Getting your pitches opened, let alone picked up, is the top of mind for all PR professionals. Journalists make the call, to open or not, in seconds, often based off your subject line. That makes it the single most important line you’ll write.

TL;DR – Make it about them, not you

Here’s how to write one that they will actually open.

Put yourself in the shoes of the readers, viewers and listeners. Because ultimately it’s about whether or not that audience will care about what you have to say. That’s what a journalist is thinking, and so should you.

A women’s magazine likely doesn’t care that so-and-so became CEO of XX Company. But they might care that CEO is a mom, teaching her daughters how be an entrepreneur. Always ask: why would their reader care?

Boring: “The Best AI Model”
Intriguing: “All AI Paywalls Gone - Forever”
Remember, if you wouldn’t click it, then they won’t either.

Vibe: “Ski Season Survival: Gear That Handles -20°F Without Bulk”
Angle: “How to Surviving an Avalanche with XX Gear”
Avoid: “Our ski gear is great and cheap” (Booorrrinnng)

Think like an editor. What’s the story here?
“Backcountry Cooking: Dietician Curated One-Pan Meals That Don't Weigh You Down.”

Find an actual, current gear tester. Read the rules and requirements they have for submission. Send it with all required information. But also be prepared for real feedback. You might not like it, and there’s no take backs.

Pitch early, with enough time to arrange the coverage. “Hawaii’s Unexpected Snow Ski Olympians Quest for Snow” is an interesting pitch, but only around the olympics, and no good way after.

Reporters aren’t sold on how many letters come after your name; they’re sold on if their audience is talking about something.
Yes: “Weight loss for less: MD says ditch the injectables and try this instead.”
No: “Doctor So-and-so, attending physican, fellow, facp, has a new way for weight-loss.”

Don’t pitch like this: “We’re an amazing Non-profit saving lives, you should really do a story about us.”
Try this instead: “One non-profit’s mission to save as many lives as possible. Current count 127.”

If you can’t explain why you’re newsworthy, the journalist won’t figure it out for you.
Bad: “Our skincare lines are all-natural”
Yes: “Acne care for women 35+ who want to skip ‘teen skin’ products”

Journalist want relevance. Make your pitch about trends, data, or fresh insights—not brand talking points.
Promotional: “Sleep better by using our app”
Data: “Study shows user average 2.3 hours more sleep a night with this small change”

I can’t wait to hear about your success getting coverage using these tips!

Do this now:

Open your inbox and read the subject lines from your last five outreach emails. Be honest, would you click them if they landed in your inbox? If not, rewrite one today using empathy, intrigue, and a clear reader benefit.

Get PR techniques from recent news.

96% of UK adults are getting only half of the recommended amount of fiber in their diets. That’s dangerous.

Protein deficiency is not a concern in developed countries, although you think it was will all they hype around protein. So I’m happy to see Marks & Spencer has published a new study revealing the shocking low consumption of fiber. The report links low fiber intake to higher risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer.

I love the idea of using others’ data to come up with and support your story ideas. They’ve worked hard at coming up with the numbers so you don’t have to. How can you use data and insights in your PR pitching?

Essential strategy:

💫 Pro Tip: Journalists and producers do due diligence. So have those stats with attributes right!

Story pitches: Choose the juiciest, most memorable fact and start your pitch with that. Show the urgency or uniqueness of your idea. Journalists need a news hook and more often than not data can provide it.

Useful PR Resources.

Easily create graphs that showcase PR’s influence on sales and growth with this simple free tool.

Turn your tracker spreadsheet into a coverage-over-time graph. Layer on data like sales, web traffic or search trends and connect PR activity to organizational impact. No understanding of excel pivot tables required! And they include a downloadable template to get started.

CoverageImpact has been created by the team at CoverageBook as part of an ongoing mission to help the PR industry measure and showcase the impact of their work. Let me know what you think.

Kahlúa, the golf cart riding Golden Doodle is the bestest boy. His dad says he “loves long walks on the beach and is looking for his soul mate.” We’re not so sure about that. What we do know that this ultimate attention seeker insists on his cuddles and does not understand the concept of personal space. We just love Kahlúa and his humans.

Can we feature your fluffy attention seeker? Tell us more about their antics and what makes them stand out as an attention seeker.

A huge portion of the US is freezing this week! I hope you and your loved ones are safe and warm.

Until next week, keep your shades on and stay cool.

Your fellow Seeker,
Keren

🕶️

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