experience the successful pitches that have relied solely on who you know have not led to good final results.
ReplyDeleteOf course, your definition of cultivating relationships with reporters and editors is a little different. But be wary of "I can get this story sold -- I know somebody at [fill in the blank]."
The way that it's going with traditional media, between layoffs and closings and all, who you know doesn't count for all that much anymore. They're dropping like flies, and there goes that card! I've always practiced PR based on smart pitching to the right journalist (not necessarily one I know), and it has worked well. That said, when I was a journalist, I'd normally take calls from PR folks with whom I had a "relationship." Of course, that didn't mean I'd necessarily bite on the story. Problem is the number of PR folks who make that promise -- and clients who buy into it.
ReplyDeleteGot to go with what you know. I've got great relationships with a number of journalists and all of them will be happy to ignore a bad pitch... even if it is with a smile.
ReplyDelete'who you know' gets the ear. 'what you know' get's the story done.
ReplyDeleteThey know you because of what you know.
ReplyDeleteThe work comes before the pitch. Whenever a reporter asks for information, I make sure he gets more useful stuff from me than he expected. Once you're positioned as a resource, they'll listen to your pitches (until you pitch crap their way).
The thing I really like to hear when a reporter calls: "Another reporter said I should call you about this."
What.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're discussing this. It's exasperating when clients ask, "Which journalists do you know?" I always explain that I know plenty...but it doesn't really matter when there is a good story. Besides, they are transient and one year a reporter might cover banking and the next year she is in a different market covering healthcare. You've got to get the pitch in front of a reporter who has an incentive to use it (as in, it's in their job description). And it won't be because of a personal relationship. Good reporters know how to say no very nicely to their friends.
ReplyDeleteBoth what you know and who you know are important. I would say more important is who knows you.
ReplyDeleteIt's both. Great pitch to wrong person = zip. Bad pitch to right person = zip. Good pitch to right person = ZAP!
ReplyDeleteBut also... it's WHEN you knew it! Good pitch to right person too late = back to zip.
Maybe "when" is part of what?
Gary Henry