A cold email pitch could be an effective way to get a media contact’s attention if you draft it strategically
When you first start your company, you want to grow it. You want to get results as quickly as you possibly can. However, it takes time, like everything you need to work at. You may not have the revenue to create exposure for your business, but once you learn how to pitch, things will work out better.
What is a cold email?
You’ve got to start somewhere, right? Email pitches are messages that are sent out without any previous relationship or conversation with the journalists or media outlet you’re writing to. It can be harder than most communication because you don’t have a prior relationship yet and lack non-verbal feedback, so you can’t modify your approach.
Even so, email pitching is a crucial part of effective media outreach. Lots of startups have been launched through cold emails. Not a lot of research has been done about the effectiveness of cold emailing, but from what has been shown is that an effective cold email does these things:
- Tailor the message to the recipient
- Validate itself
- Focuses on the needs and wants of its audience
- Stays short, easy, and actionable
- Is appreciative
1) Tailor the Message to the Recipient
Personalization is crucial when sending a cold email pitch. Thoroughly research the journalist you’re contacting and tailor your message to their interests and needs. Show that you understand their perspective and why your story is relevant to them specifically. Highlight why you are reaching out to them rather than anyone else. Demonstrating that you’ve considered their unique position and interests increases the likelihood of your pitch resonating with them.
2) Provide Social Proof
When reaching out to someone unfamiliar, it’s important to establish credibility. Include any relevant social proof or connections to build trust. Mention shared contacts or mutual interests to create a sense of familiarity. If you have notable achievements or authority in your field, highlight these to bolster your credibility. Even if you lack high-profile status, demonstrating industry connections or relevant experience can help build trust.
3) Address Their Needs
Focus on how your pitch addresses a specific need or problem relevant to the journalist’s audience. Tailor your story to be newsworthy from their perspective. Understand what types of stories their audience finds compelling. For instance, a new CEO might not interest a national outlet but could be significant for local media if the CEO has a local connection. Ensure your pitch aligns with the journalist’s beat and audience interests.
4) Keep It Short, Clear, and Actionable
Brevity is key in email pitches. Keep your message concise and to the point. Use a conversational tone and structure your email for easy reading. Clearly state what you want from the journalist and make it simple for them to act. The easier you make it for them to understand your request and respond, the more likely they will engage.
5) Show Appreciation
Remember, you’re asking someone you don’t know to consider your request. Express gratitude and acknowledge their busy schedule. A sincere thank you can go a long way in making them feel valued and more willing to help. Showing appreciation and recognizing their time can improve your chances of receiving a positive response.
Key Components of a Perfect Pitch:
- Personalization: The body of the email is tailored to the recipient and includes relevant details.
- Engaging Subject Line: The subject line is concise and compelling, prompting the reporter to open the email.
- Direct Address: The journalist is addressed by name.
- Relevance: The pitch is sent to journalists who cover topics related to your story.
- Clear Benefits: Explain how the press release benefits their publication, especially if you have an established relationship.
- Emotional Hook: Include an emotional angle to make the story more appealing.
- Avoid Buzzwords: Use straightforward language and avoid jargon.
Tips to help your startup get noticed
When you first start out, it is important to spot your ideal journalists so that you’re sending your emails to the right people. You want to ensure you find the relevant journalists for your company. You can do that by following industry-related publications and searching on search engines. Even better, you can ask Pressfarm to build a curated media list for you.
Before you even send a cold email pitch, you need to do your research. You need to have prior knowledge about the audience and market you are trying to emerge. Try and talk to other writers and gain all the knowledge you can.
In today’s world of journalism, having a social presence is important because everything is shared and posted through social media. You can even build relationships with journalists by following their profiles, commenting on their articles, and sending cold emails.
Time to write
When it’s time to write, you must make a good impression. You need to keep your subject line short, concise, and specific. Stay personal, and don’t write like a robot. Get straight into your story, and don’t waste time on useless information. Use the 5 Ws as a guideline for your story.
Since journalists receive so many pitches and emails daily, your pitch needs to be short and concise. Use your own words and tell your story, appealing to the journalist’s emotions.
Another way to attract media outlets is to add visually appealing content to your pitch. For example, you can create video pitches with photos and graphics to build visual interest.
Ultimately, you want to be professional while keeping your tone friendly and engaging. Ideally, you should finish your email with a question because it invites a reply and it initiates interest.
If writing this pitch seems scary, you should know that Pressfarm has cold email pitch templates you can learn or borrow from.
The Pitch Itself
The important thing is that when you pitch, you need to create something worth mentioning. Broadcasting news to people takes effort, so your news needs to be important. You also need to realize that it is a two-way street. You need to think of what the media outlets are doing for you and consider what you are doing for them.
Highlight the value of your news in your pitch because this is what will attract the press. Try to be yourself as much as possible and remember that people like to be spoken to not only with respect but also in a language they understand. Write and talk how you normally would if you talked to your family and friends.
To gain maximum impact
You must pitch the right story at the right time and keep your emails current. Personalizing each cold email pitch is important because no media outlet wants to be seen as a number. Personalizing your emails will create more interest. This is because it will make them more interested if they see that you really want to work with them and you’re not just picking the one that gives you easier access.
You also need to give them advance notice because they plan what stories they will cover months in advance. Finally, avoid simple mistakes when writing an email or pitch because you could lose credibility, and they don’t want to spend too much time fixing mistakes that you could have easily fixed yourself.
Follow-up
Patience is important, but you have to balance the fine line between persistence and annoyance. Give your contacts time to read what you have sent them. If they haven’t responded, wait a few days to reach out again. If they say they are not interested, let them be and email other journalists.
You can also communicate your idea using other mediums. Do not underestimate current non-traditional ways of communication; they can help you in the long run.
Conclusion
Writing the perfect cold email pitch is a work in progress. It is something that you keep improving over time. It takes some serious time and effort, but if you understand your target audience and what you can do to stand out from the competition, you will do a great job.
Cold email pitching can be tough, but remembering the basics will go a long way. Keep things personal, and include all the information that will benefit you, the media outlets, and your audience because they need to know that you will go over and beyond compared to your competitors. Pay attention to every aspect of your email pitch, from the introduction to the body and the signature. Detailed information and a well-constructed signature can help get more traction and have a higher chance of getting read.
Do you need help doing targeted pitching for your brand? The PR team at Pressfarm can take some of the pressure off you by building curated media lists for you. Together with our over 1 million media contacts database, our media lists are designed to help you connect with the best journalists in your niche. In addition to helping with your media outreach, we can help you create content that can capture media attention. With a professional press release, some guest posts, and a creative media kit, your brand will have what it takes to make a memorable impression in your industry. Sign up for these services and more today.
