Pitching National Media: Master the Art of the Perfect National Media Pitch
National media features can open up a world of incredible opportunities for your business, but successfully pitching requires the right know-how.
Introduction
Pitching is not as simple as sending out a few emails. Without understanding how national media work and operate, you risk seeing your hard efforts ignored.
READ MORE: Pitching Local Media: Master the Art of the Perfect Local Media Pitch
Building on our Client Success Story here, we'll explain the steps to follow that will get your story covered by national media.
So, break out those coffee mugs – it's time to jumpstart preparations for pitch-perfect publicity in the national media.
An Historic Storytelling Opportunity
The FSU campus. (Source: FSU)
Former Evocati PR client Fayetteville State University (FSU), a historically black college & university in North Carolina, was ready to announce a bold plan to become the nation's most attractive college for military-connected students.
FSU’s senior executive team implemented an ambitious institutional goal to become the nation's top destination for military-connected students. They wanted to make tuition free for any military-connected student to attend their institution as an undergraduate. Yes, free.
This story of course was huge for FSU, and students. But we needed to have this story told nationally to drive attention and interest.
So, we carefully planned and executed a pitch to national publications. That led to a feature in The Washington Post.
How did we get it placed in The Washington Post? That brings us to our first key.
We Offered Exclusivity
In the world of journalism, exclusivity is a precious commodity.
An exclusive is a highly coveted impact story offered to one publication to tell in its entirety. With such a powerful story on our hands, we reached out to The Washington Post and offered them an exclusive on the announcement.
Of course, not all national media stories are this substantial, but if yours is, make it exclusive. The offer of exclusive coverage for impactful stories puts a journalist in a hard-to-say-no position. That's a win-win for your business.
Consider their perspective: if they can go to their editor with an exclusive then he or she is far more likely to agree to cover the story than to pass on it. Consider offering the exclusive but also pay close attention to the subject line in your email when you do.
Crafted the Best Possible Subject Line
(Source: Squarespace)
Here's the subject line we sent to the reporter:
Exclusive: HBCU To Announce Initiative to Be Preferred Destination for All Military-Connected Students of Color
This was attention-grabbing, detailed, and demonstrated value. We clearly communicated a hook.
In the fast-paced world of journalism, it can be difficult to capture the attention of a seasoned writer before you're sent straight to the trash bin.
READ MORE: 4 Red Flags That Will Send Your Pitch to the Trash Bin
That is why it is so important to have a carefully crafted subject line to captivate journalists, especially national ones, who are bombarded by pitches and emails on the daily. The subject line we sent to The Washington Post did four things right:
Informed the journalist the story was an exclusive.
Grabbed attention in the first few words, ex. "exclusive", "HBCU", and "Announce Initiative."
Detailed the nature and angle of the story without telling the entire story, compelling them to open our message.
Completed the above three without sacrificing brevity and readability.
It may sound counterintuitive, but you need to spend as much time crafting a subject line as you do the pitch. Doing so will increase the odds that your pitch will be read and acted upon. Next, we worked hard to focus on what was important to the story: the people impacted.
Featured the Human-Interest Angle
Screengrab: The Washington Post (Source: Evocati PR)
Everyone loves a heartwarming story, so we focused on the good FSU's initiative would bring to an underserved and underrepresented population.
The reporter asked to speak with students impacted by this announcement and FSU senior executives. We happily worked overtime to make that happen. Why? Because human interest stories are irresistible.
They have the power to draw us in and make us invest emotionally because they are about regular people, just like us. These stories remind us of our shared humanity and our ability to make a difference in the world.
If you have a story with a human element, highlight how it benefits a particular community. Then you'll have a story to tell. Storytelling is far more powerful than your standard corporate announcement.
FSU was not only committed to providing an affordable journey in higher education to students, but to the military-connected population as well.
The historic scholarship may have been the lede, but it was the students who benefited, and the leaders who made it happen, that were the feature.
Their story was heart-warming in its sense of unity, service, and support to a vastly underserved community. The human-interest story, as told by The Washington Post, is vital for your pitch to be picked up by national media.
You Got This
Pitching to the national media can feel like a daunting task. And it's very different than pitching to local media. Remember the power of exclusivity, creating an engaging subject line, and focusing on the human-interest potential.
With these tips, you'll be well on your way to showcasing the impact your business makes to a national audience. Follow these and you can expect to see greater results in your pitch outcomes and PR performances.
We’re always here to help. Contact us today to get started on pitching to the national media!