The process of successful pitching
By Brenna Israel
account executive

As PR professionals, we are constantly under pressure to secure placements for our clients in the most widely read and prestigious publications. For those who aren’t familiar with the process of a fully formed pitch, allow me to make a rather simple analogy…

The process of securing your first placement is analogous with the feeling one gets at the start of their very first Chicago winter. “It can’t be THAT cold for THAT long, right?” I had the privilege of juggling these two completely new experiences not too long ago. Having grown up in Southern California and a rookie in the PR industry, my correlation of these two processes has been permanently etched in my memory.

About as quickly as I began to acquire a drawer full of turtlenecks and a closet full of down coats, I realized the amount of time, care, and personal tailoring each pitch needed in order to have a chance at success. For as nice as a blanket can be in winter, a blanketed approach to pitching editors is a sure fire way to not get a response… ever. A knowledgeable and successful PR professional is willing to stick to the necessary steps for success and like the many layers of clothing in the winter, strip any of these away and your world gets much colder…

Step One: Research, research, research. Find the appropriate person to pitch and gather information about them, read their articles, get to know them and their work.

Step Two: Write the pitch tailored with the information from your research – keeping in mind what your target cares about.

Step Three: Send the email. Address the person by name and include a reference to something they’ve written or published before.

Step Four: Stare frantically at your email box and wait for a response as if your life depends on it… it does. When the writer doesn’t respond back proceed to the next step.

Step Five: Call. If your phone call doesn’t get screened and diverted to their answering service, you have five seconds to convince them that you aren’t selling insurance. When you get through and they don’t have the time to talk to you or don’t seem that interested, send another email and make another phone call using a different angle that is even more tailored to their interests – remember pleasant persistence does not have to be obnoxious. When you have come to the realization that this person is definitely not interested - return to step one and start all over again.

Don’t get down on yourself or frustrated. This is how it works. Always rejection before acceptance, always bitter cold before the thaw. If it not for the former, who could enjoy the latter. This dichotomy is perfectly personified by the two seasons in Chicago, as I and many others learned the hard way. The summer is so alive here because of the struggle we all endure throughout the winter months. It’s the reward of hard work and the sense of accomplishment through persistence that you get when you secure a placement. And once you get that first “yes” from the editor you pitched, like that first 70+ degree day, you realize - it was all worth it.