The perfect media pitch as voted by 25k journos

The perfect media pitch (according to 25k journos)

The best bits from MuckRack’s recent poll

Over my years in PR , it has been interesting watching the shifting attitudes to media relations. Historically it seemed to be highly about who you knew rather than the quality of the story. I think some people still perceive it this way.

It’s an odd suggestion the more you think about it: If the journalist would have written the story anyway, what role did the relationship play? And if they wouldn’t have, isn’t the PR blocking an important signal from the market that the story/ brand/ pitch etc isn’t good enough.

More and more, I think the media relations process is as interesting an opportunity to gather this kind of feedback as its other outcomes. I also believe it actually demonstrates a higher quality of relationship.

According to MuckRack, the latest word on the perfect pitch is:

A personalised email

between 9 and 11am

2–3 paragraphs

with one followup note

The research also vindicated that 90%+ of media polled will respond to someone they don’t know.

What leaps out about the perfect pitch is how simple it is. It’s typical of humans that they try and overcompensate with complexity when afraid of failure.

But this is maybe one of the virtues that comes after years of sparring with the media — confidence that you know you’re approaching the right kinds of people in the right kind of way to see if the story is the match you and the client think it is.

The pitch itself is simple but creating stories worth talking about, in a way that has strategic impact and integrates with everything else you’re doing over time, now I think that’s still a bit of a skill.