Make sure you have news.
It really is that simple – have news. Journalists and influencers receive numerous pitches every day – why should they pick yours?
Not everything ‘new’ in your business will be newsworthy. Here is a quick checklist to run though before you pick up the phone or send that email:
1. A publication does not have the capacity to write an article about you every week, so pick your best feature – the most interesting piece of news and work from there. You’ve opened a cafe? Great – why? Does it add value to the community? Is it a life-long dream? Is their a point of difference to other local cafes?
2. Tailor your pitch to each journalist/ publication. Why is it important to them? How will it help them? Why will it resonate with their audience? Sending a bulk pitch will earn you a black mark!
3. Build a relationship with key media that resonate with your target audience. Get to know them, follow them and their publication on social media, understand their style of writing and what is important to them; this will make it much easier for you to determine if your piece of news is actually ‘newsy’ to them!