Media relations lessons learned from over five million pitches

September 21, 2021 | Megan Irvin | Leave a Comment | Time to Read: 3 mins

Looking behind someone sitting at a computer working with a cup of coffee on the side

One of the things I love about working at Hodges is the opportunity we have for ongoing professional development. In pre-COVID times, this meant attending conferences and various in-person trainings, but like many other things, a lot of our professional development has taken a virtual turn in the last year and a half.

Earlier this year with the support of Hodges, I joined media relations and writing coach Michael Smart’s Inner Circle, and I’ve found great value in the sessions and training that are provided through the program.

As a part of the Inner Circle, I recently tuned into a webinar presented by Michael Smart and Muck Rack breaking down lessons learned from analyzing over 5 million pitches sent between August 2020 and July 2021. Was the pitch opened? Did the journalist respond? What worked and what didn’t?

I’m sharing a few takeaways here from the webinar on media relations lessons learned – when to pitch, how many people to pitch, pitch format, subject lines and the art of following up.

When to send a media pitch?

Pitch on Mondays, as this is when journalists typically get fewer pitches.
Consider testing sending on Sunday afternoon or evenings, even if you schedule the send.

How many people should you pitch?

Open rates drop as you add more recipients to your email.
Once you send to more than 50 recipients, there’s really no difference if you go to 250.
Open rates start to drop as soon as you send to more than one person on the “To” line!
Many people take advantage of the BCC line to send a mass email, which can be okay in certain circumstances but it’s typically still best to individualize when you can.

Writing a good subject line for a media pitch

Straightforward subject lines are best – journalists don’t like clickbait subject lines that might work in email marketing.
Put the locale that you are pitching in subject line so journalists know right way it’s relevant to them.
Consider sharing data in subject line – it’s not a requirement but if you have it, flaunt it. Keep in mind that spam filters can block things like dollar signs.
There’s a formula for subject lines. Set subject into two words then follow with 8-10 simple words. For example, “New app: Designed to assist parents find childcare.”
Longer subject lines perform just as well as shorter ones.

The best format for your media pitch

A good pitch is a good pitch, regardless of length! That said, use bullets and avoid big blocks of text. You want the information you are presenting to be as digestible as possible.
Add links to assets if available since embedded images don’t always show up.
Avoid using “hope you are well” in start of email, especially with a new contact or a blast pitch. This is the number one thing journalists complain about in getting pitches. It is okay to use with someone you are *actually* friendly with!

When to follow-up on a media pitch?

When following up, add some additional value – whether you are offering new photos or new information – make your follow-up worthwhile.
Mass follow-ups, poorly targeted pitches and poorly timed pitches were the among the pitches that were most likely to not be opened at all.

A big shout out to Michael Smart and Muck Rack for the helpful session! What other media relations lessons learned would you add?

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Megan Irvin

Megan spends her days doing media relations, community relations, content creation and events for clients like Kroger Mid-Atlantic, Federal Realty and Mercy Chefs. Her favorite part of her job is working with clients and providing strategic counsel — and garnering media attention for clients in outlets like TODAY, Esquire, USA Today and Bon Appetit.