People sometimes ask us why we out our own on The Bad Pitch Blog.
There are two reasons.
- We’re tired of our entire industry taking a hit for the actions of its minority.
- It’s for their own good.
Our readers (you!) enjoy the guilty pleasure of seeing fellow practitioners f-up. Why? Because coverage, reputation and ultimately business is at stake.
Our traffic logs show that bad pitches get more traffic than our how-to articles. In fact, the average daily site visits increase by 100 percent (thanks in part to sites like Twitter). Twice as many people see the mistakes. And twice as many people can share these mistakes with their own social networks with just a click of a mouse.
When a pitch is outed, it’s being cached in Google…multiple times…as people pass these stories around like joints at Woodstock.
Consider the various outlets that send us pitches, and promote, our content. From Businessweek to Gawker, print to online, old to new outlets – everyone is tired of it. Here are three recent stories we’ve seen on bad pitches in the last week -- outings that have nothing to do with us.
MediaBistro: Pitch of the Day
WIRED: Yours is a Very Bad Press Release
TechCrunch: How to get our attention: A Case Study
Out, damned pitch! Out, I Say!
So why do I think we’re outing people for their own good? How else are they going to learn?
We're not outing the "innocents" who make one simple mistake. Anyone worried about being outed, on the Bad Pitch blog or elsewhere, is probably taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen.
If someone is outed by us, they earn it via our three strikes rule. We're outing the chronic laziness, bad writing and even worse strategies -- from people that should know better. We tell our bad pitches when they’ve been outed. We offer them a platform to defend their actions. Engaging us is the smartest approach that’s never been taken to date, by the way.
Hi guys- I've been a long-time reader (first time commenter) of this site. The reason I started subscribing to it is the very reason why you post bad pitches-- to learn from them! I understand it may be negatively interpreted as outing our own (and I pray my own pitches never make their way to you) but how else are we going to learn? You should also get credit for showcasing "good" pitches (where has Glinda been?) so it's not all negative rehashing on your blog.
ReplyDeletePlease keep posting bad pitches... even if it's mine someday!
Many times it's so clear to see where the mistakes are when you're on the outside looking in. You have no vested interest. And that's why we like to see other pitches outed - we learn about what we're doing and see our own situations clearer from reflecting on others. So yes, it's for everyone's good!
ReplyDeletewww.moscreative.com
There are so many bad pitches out there that it's scary to think who is actually thinking this stuff up. Where is the common sense? Where is good sense for that matter.
ReplyDeleteMike