One of the most heartbreaking statements I heard from a client when I suggested she pitch an event or trend to her local media (newspaper or TV) was: “They only want me to advertise. I’m not doing it.” The client was a stenography school. She hired Tin Shingle for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services, which for us means creative writing that targets keywords and ranks highly in SEO for certain terms. This organic SEO usually brings solid leads who are likely to convert to new customers.
Our SEO work made her school catch the attention of many, so much so, that the head of her trade association asked her to turn it down, because their member schools were wondering why the same level and quality of marketing wasn’t being done for them. But - she refused to invest in PR - burned by that answer of “You can buy an ad!” by a local media producer.
There is a very clear reason for receiving that dreaded answer: the pitch was wrong.
That’s it! Re-craft that pitch, and you’ll hook the local or national publisher or producer.
In this Pitch Tip Video, I explain how to do this, using a music industry example. The live music industry has not recovered from the ongoing pandemic. There are many musicians who are doing back-bends just to get to a gig, let alone get promotion for it. Yet, the news-cycle is thick with other compelling stories.
Simply pitching that someone is playing at a venue is not enough. It never was. Including all of their accolades and praises might get the musician a feature, if the Art Editor has nothing else on their plate. if you want to rise above and cut into the already assigned articles, you would add details to the pitch that reflect what is happening at the national level. And if you’re pitching local, you must connect it to the local market/community if you want to perk the attention of the editor.
If the musician has experienced unbelievable inconvenience to travel all over the country - to Broadway, to California, to remote corners of Vermont - to only face cancellations, appreciative vaccinated audiences, pushback from anti-vaxxing freedom abusing fans - mention these things in the pitch. Why is it so significant that this musician is coming to this venue on this date.
The audience wants to know the musical landscape. Describing safety will most likely increase the chances that during this time when people are so uncertain about venturing out, this will help them feel more comfortable to do so. A story like this lends itself to the national trend of this story, and elevates the national message of living one’s life more safely during a pandemic - while still venturing out.
After I recorded this tip, a local paper in my community did a story on this very thing. The writer did not signal out specific performers, but interviewed venue operators and a tourism director. The article was a perfect example of “piggy-backing” on this trend story to create another article that features an upcoming local performance.
Related TuneUp Classes To Learn From
Listen to these TuneUps to learn more about pitching local media:
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