Many public relations professionals want to get their work published, but not all of them know how to do it successfully. There’s a lot that goes into getting your piece published than writing it and pressing send. Below is some savvy, surefire advice on how to get what you want out of your PR career.
The Perfect Pitch
When writing your pitch, remember the three R’s of pitching: relevance, research, and rhetoric.
•Make sure that your story is relevant to the general public, not just a specialized niche.
•Research the editors you want to send your pitch to and always send it to ones who are in charge of selecting pieces on the topic you wrote on.
•Use rhetoric that is to the point and catches an editor’s attention. Words, such as biggest, first, fastest and only, pop out on the page, because it gives the impression that you have something unique to offer.
•Write in layman’s terms and avoid using jargon. It will not only confuse editors, but readers as well.
•Remember, you want to make your piece relevant to the general public, so you can get a high level of readership.
•Last, but definitely not least, always check for grammar and spelling errors!
Build Professional Relationships
Putting work into cultivating lasting professional relationships is equally important as the work you put into crafting your pitch. The more trust and camaraderie you build with an editor, the more work you are likely to get from them in the future.
•Reach out to the editor you want to pitch to via email or phone call, and make sure you have something to offer them, like what types of experts you can put them in touch with.
•Social media is also a fantastic way to connect with and keep in touch with editors and other writers.
•Follow the media you like on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and connect with them on LinkedIn. This establishes a professional relationship outside of the pitch, and makes your name/company familiar when you do pitch a topic.
Get a Good Group of Experts
Get a good group of experts on your side to lend your topic credibility. In your selection, make it more about the person, and less about the type of expert. You want someone who is not only knowledgeable, but personable as well. People who can condense complex topics and ideas into concise, not overly verbose statements, are the ones you want. University professors are perfect examples, and consultants and authors are good too. They are usually genuinely interested in their topics, are well versed in them, and will give honest answers. Make sure to not only state their level of experience and background in your pitch, but a short paragraph on where they stand on the topic as well.
