Some media members have PR people believing they live by the motto: “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.” That’s why you might think that when you don’t get a response on that press release you sent out it must mean that no one is interested. Maybe that is the case, but maybe it’s not. The only way to know for sure is to follow up on your pitches.
Here are 5 reasons I always follow up.
- Journalists often have too many pitches to go through – Things slip through the cracks. That’s just how it is. Journalists are busy, and they receive countless pitches every single day. The pitches and press releases never stop pouring in, and to the busy journalist, they all start to look the same. Simply put, they can’t manage all of the information they receive on a daily basis. A simple follow-up call directing attention to the information you sent over can help ensure your pitch doesn’t go unnoticed.
- A story published without a conversation could be inaccurate – Has this ever happened to you? You send over a press release, and without any follow-up conversation with the reporter, you find your story has been picked up. But because there wasn’t a conversation, the story contains some significant inaccuracies. It happens more often than you might think. A simple follow-up call can help prevent this from happening.
- Persistence can pay off – There’s certainly truth to the old saying, “The sticky wheel gets the grease.” Persistence is important to achieving PR success, but you should also know there’s a very thin line between being persistent and being a pest. Don’t immediately call after sending an email; give it a few days. If the reporter sounds busy, don’t keep talking their ear off. If the reporter says no, don’t keep pushing.
- There’s something to be said for the personal touch – Picking up the phone helps you form relationships with journalists. It makes your pitch more personal, helping you stand out from the plenitude of emails crowding the reporter’s inbox.
- A follow-up call can explain the benefits of picking up your story – When you follow up on your pitch, it gives you the perfect opportunity to explain how the story you’re pitching is the perfect fit for the publication you’re targeting and its readers. You can quickly explain why your idea is so unique, and you can talk about the information in a way that shows how it can be readily used by reporter.
Do you follow up on your pitches every time?
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab three ebooks, including My Facebook Formula, a free report on Facebook and why you should be using the largest social network for your business, here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/big-press-release-samples-book/
Laura G Thorne
Mickie, thanks as always for your content-rich posts. Re follow up, I have had my head bitten off by more than one editor for having the temerity to call after emailing a release or pitch. Is there any particular conversation opener that you use for follow up calls that you’ve found to be successful? In my experience, asking if your pitch/pr has been received or is being considered invites a brusque “I’ll call you if I’m interested.”
PR Fuel
Laura,
I would never ask if they received the release ask it sets up a defensive position and dynamic. I would assume they had it and just go into a pitch about the company/service/product. If they ask for details I would reference the release previously sent and verify details.