Tips For Pitching To the Media

Pitching and placing a story in the media takes research, patience and strategy. However, the rewards are well worth all the time and effort you put in.  Advertising is expensive and would cost a pretty penny to publish a full feature article in a newspaper or magazine. Learning how to successfully pitch stories to the media could bring in tons of free publicity.

Here are some tips to guide you on how to pitch stories for maximum PR media placement:

Where do I start?

• Research and prepare!
• Ensure you have clear objectives of what you want to achieve.
• Request a copy of SIA’s media list from Anovia Daniels at ADaniels@snowports.org. SIA maintains an extensive database of journalists who have attended past SIA trade shows, media events or have a history of covering snow sports.
• Send your press releases to ADaniels@snowsports.org to be posted to our website and social media outlets.
• When pitching to a specific publication, be mindful of their niche and what they normally cover in their publication (i.e.: don’t pitch kid or women-specific products to Maxim).
• Create several pitches to fit specific audiences such as male, female, kid-specific and match the pitch to the publication instead of sending a one-size-fits-all release.
• Know your brand and your products. If you're not part of the everyday business, make sure you know the ins and outs of your products and how they work.
• When creating your pitch, think about if there is an interesting story behind your company. How it got started? Was the company passed down generationally? Does the president/owner have a compelling story?

What products should I pitch to media?

• Products that received the most attention from retailers and press at the SIA 2011 Snow Show and will be available to consumer this upcoming fall/winter.
• Journalists love to hear about what will be the “hot item” in retail stores next year.
• Fashion-forward products that really “pop” as far as color, style, texture, technical features, etc.
• Sometimes less is more – a short paragraph and photo of your top product plays better than pages and pages of press releases.
• Kid-specific products – parent publications rarely get to send their staff to trade shows and want to hear about the latest in kid and family friendly products.
• Eco-friendly products – media are always on the lookout for new, green and eco-friendly products and company practices.

How do I contact media?

It’s important to remember that journalists are constantly being approached and pitched throughout the day. Calling to check if they’ve received your press release is not a good idea – a short email is a better choice. And we can’t emphasize enough to take the time to know your audience before calling or emailing. Make sure the topic or product is relevant to their publication, website, blog or column.

There are also a couple rules when sending emails to journalists. Keep email’s short and sweet-- text should not exceed three paragraphs. And, never attach large image files, which can be time consuming to download and carry viruses. It is best not to send a press release or pitch email out on a Monday or Friday. It is also best to send them out between 8A and 8P so they do not get lost in their email box at night.  

Questions?

Please contact SIA’s Communications and Public Relations Manager, Anovia Daniels, by phone 703.506.4214 or email ADaniels@snowsports.org with questions or to discuss ways to maximize your company’s media exposure in the year ahead.