By: Allie Durkee Source: https://www.123rf.com/photo_32402431_magazines-on-display.html
For those who have never written a pitch letter outside of a school assignment like me, you can imagine how in the dark I felt when asked to do so. I have been interning for a company this semester and was asked to draft a pitch letter to media outlets in Charleston, South Carolina about a subject that I knew nothing about – Telehealth. Look it up; it’s quite fascinating. Even though Telehealth is a cool topic to say I know something about, the more important message here is how I went about drafting the pitch. I want to share some tips I learned throughout the way for those of you caught in the same situation as me one day. Right off the bat, tell the editor what your story is about. Due to the influx of emails people receive each and every day, you have to get the point across in the first 140 characters. It is also important to tell the editor why they should care. For my story, we were pitching to local media, so it was important to show them how the story was happening right in their backyard. This allows for a more personal connection, geographically in this instance, that will draw the attention of the editor. Next, set the scene. Give all of the necessary background information that would help you sell the story. This information should include metrics to back up your claims. These numbers will offer reasoning as to why your story is important and again, why they should care. In simpler terms, metrics are the evidence/proof points for the success of the campaign. Finally, in your conclusion, the advice that was given to me was to give a brief overview of what was discussed above. Something along the lines of, “Would you be interested in connecting with… to discuss the following?” would be proficient. This helps give a “Too Long, Didn’t Read,” synopsis for the reader. Wishing you the best of luck with your pitches!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
April 2020
|