Media spotlight is a newspaper group with 3 weekly newspapers in suburban communities in the Capital District of New York State. Founded in 1955, the papers started by printing what the community fed them; sifting through announcements, press releases and photos to print local news. Today, the papers provide a comprehensive local news source for Albany, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties, from school board meetings and town budget votes to the details of what’s happening in their neighborhoods.
Media pitching is the process of contacting journalists to pitch your story or product. It’s a critical aspect of PR that can either make or break your chances of getting covered. The key to successful media pitching is to customize and tailor each email to the journalist and their needs. This can be done by finding out a journalist’s past work, personal interests, or the needs of their publication. Having a personalized email shows that you care about your pitch and increases the likelihood of it being read.
Writing a catchy subject line is also crucial. This is the first thing that a journalist sees and it should be compelling enough to get them to continue reading your pitch. Having a strong lead that speaks to a recent trend or relevant time peg is also an effective way to hook journalists and keep them interested. A tease or call to action is often a good way to do this. A well-crafted media pitch can take your PR program to the next level!