MCG had the pleasure of sponsoring “Perfecting Your Pitch,” a virtual workshop held by the PRSA Greater Connecticut Chapter. Attendees learned from three of the state’s media pros and took away valuable insights for improving their outreach to the state’s news media.
The panelists included:
Ted Koppy, an anchor and reporter for NBC Connecticut who can be seen weekday mornings from 4:30 – 7 a.m.
Renee DiNino, the director of community affairs and on-air programming for iHeartMedia in Connecticut, the midday host on The River 105.9, and host of an hour-long syndicated talk show on all 10 CT iHeartRadio stations.
Jamie Calli, a senior producer at WFSB Channel 3, and executive producer of Better Connecticut.
While these experts offered many invaluable tips, three themes emerged: know your audience, do your research, and make it personal.
Know Your Audience
First consider what audience you want to receive your message and why. Then determine what media that audience generally consumes. By knowing these two factors, you'll be able to pitch to the best media outlet that serves your audience.
Do Your Research
It doesn’t matter if you have the greatest story to pitch; if you’re sending it to the sports reporter and the story isn’t related to sports, that reporter isn’t going to give a flying football.
Research which beats reporters and producers cover so you can quickly and efficiently pitch the correct story to the appropriate person. This helps save you time, builds relationships, and makes you look like a seasoned pro who did their homework.
Make it Personal
Speaking of relationships, remember that people working in the media are just that: people. So treat them as such. People don’t like feeling used and often PR pitches can come across that way.
Your interactions should be respectful and personal. For example, make an effort to follow up on something personal the reporter may have told you the last time you spoke. “How was that trip to XYZ?” can go a long way.
Ultimately, be cognizant that members of the media are defined by more than just their job title. They will appreciate you recognizing that.