Pitch letters are a great way to reach out to the media. As a matter of fact, more and more they are used in place of a press release. Pitch letters are usually sent via email and are used to contact media pros directly.  Plus they are more natural to write then a press release.

If you want to grab the attention of the media, you must customize the pitch – best recommendation is to create a template with all of the information that will not change and tweak it for each pitch – this will greatly increase your success with landing media – it’s an opportunity to build a relationship and its all about the relationship.

Many people have one general pitch and they blast it out to 100s of media contacts. This not not effective, instead find a handful of media that you want to report on you, take the time to read/watch/listen to their work, connect with them on social media, and share and comment on their articles. Get to know them and then pitch.

Things to have in place before you get started:

1. Media Kit (online link – no attachments)
2. Contact info for the media you are pitching
3. Outline of what you are pitching
4. Call to action, what do you want the media to do?

Structure of a Pitch Letter:

• Subject Line of Email
  • Be original.
  • Grab the reader’s attention, media folks get massive amounts of email and the goal is to stand out in the crowd.
  • If the media person you are contacting is looking for something specific or has asked for something specific – include in the subject line.
  • Do not include your name or company name in the subject line.
  • Include PITCH: at the beginning of the subject line.
  • Sometimes the subject line will come to you after you write the pitch, don’t let this block you or keep you from sending out your pitch.
• First Paragraph
  • This is the paragraph where you personalize the pitch – reference an article, interview or show.
  • Show that you know their audience and their interests.
  • Include a summary of why your offerings would be of interest to their audience.
• Second Paragraph
  • Address the who, what, where, why and how of your business.
  • What do you do. What you offer. Where you can be found. Why your product/service is special. Who you serve.
  • How your product/service is delivered.
• Third Paragraph
  • Add additional information about your work and background.
  • Work in a great, relevant, and genuine testimonial.
• Fourth Paragraph
  • Offer something to the journalist.
  • If you are an author, offer to send a book. If you are a coach or consultant, include a link to a free report you have written.
  • If you have a product based business offer to send a sample of once of your products. (Check on the publication’s policies on returning review samples. Some will return after 30 days, if it is a higher priced item, but for lower priced items you should not expect to get them back).
• The end…
  • Say thanks!
  • Add a call to action click links below, contact me, etc.
  • Include contact information – name, email, website, phone.
  • Include a link to your media kit, a book excerpt. DO NOT INCLUDE ATTACHMENTS – the email will likely not be opened.

  What are you pitching? Would love to know! Please share in the comments below.

P.S. Want to learn more social media and PR strategies that you can bring into your business? Check out The Total Social PR System™.