Before you even write your pitch email or call a reporter, have you given your story idea the “So What?” or “Who Cares?” test!
So what… you’re having your 40th business anniversary? Who cares… if you’re offering a special service for your clients?
To attract media attention and new customers, you need to be thinking about useful content. What do you have to offer?
Keep your story pitch email simple, quick, and easy for a news reporter, a TV producer or a magazine editor to understand.
But look at how I wrote the pitch for my first segment. What I want you to see is how you should:
- Personalize the subject line (media people can smell mass mailings)
- Put the who, what, where…early at the top
- Visually make the email easy to read with bullet points
Email Example:
Let’s make TV magic or at least test [host names] communication skills 🙂
Dear Producer,
My name is Katrina Cravy and I’m a former local TV reporter and show host. I’d love to be on [show’s name] to help families and especially teenagers communicate better.
Here’s my pitch!
WHAT: A fun communication game we can do with [host] that’s a game all families can play at the dinner table.
WHY: 52% of companies that responded to a Career Builder survey say recent college grads lacked interpersonal skills. This game will help teenagers get a job and keep them from living in our basements. 🙂
HOW TO MAKE THE TV SEGMENT FUN: Let’s play a game!
I’d like to quiz the hosts to see how long they can talk without saying the “3 Killer Filler Words – You Know, Like and Ah/Um” I’ll even bring my own buzzer.
The questions will also reveal stories about your host that the audience would love to know. Examples:
- “What was your favorite gift as a child and why?”
- “What was your New Year’s Resolution and how is that going for you?”
- “Tell me about the last restaurant experience, who you were with, what you talked about and what you ate?
It’s a great game for families to play at the dinner table to make each other aware of how we all overuse these filler words and hurt our ability to be heard.
WHEN: I’m available Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and can fill any open spots you have.
If you’re interested, please give me a call at (262) 415-7811. – Katrina
